We may not have pumpkin patches or apple orchards nearby, but there’s plenty of fall fun within the five boroughs.
You don’t have to go far to get a taste of the ghost tours, creepy museums, Halloween attractions, and costume mega-stores New York City has to offer.
Boroughs of the Dead Ghost Tours
Only ghost tour with a trip advisor certificate of excellence in NYC is Boroughs of the Dead. The tours, which run year round, are currently offered in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. (Staten Island and the Bronx tours are coming soon.. The tickets are $25 in advance, and $30 at the door. They’re running tours on weekend nights in October, with the addition of a tour on Halloween night. The walking tours promise to deliver you professionally licensed guides, and two hours of unique haunted history storytelling. Tickets can be purchased at the Boroughs of the Dead website.
TheHalloween Superstores
Get a head start on your Halloween costume this year to avoid being stuck in an enormous line at Spirit on October 30th. Check out three of NYC’s best bets for getting the creepy decorations and amazing costume you’re looking for: Abracadabra, Halloween Adventure, and Ricky’s.
Abracadabra is located at 19 W 21st St (Between 5th & 6th Avenues). There’s a large makeup department, which separates Abracadabra from other Halloween stores. They also have a great wig department, where you can find pricier pieces. With all the different styles of wigs at Abracadabra, you’re bound to find the perfect look for your costume. Domonick Cost, a fashion merchandising student at FIT, has been a customer at Abracadabra since he moved to New York in 2013. “They saved me from not having a costume on Halloween one year. I actually had to go on the day of, and they handled the crowds really well. I was in and out within an hour, and left with everything I needed for my zombie costume.”
Another great Halloween store is Halloween Adventure. The store is located at 808 Broadway; on 11th St. This superstore spans two levels, and focuses on costumes, a vast collection of decorations, and novelty Halloween items. Be sure to check it out, if only for the creepy animatronics they have in store.
Ricky’s is a great place to check out for your FX makeup needs. They carry all the beauty tools and products you may need for your costume, plus wigs and some generic costumes. Ricky’s tends to be a ransacked, crowded, madhouse on Halloween, so go early to avoid the stress! Ricky’s has 21 locations throughout Manhattan, as well as two in Brooklyn, and one in Queen’s.
The Morbid Anatomy Museum
Halloween is a perfect time to check out the Morbid Anatomy Museum. Located at 424A 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn, this new museum opened in 2014. The museum is open every day besides Tuesday, 12-6pm. It also features a café, gift shop, exhibitions, and guest lecturers. The museum displays oddities and morbid curiosities, all of which stemmed from founder Joanna Ebenstein’s personal Morbid Anatomy Library. Tickets are $10 for students and can be purchased at the museum.
The New York Haunted Hayride
If you’re looking for a traditional haunted house experience, look no further than Randall’s island. At the New York Haunted Hayride, you get the experience of three different haunted attractions. The village, Purgatory, is a walking area complete with shops, food, and a Macabre Theatre. Visit the House of Shadows for a lantern lit haunted foot maze. For the classic Haunted Hayride, you’re taken on a tractor-pulled hay wagon through “backwoods hillbilly country” to meet some terrifying characters. Tickets range from $32 for general admission to $55 for all three attractions and can be purchased online.
Blood Manor
For a classic Halloween haunted house, check out Blood Manor. Located on the corner of Varick and Spring St., this haunted attraction is open Thursday through Sunday nights in October. Blood Manor also adds Tuesday and Wednesday dates as October 31st approaches. Tickets range from $33.50-$50, but if you don’t want to wait in line, it’s suggested you buy the $50 VIP ticket. On select nights in October, students are given $10 off their ticket at the door. The 20-minute, 5,000 square foot walk through attraction promises themed rooms, corridors, and passageways to scare people as much as possible.
With so many Halloween themed activities right here in New York, you don’t have to leave the city to experience the holiday. In addition to these attractions, there are endless haunted locations throughout the city you can visit on your own-no ghost tour needed! The apple and pumpkin flavored foods are in peak season during Halloween-so in addition to all the Halloween activities NYC has to offer, you won’t run out of fall treats to try, either. It’s hard to compete with Christmas in New York, but Halloween in New York definitely comes in at a close second.
