Halloween Haunts - Sept 2010

Hudson Valley Halloween (BOO!)

Mid-Hudson haunts not for the faint of heart

Orange County, NY (October 2010) - Dare to be scared this Halloween season at some of the spookiest places in the Hudson Valley. Ghoulish ghosts are waiting to greet you in Orange County's haunted houses and lonely lanes. Piercing screams split the night air, and clanking chains make spines shiver at numerous Halloween happenings.

For the bravest of fright seekers, the Pure Terror Scream Park at The Castle Fun Center in Chester is new this year. Every Thursday through Sunday evening from September 24th to October 31st, try to survive the four terrifying attractions as you wend your way through The Castle's park. Diehard horror buffs who want additional scaring should take a trip to the hair-raising Terrordome in Newburgh. Another adrenalin raiser is the famously wicked Forest of Fear in Tuxedo where even the tarantulas are afraid to spin webs. Be warned! These sites open weekend nights during October are not for the timid!

The underground cellars at Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville provide a natural setting for Halloween adventures. This year's program, The Legend of Brotherhood Winery & the Haunted Wine Cellars, is tame enough for ten-year olds, spooky and exciting, but not designed to give nightmares. It's ghoulishly good fun for the whole family every Friday and Saturday night from October 1st through the 23rd. Adults don their terrifying togs to wear to Brotherhood's traditional grown-ups-only Halloween Ball costume party the night of October 30th. It's an evening of wine and wicked witchery.

Jump on your broomstick and join the high jinx at Museum Village's Haunted Halloween in Monroe after dark on October 22 and 23rd. Take a bone-chilling hayride to the haunted house and join in with things that go bump in the night during the scavenger hunt. Fortune tellers will let you know if you'll make it out alive. But there's fun for young children, too, on October 24th. Museum Village hosts No Scare Sunday with games and treats just right for little kids. 

Families will also enjoy Haunted Hayrides on the evenings of October 22 and 23rd at the Orange County Farmers Museum in Montgomery. If you're afraid of the dark, this beautiful country location is a great place to celebrate the daytime Harvest Festival on October 23rd and 24th.  Daytime Halloween celebrations continue at the Trick-or-Treat and Costume Parade at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets on Friday, October 29th. It's another daytime fun event for kids who won't want to miss the festive parade along the main walkway at 4PM.

Finally, humans aren't the only ones celebrating Halloween. The resident bears at Bear Mountain Zoo are in for some treats at Boo at the Zoo from 10:30 to 3PM on Saturday, October 30th. Bears don't just picnic, they party!

From scared-out-of- your-wits attractions to gentle trick-or-treat fun, there are thrills to suit all ages at a wide assortment of events throughout Orange County, just an hour's drive from New York City. Brand new Halloween shows are in this year's line up as well as the popular spooky haunts that keep fans coming back every season. Many sites offer the convenience of on-line ticket sales, so start planning now and fill your calendar with frighteningly good times through late October. For a complete list of Orange County events, lodging, and attractions, visit www.orangetourism.org/, or call 845-615-3860 for more information. 

CONTACTS

Pure Terror Scream Park
The Castle
Chester.
845-469-2116 ext. 7000
www.pureterror.com/ 


Terrordome
Newburgh
845-476-VAMP
www.terrordome.com/ 


Forest of Fear
Tuxedo
845-351-5174
www.theforestoffear.com 


The Legend of Brotherhood Winery & the Haunted Wine Cellars / Halloween Ball
Brotherhood Winery
Washingtonville
845-496-3661
www.brotherhoodwinery.net/ 


Haunted Halloween / No Scare Sunday
Museum Village
Monroe
845-782-8247
www.museumvillage.org/ 


Haunted Hayrides / Harvest Festival
Orange County Farmers Museum
Montgomery
845-457-2959
www.ocfarmersmuseum.org/ 


Boo at the Zoo
Bear Mountain
845-786-2701 ext. 293
www.palisadesparkconservancy.org/ 


Trick or Treating and Costume Parade
Woodbury Common Premium Outlets
Central Valley
845-928-4000
www.premiumoutlets.com/woodburycommon