Haunted houses in New York City

If you want the full-scare version of New York, there's a one-night shot at it: the Hallowscream charity event on Oct 27, which benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It's an intense walk-through of about 10,000 square feet in groups of six, and they don't recommend it for kids under 14. Be warned: don't wear white or anything expensive, since there's stage blood on the actors and props. For a bigger night out, Bayville Scream Park 2026 on Long Island runs five haunted houses through Nov 7.

The rest of the list leans hard toward ghost tours (16 of the 31), and half of those are up the Hudson in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. Twilight Village at Sleepy Hollow is the family pick, with fire performers, storytellers and the Headless Horseman. Tickets aren't sold on site, so buy ahead. Same deal with the Sleepy Hollow Haunted Hayride, which follows Ichabod Crane's flight into the dark woods on Oct 16 and 17. Entry is timed and spots sell out fast. Pretty mild, though.