By Karen Rubin
Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com
Many of my Halloween happenings are back this year, albeit with restrictions that may require advance purchase and timed tickets.
Historic Hudson Valley’s Electrifying Fall Happenings
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze® is returning for its 17th year to its original location in the Hudson Valley at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson. Meander through an 18th-century landscape and discover a breathtaking display of more than 7,000 illuminated jack o’ lanterns—all designed and hand-carved on site by our team of artisans. New for 2021, gawk at the always-impressive New York City skyline’s pumpkin treatment and take a stroll under the sea in an immersive river display, complete with synchronized lighting and an original soundtrack. On through November 21, admission is limited and timed tickets must be purchased in advance, www.pumpkinblaze.org. (Van Cortlandt Manor, 525 S Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520)
Fortunately, the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze® Long Island is also returning for a second year to Old Bethpage Village Restoration. A small team of local artists hand-carved more than 7,000 jack o’lanterns and created elaborate pumpkin sculptures at this walk-through experience on the grounds of the 19th-century village. New displays this year include an 80-foot circus train–a nod to the 146-year run of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the nearby Nassau Coliseum, a sea monster and many new creative creatures from under the ocean. On through November 7, timed-tickets must be purchased in advance, https://pumpkinblaze.org/blaze-long-island.html. (Old Bethpage Village Restoration, 1303 Round Swamp Rd. Old Bethpage, NY 11804).
“Irving’s Legend” returns reimagined this fall. Performed for the first time ever outdoors under the stars at Washington Irving’s historic Sunnyside, master storyteller Jonathan Kruk casts a spell with dramatic performances of the classic tale, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. Live music and an appearance from the Headless Horseman himself make this a spooky spectacular experience for all ages. October 1-31, Fridays-Sundays at 6:30, 8, and 9:30pm. Advance tickets are required. No tickets will be sold on site. Sunnyside, 3 W Sunnyside Lane, Irvington, NY 10533, hudsonvalley.org.
Explore “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”: A family-friendly “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” happening takes place during the day. Visitors can tour the first floor of Washington Irving’s house and watch an original shadow puppet short film. A special exhibit highlights how the Legend has lived in the imagination of popular culture through the centuries since its publication. October 1 – November 8, Fridays-Sundays + Columbus Day. Entry times between 10am-3:30pm Advance tickets required. No tickets will be sold on site. (Washington Irving’s Sunnyside, 3 W Sunnyside Lane, Irvington, NY 10533, hudsonvalley.org)
Salem Haunted Happenings
Salem Haunted Happenings is a festive celebration of Halloween and fall in New England running annually, October 1-31. Events include a Grand Parade, the Haunted Biz Baz Street Fair, Family Film Nights, costume balls, ghost tours, haunted houses, live music, and chilling theatrical presentations.
Salem Haunted Happenings Festival has been happening since 1982, and steadily grown over the years. Today, members of the modern Pagan and Witch communities have a home in Salem, where Samhain is celebrated each October recognizing the end of the harvest season and the coming of winter. The City’s modern witches have the opportunity to share their beliefs and celebrations with both locals and out of town guests who come to celebrate the Halloween season in Salem.
Classic experiences include:
Cry Innocent: The People vs. Bridget Bishop: The year is 1692. Bridget Bishop has been accused of witchcraft and you are on the Puritan jury. Hear the historical testimonies, cross-examine the witnesses and decide the verdict. Is Bridget Bishop capable of witchcraft? The outdoor arrest scene begins approximately 15 minutes before show time. (Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, daily thru October.)
Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables: Discover 330 years of Salem’s history as you experience the museum and collection of historic buildings. Built in 1668, this is the oldest surviving 17th century wooden mansion in New England. The House of the Seven Gables inspired author Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his legendary novel of the same name. (House of Seven Gables, 115 Derby St. 978-744-0991)
The Witch House, home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the Witchcraft Trials of 1692. Corwin was called upon to investigate the claims of diabolical activity when a surge of witchcraft accusations arose. He served on the court which ultimately sent 19 to the gallows. (310 1/2 Essex St. 978-744-8815)
Witch Dungeon Museum. Experience the acclaimed performance of a Witch trial adapted from the 1692 historical transcripts. Most chilling is that it is real. (16 Lynde St. 978-741-357).
Also:
Halloween Museum: Experience Halloween through interactive and family-friendly exhibits on fortune-telling, vintage Halloween artifacts, Halloween-themed movies, costumes, Salem’s witchcraft (open every day, reservations required).
Haunted Witch Village, Salem’s longest-running haunted house.
Maison Vampyre: NEW for 2021. Visit “the only elegant and uniquely themed Vampyre House in New England!” Experience psychic readings, group events and magick.
Salem Witch Museum offers two historical presentations focused on the tragic events of the Salem witch trials of 1692.
Salem Witch Trials Memorial, symbolically located behind the Old Burying Point, is a place of reflection and remembrance for visitors and descendants of those who perished.
Salem Witch Village offers a mystical journey by practicing witches, separating myths and reality of witchcraft.
Salem Witch Walk, led by true Salem Witches, let’s you discover your own magic as you’re blessed in a magic circle (11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm, and 9 pm. Apr-Nov.)
The Annual Psychic Fair & Witchcraft Expo: Get a true psychic reading at Salem’s largest psychic fair with gifted psychics offering tarot cards, palmistry, mediumship.
The Lost Museum (at Gallows Hill): Explore Salem’s newest, longest, largest, UNDERGROUND haunted attraction.
There are so many events, activities and attractions, you have to visit www.hauntedhappenings.org to plan.
All Salem hotels, motels, and inns/B&Bs listed on salem.org are walking distance to Haunted Happenings events. Regional accommodations are also available in nearby towns, including Beverly, Danvers and Peabody, which border Salem. You can also stay in Boston or north of Salem on the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail line, and Salem Haunted Happenings is a short (commuter) train ride away.
Six Flags Darien Lake Brings Back Fright Fest
Six Flags Darien Lake, in Darien Center, NY, unleashes its biggest, most spine-chilling Fright Fest® yet. This signature event brings Thrills by Day with Trick-or-Treat trails and family-friendly activities, and Fright by Night, featuring four haunted attractions (at an additional charge) that incorporate ghoulish scare actors, movie-like props, and state-of-the-art special effects and four additional scare zones around the park that leave guests nowhere to hide and screaming to get out unscathed.
In addition, Big Top Freaks is headlining the entertainment with a nightly show showcasing three entertainers who specialize in dangerous, scarring, grotesque, and hard-to-watch feats of physical endurance (not for the faint of heart).
Fright Fest is so scary it is NOT recommended for children 12 and under after 6 p.m. (see website for operating hours and days).
Located 45 minutes from Niagara Falls between Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y., Six Flags Darken Lake boasts 50 rides, including seven world-class roller coasters, dozens of family rides, the region’s largest waterpark and a 20,000-seat amphitheater operated by Live Nation. The Park welcomes overnight guests in a wide range of accommodations—from a full-service hotel and modern cabins to rental RVs, and RV and tent campsites (www.sixflags.com/darienlake).
Haunted Williamsburg
Haunted houses, ghost walks and creepy carriage rides, oh my! Get your spook on in Greater Williamsburg. Take a one-hour candlelit Haunted Williamsburg tour at 7 pm each night, with exclusive access to historic outdoor spaces and costumed storytellers who share their unnerving tales. (Visit www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/events/haunted-williamsburg)
Screaming is inevitable during Halloween at Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream. On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from Sept. 10 to Oct. 31, five haunted houses, four terror-tories, four sinister shows, two party zones, and surprise horrors await at every turn. Little ones can celebrate not-so-spooky fun with a costume party and trick-or-treating at The Count’s Spooktacular. (https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/events/howl-o-scream/)
Hear tales of paranormal activities on a guided tour through the 1726 Berkeley Plantation mansion in Charles City followed by a lantern-led walk through the gardens, grounds, cemetery, and corn maze. The Twilight Ghost Tour of one of Virginia’s most historic plantations takes place Oct. 9 and 22. (www.berkeleyplantation.com)
Jamestown Settlement hosts Family Frights, a Halloween-themed program for the whole family on Oct. 23 and 24 featuring trick-or-treating, ghostly tales, haunted houses and ships, and grisly games. (www.historyisfun.org/jamestown-settlement/fright-nights-at-jamestown-settlement)
Schenectady Candlelight Tours
The Schenectady County Historical Society is taking registrations for this year’s Candlelight Tours, spooky tales of Schenectady, NY’s haunting past – your personal meet-and-greet with the Stockade District’s witches, spirits, and ghouls, taking place Thursday and Friday evenings in October. Choose either the “Colonial Hauntings” (at 6:30 pm) or “Ghostly Victorian” tour (at 7:30 pm) – the two tours feature different stories and venture through different part of the neighborhood ($13/ticket). Candlelight Tours are co-sponsored by the Schenectady Heritage Foundation. The tour meets at 32 Washington Avenue, Schenectady, with refreshments and live music after. Space is very limited. Pre-registration required at schenectadyhistorical.org/programs.
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