Partying hard in New York City this Halloween season? Manhattan and the other boroughs are great for Halloween nightlife festivities, but what about innocent fall fun? Surely you remember those cozy fall days spent with the warmth of your family as a child, or even the crisp Halloween nights spent trick or treating with your childhood best friends. Those are times that can only be spent at home in more suburban areas if the suburbs are what you call home. If you’re looking for more youthful forms of fall festivities, head to New York City’s closest suburb, Long Island, for some unique Halloween celebrations!
- Pumpkin and Apple Picking in the Hamptons
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An annual tradition for my family and me is heading out east for a day to soak in the sight of endless fields of pumpkins! The pumpkins are right off the vine, so make sure to bring scissors and gloves. The farm we go to even offers activities and food such as corn shooting, a corn maze, freshly made potato chips, hot apple cider, home-made honey sticks, apple cider donuts, and steamed corn right out of the husk! Breathing in the full air of Hamptons’ farms is a pure recharger for the hustle and bustle of city life. Check out the Milk Pail Farm for a breathtaking view of the blue hues of the sky intertwining with the fall colors of the path on the horizon. Other great options are Hank’s Pumpkintown, Fairview Farms and Seven Ponds Orchard.
- Halloween/Fall Festivals
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Festivals get kids and adults in the spirit of the season. With everything from small pumpkin patches, tarot card readers, face painting, Halloween games, bouncy houses, local vendors, crafts, stilt walkers, and fire eaters, your possibility for fun is promising. The Massapequa Halloween Festival and the Milleridge Halloween Village are spooktastic choices.
- Safe Halloween at Massapequa High School
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Safe Halloween at Massapequa High School is one of the most epic Halloween fundraisers in probably all of America. Unlike charitable home haunts, there is no other Safe Halloween event anywhere but in Massapequa. It is perhaps the most unique annual event that my town has to offer. Words can’t capture the craftsmanship and dedication put forth by Massapequa teenagers to create this elaborate display each year. The halls of the high school are transformed into a tunnel of themed sections. With floor to ceiling decorations, the entire area is transformed such that you wouldn’t even know you are in a high school, but more of an alternate dimension where your favorite movie characters come alive to give you candy! About every ten feet of space is a new theme, so there’s a section for everyone to enjoy and even a haunted house. The entry fee is based on donations that go to the S.A.D.D (Students Against Drunk Driving) organization.
- Amityville Horror House
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Who could mention Long Island scares without giving praise to the ever famous Amityville Horror House? The actual sight of six gruesome murders committed by Ronald Defeo Jr., who shot his entire family. The house is said to be haunted by the “demons” that made him do it and the spirits of those who passed before their time. Its located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville. It’s the house turned away from the street at the end of the block. The house has been remodeled, so don’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t resemble its famous movie exterior. Walk by and pay your respects, but please be polite to the family who lives there. Wouldn’t want to have a Monster House “Get off my lawn!” situation.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE4ZWi6xkZo align:center] - Home Haunts
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Never heard of a home haunt? They are haunted houses that people fund and create themselves on their own property. Most charge a small entrance fee that goes to charity. I first became familiar with home haunts as a kid when I started going to Darkness Rising, which was a few blocks from my house. Since then, they’ve grown to encompass bigger facilities. Despite their small beginnings, Darkness Rising remains the scariest, best done haunted house I’ve ever been to, and that’s saying a lot because I work in haunted houses. Another great one to check out is the Cemetery of Lost Souls in…
- Scream Parks
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Scream Parks offer professional level scares with elaborately decorated sets, themed attractions, and paid scare actors. If you want to attempt to survive a nightmare after nightmare buys a ticket package at a scream park. Long Island’s premier haunted house is Bayville Scream Park. Some other great parks and professional haunt complexes are Chamber of Horrors, Blood Manor’s Long Island location Crypts of the Colosseum, and Schmitt’s Farm Haunt.
- Pumpkin Fling
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Yaphank, New York is home to Long Island’s only pumpkin catapult throwing contest. Groups design, build, and enter their own devices into the contest to see which can fling the pumpkin farthest! Spectators are welcome to witness the event.
- Old Bethpage Village Restoratio
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Bethpage houses Long Island’s largest colonial-era restoration village. Visitors can celebrate Halloween the way our ancestors did in the 1880s with activities like broom making, pumpkin painting, and possibly even an unspecial visit from The Grim Reaper. This event is accompanied by a Psychic’s Fair, where readings are performed in the historic buildings.
- Boat Burning
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The Long Island Maritime Museum in Sayville hosts the annual Halloween boat burning where an old wooden boat is set aflame and observed by curious spectators. A brand new boat is raffled off to a lucky attendee.
- Shipwreck Cove and Other Frightful Displays
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Some houses put out cobwebs er choose not to clean, while others transform their front yards into spooky scenes for all to see. These attractions demonstrate talent, drive, and vision for the homeowners that design and build them. I was lucky enough to visit one in my hometown called Shipwreck Cove. This homeowner built pirate themed sets and props to bring his vision to life, which included singing skeletons and hungry sharks. By far, the best Halloween display I’ve ever seen. Some other great ones are Frightmore Manor Cemetery and Army of Darkness.
- New York Autofest Halloween Car Show
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A car show with a twist! Human costume contests are judged as well as car costume contests! Marciano’s Pizza Truck and Tasty Taxi sell food to hungry car enthusiasts.
- Halloween Pawt
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Located at the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons,human and dog costume contests are judged, and winners awarded with prizes. Not a fan of costumes? No problem, come for the dogs, it’s never a bad day when dogs are around.
- Pumpkinfest
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Enjoy the unique flavor of pumpkin beer at T.J. Finley’s in Bay Shore. Additionally, the first 200 guests get to drink beer out of a mini pumpkin!
- Rise of the Jack O’ Lantern
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This is the Long Island location of the well-known pumpkin artist event commonly known in New York City as The Night of 1,000 Jack O’ Lanterns. Situated on the beautiful Phipps estate at The Old Westbury Gardens. Allow 1,000 professionally carved and decorated pumpkins to light your way through a dark, October night. Come during the day and take a tour of the mansion and grounds to see what life was like when the Phipps family enjoyed the pleasures of long Island
- Rocky Horror Events
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A special screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show hosted by Off Key Tikki restaurant and CM Performing Arts Center in Patchogue brings guests to the beach to enjoy food, drinking, and a live performance of the movie’s lively songs by actors. Come in Rocky Horror costume or Time Warp right outta there!
- Small Town Parades
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Long Island is full of people who love a good parade! Most Halloween parades let kids show off their costumes while spreading Halloween spirit through the streets that we love and share. Two cute ones are the South Hampton Rag-a-Muffin Parade and the Massapequa Brady Park Halloween Parade.
- Horse Ability’s Haunted Haybarn
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A unique twist to the usual haunted house this one takes place in the stables of a historic horse barn. Dating back to 1912, the stables are still the homes to some loyal horse pals. Stick around after the haunt to say hi to our galloping friends. The proceeds from this event go to the Horse Ability charity.
- Spirit Halloween Stores
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Being a Spirit Halloween employee myself, let me tell you the city Spirits are not the same as the Long Island ones. Back home, going to Spirit is an event for the whole family. Long Island Spirits have the square footage that city Spirits don’t to house the animatronics that jumps out at you as you shop. Plus, the eerie music could get anyone in the mood to splurge on spooky goodies. While you’re on the Island looking for costumes, take a trip to Ruby’s Costume Shop, it’s a famous film costume company that opens its doors in October to share surprisingly affordable and amazing products with the public.
With something for everyone, Long Island has events that will scare, excite, and bring out the Halloween spirit in even the darkest of ghouls. So go on and call your Uber and catch the next train out east because try as New York City might, but after all, no one does Halloween like Long Island!