Five Reasons to Visit the Historic Hudson Valley This October

Bear Mountain Bridge in the fall is one of my favorite Hudson Valley sights

I’ll admit it…Labor Day weekend is here, and that means I’m getting pumped for fall.  I wouldn’t want to live in an area of the country where I couldn’t experience apple and pumpkin picking and brightly colored leaves, and I love that living in the Hudson Valley exposes me to such great Halloween-themed events during the month of October.  Here’s my list of the Top 5 must-sees in the Hudson Valley during this time; due to their growing popularity, most require purchasing tickets a few weeks in advance, so research the options early!

1. Forest of Fear (Tuxedo Park, NY)

Once the New York Renaissance Faire ends, the grounds of Sterling Forest are converted to the Forest of Fear, and open every weekend in October (“Shock-tober,” as their ads often refer to it) for guests to enjoy some haunted fun.  Brave visitors line up to walk through the Slaughterhouse, and carnival style rides, spooky sideshows, and talented performers outside this intense haunted house round out this chilling experience. This attraction has been dubbed the third best haunted house attraction in America by Haunted Attractions Magazine, and New York Times ranks it among their top ten haunted attractions.   Not recommended for children under 8 – or adults who are big scaredy cats.  I went to this a few years ago, and waited in line for about 30 minutes to enter the Slaughterhouse – only to discover that I am not nearly brave enough to slowly walk through each room with my eyes open.  I ran through the entire thing in under 5 minutes and wound up missing a good portion of all the cool scares and effects that everyone else who exited leisurely after me raved about!  If scares aren’t your thing, you may want to offer to babysit the other children you’re leaving home that night.

2. The Great Jack’O’Lantern Blaze (Croton-on-Hudson, NY)

Head to Van Cortlandt Manor for what is quickly becoming the Hudson Valley’s most publicized Halloween event.  Walking though a display of more than 4,000 individually hand-carved pumpkins, visitors enjoy massive spiders, dinosaurs, ghosts, goblins, pirates, animals and even pyramids either made up entirely of (or carved in unique patterns on) pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.  Be sure to keep an eye on small children – the pathways are not well lit as the

pumpkins are appreciated best in the dark, and I’ve seen children easily get misplaced.  Watch your own step as well – people always seem to wind up tripping over cobblestones along the way! The best advice I can give for getting to this extraordinary event is to buy your tickets well in advance either online for via phone; every half hour they allow a certain number of people onto the grounds where the pumpkins are displayed, and all time slots between 6:30pm (when the first group is let in) and 9:00pm (when the last group is let in) sell out very quickly.  Do not try to buy your tickets at the entrance – you will be turned away! Dates for the 2010 Blaze are as follows: Oct 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, and Nov 5, 6 and 7.

3.  Jonathan Kruk’s Legend (Sleepy Hollow, NY)

The 1685 Old Dutch Church (across from Philipsburg Manor) is the oldest church in New York – and the perfect venue for storyteller Jonathan Kruk to captivate audiences with the familiar tale of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  Not only is it cool to listen to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow while being IN Sleepy Hollow itself, Kruk’s dramatic re-telling of this timeless story (which features well-known characters Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman) is set to spooky organ music by Jim Keyes to further set the mood.  Kruk will tell this tale on Oct 15, 16, 29 and 30 every hour between 6pm and 9pm, and tickets should be purchased in advance to guarantee admittance.  While I have never seen Jonathan Kruk tell this story (or any other story, for that matter), I am eager to attend this event this year. I have enjoyed storytellers at the New York Renaissance Faire in the past, and researching Kruk online peaked my interest in him specifically, as he is highly praised by school teachers (who use his enthralling story-telling ability to teach their students) as well as fans of his who attend his other annual events throughout the year at Philipsburg Manor and Boscobel.

4. Horseman’s Hollow (Sleepy Hollow, NY)

New this year, this haunted experience at Philipsburg Manor exposes visitors to ghosts, vampires, witches and the like who are stuck in the Hollow serving the Headless Horseman himself.  Visitors walk a haunted trail around the grounds, viewing a town driven mad by the Headless Horseman, and should expect startling special effects that bring the experience that much more to life (or, probably, to death, as the theme would have it).  Surviving the initial haunted trail means you get to navigate the Headless Horseman’s Lair, where you can view bloodied corpses of previously unlucky visitors.  All the websites and articles I came across advertising this event warns that it is not for small children – which probably means that scaredy-cat adults, like myself, should also stay home (or just stick to the Legend of the Sleepy Hollow reading across the street!).  It is also warned that adults who suffer from claustrophobia, seizures, and/or heart/respiratory conditions should consider sitting this one out, too.  This event will run Oct 15, 16, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29 and 30.

5. Legend Celebration (Tarrytown, NY)

This daytime celebration at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside is kid and family friendly – and takes place during the day!  Legend of Sleepy Hollow puppet shows, assorted games and crafts, 19th century magic shows, live music, and spooky story walks (but nothing too spooky for children to handle) are all set up throughout the Sunnyside grounds Oct 23, 24, 30, and 31 from 10am-4pm.  Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the day in their Halloween costumes.

Been to any of the above events yourself? Have suggestions of other places within the Hudson Valley to visit during the fall? Comment below!