Where can I go to get scared for Halloween within a day's drive of Boston?
October 23, 2011 11:04 AM Subscribe
Where can I go to get scared this week within a day's drive of Boston (and not be surrounded by screaming kids)?
I want to do some Halloween-related things this week and next weekend and would like to be scared. I live in Cambridge, MA, and have a car. I don't want "family friendly fun" as a lot of the pumpkin patches and farms advertise. And I don't want to go somewhere to drink. Is the Fear at Fenway any good? Which of the haunted tours/scary mazes/seances would you recommend in Salem? Is there anything good in Sleepy Hollow, NY? What about New Hampshire? The location doesn't matter, but I want a good scare and I don't want to be surrounding by shrieking kids.
I want to do some Halloween-related things this week and next weekend and would like to be scared. I live in Cambridge, MA, and have a car. I don't want "family friendly fun" as a lot of the pumpkin patches and farms advertise. And I don't want to go somewhere to drink. Is the Fear at Fenway any good? Which of the haunted tours/scary mazes/seances would you recommend in Salem? Is there anything good in Sleepy Hollow, NY? What about New Hampshire? The location doesn't matter, but I want a good scare and I don't want to be surrounding by shrieking kids.
There are things to do in Sleepy Hollow and it makes a pretty good day trip from New York City. But if you drive a day away from Boston looking for Halloween scares you'll likely be disappointed.
More detail: We have a Haunted Hayride in Sleepy Hollow; I've never taken it but the village recommends it for kids 9 and up so it might not be as ruthless as it sounds like you're hoping. I'd recommend checking out the cemetery, including the Old Dutch Church and adjacent burial ground (the church dates to 1685 and is the 15th oldest building in New York), and taking a tour of the Philipse Manor historical site. There's a great jack-o-lantern display (more than 4000 of 'em, all ablaze) up the road a piece, although tickets are already sold out. But it's more quaint and creepy, not really good and scary.
posted by Joey Bagels at 11:47 AM on October 23, 2011
More detail: We have a Haunted Hayride in Sleepy Hollow; I've never taken it but the village recommends it for kids 9 and up so it might not be as ruthless as it sounds like you're hoping. I'd recommend checking out the cemetery, including the Old Dutch Church and adjacent burial ground (the church dates to 1685 and is the 15th oldest building in New York), and taking a tour of the Philipse Manor historical site. There's a great jack-o-lantern display (more than 4000 of 'em, all ablaze) up the road a piece, although tickets are already sold out. But it's more quaint and creepy, not really good and scary.
posted by Joey Bagels at 11:47 AM on October 23, 2011
Don't do Salem. The two haunted houses are lame and tiny, and it's sorta lame and tons of tourists just steppin' off sidewalks without looking. Spookyworld is always a good time, and it's the one at Fenway and Litchfield, NH this year - we love going on a weekend night and leaving our kids with a babysitter for those. They'll be virtually child free. I've never walked away from Spookyworld thinking "man, what a rip".
posted by kpht at 4:43 PM on October 23, 2011
posted by kpht at 4:43 PM on October 23, 2011
Philadelphia has Eastern State Penitentiary, which is creepy during the day with all the lights on. Around halloween they do a program called Terror Behind the Walls. There is a day version for kids and an evening version for adults. I was always too chicken to go, but I heard some really great things about it from other people who went.
posted by keeo at 10:28 PM on October 23, 2011
posted by keeo at 10:28 PM on October 23, 2011
I have heard that Hammond Castle in Gloucester, MA does a Halloween haunted house that is genuinely scary.
I live in Salem and totally love the Halloween craziness, but I think most of it is pretty family friendly and tame. That said, Pioneer Village does a nighttime "Haunted Salem Village" thing that it claims is scary (the website says kids are only allowed in the first two showings of the night).
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 9:08 AM on October 24, 2011
I live in Salem and totally love the Halloween craziness, but I think most of it is pretty family friendly and tame. That said, Pioneer Village does a nighttime "Haunted Salem Village" thing that it claims is scary (the website says kids are only allowed in the first two showings of the night).
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 9:08 AM on October 24, 2011
Joey Bagels might be right about your perceived ROI if you drive very far, but this place has been in the media lately.
posted by troywestfield at 10:18 AM on October 24, 2011
posted by troywestfield at 10:18 AM on October 24, 2011
Oh! How about here in NYC:
"Prepare yourself for 20 minutes of crawling, violent/sexual situations and being touched at the blackout haunted house. protective mask and flashlight provided. oh, and you walk through it alone." [blackoutnyc.com]
posted by xo at 11:55 AM on October 24, 2011
"Prepare yourself for 20 minutes of crawling, violent/sexual situations and being touched at the blackout haunted house. protective mask and flashlight provided. oh, and you walk through it alone." [blackoutnyc.com]
posted by xo at 11:55 AM on October 24, 2011
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posted by xo at 11:23 AM on October 23, 2011