If you are looking for a frightfully fun time this Halloween, or if you love a spooky ghost story, Dutchess County has you covered!
There are dozens of Halloween-themed events and attractions throughout the county this season, from haunted mansions to costume parties. Here are some can’t-miss experiences that are guaranteed to send chills down your spine.
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Featured in this article: Bone-Chilling Attractions | For the Kids | Parties and Nightlife | Spooky Experiences | Historic Events and Cemetery Tours
• Kevin McCurdy’s Haunted Mansion (Select dates, Sept. 27–Nov. 1, at Bowdoin Park, Wappingers Falls): This Halloween experience is not for the faint of heart! As seen on the AMC show “Fear Fest,” Kevin McCurdy’s Haunted Mansion celebrates “49 years of fears!” This year’s experience a new attraction, "The Keeper: Horror Finds a Home," filled with immersive and spine-tingling elements and mesmerizing special effects. Food, drinks and mini doughnuts are available at The Grumpy Pumpkin. The Kids Day event on Oct. 13 (12–3 p.m.) includes arts and crafts, magic shows and trick-or-treating through the trail with some friendly monsters.
• Haunted Fortress of Stanford (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 6:30 p.m., Oct. 3–26): Created by Peter Wing (of Wing's Castle fame), the Haunted Fortress has been scaring visitors since 1997, and this season promises to frightfully good! Those brave enough to walk all the way through the creepy swamp will encounter the Train Yard, the Carriage House, the Crooked House, the Caves, the Bottomless Pit, the Village, the Church with its Graveyard, and the Lab. Weather permitting, the attraction will be open on four consecutive weekends beginning Oct. 3 and includes sensory-friendly shows on Oct. 5 and 19 from 2–4 p.m.
• "Spellbound in the Valley: A Book Festival Like No Other" (Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24 and 25, at the MJN Convention Center, Poughkeepsie): Meet more than 100 authors and vendors from a variety of genres — including dark romance, dark fantasy, paranormal, monster, horror and thriller — at this one-of-a-kind celebration of literature. There will be book signings, a VIP dinner and a costume party along with the vendor market.
• "Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker" (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24, 25 and 26, at the KuBe Art Center, Beacon): Duane Boutté portrays Jonathan Harker along with nine other characters in this tour de force performance in Saint Rita’s Music Room, an 88-seat venue at the KuBe Art Center (the old Beacon High School).
• "Misery" (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 31–Nov. 2, at the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck): Rhinebeck Performing Arts presents a Definitely Human Theatre Production of "Misery," based on the iconic novel by Stephen King. Performances are set for Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.
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• A Very Fluffy Halloween (Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 11–26, at Lilymoore Alpaca Farm, Pleasant Valley): Here’s a Halloween event the kids are sure to love — the adults, too! The alpacas, goats and llamas are throwing an all-ages Halloween party and are dressing in their costumes for the occasion. Wear your costumes if you like and head to the farm for a tour.
• Movie Thyme Presents "Hocus Pocus" (multiple shows, Oct. 17–27, at Flores Tapas Restaurant, Wappingers Falls): Movie Thyme is an immersive dining experience that draws you into the film with food! As you watch the movie, inspired drinks and meals are brought out to you as you see them on the screen. Enjoy the 1993 film "Hocus Pocus" paired with a seven-course meal (a five-course dinner along with two mocktails, which can be upgraded to cocktails).
• Wicked Wappingers Halloween Festival and Parade (Saturday, Oct. 18, 12 p.m. in the Village of Wappingers Falls): March in the parade, which will begin on East Main Street near Market Street, then head to Mesier Park for a trunk-or-treat, a costume contest, food, music, vendors and games.
• Haunted Mill (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24–26, at Maxon Mills, Wassaic): Home to the Wassaic Project non-profit art and art education organization, Maxon Mills is quite a unique exhibition space, an historic, seven-story wooden grain elevator along the train tracks that has been repurposed into a magnificent gallery for contemporary artists to display their creations. This year’s Haunted Mill features plenty of spooky installations and kid-friendly fun.
• Spooky Fun (Saturday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., at the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum, Poughkeepsie): Come explore your favorite museum with a playful Halloween twist. Get creative with Halloween art in the Maker Space — where little ghouls and goblins can craft their own frightfully fun masterpieces. Stick around for the ultimate Halloween highlight: the Vomiting Pumpkin Demo at 3 p.m.! It’s silly, surprising, and a little bit gross — in the best way possible.
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• The (Not-So-Haunted) Stony Kill Spooktacular (Saturday, Oct. 25, 4–7 p.m., at Stony Kill Farm, Wappingers Falls): Enjoy some family-friendly Halloween fun on the farm with haunted barn, potion maker, I Spy Spooky garden, and haunted hay rides.
• Tract-or-Treat Weekend (Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 25 and 26, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., at Barton Orchards, Poughquag): There are plenty of trick-or-treat and trunk-or-treat events out there, but Barton Orchards puts its own, farm-themed spin on a Halloween tradition with this "Tract-or-Treat" candy event. This two-day, family-friendly festival features live music, pig races and so much more. Enjoy hayrides, a petting zoo, a haunted house, a corn maze, the wooden ship playground and the Mega Slide in the fun park. Bring the pups and let them play in the dog park. Pick your own apples and pumpkins, grab some apple cider donuts and a bite to eat from the concession stand. Kids can wear their costumes and trick-or-treat around the farm, collecting goodies at festive stops.
• Trick or Treat with the Horses (Sunday, Oct. 26, 10:30 a.m., at Lucky Orphans Horse Rescue, Dover Plains): Come dressed in your best costume and enjoy some spooky treats at this trick-or-treating event the family will love. Don’t forget your candy bags!
• Gade-O-Ween Festival (Thursday, Oct. 30, 5:30–9 p.m., at Heritage Financial Park, Wappingers Falls): Head to the home of the Hudson Valley Renegades minor-league baseball team for Halloween fun! Dress up for trick-or-treating, which will be followed by a screening of the film "Hocus Pocus" on the big screen. Guests can bring a blanket and sit on the field or in the seats. Ballpark concessions will be available for purchase.
• Mall-O-Ween Spooktacular (Thursday, Oct. 30, 4–6:30 p.m. at the Poughkeepsie Galleria, Poughkeepsie): Enjoy a spooky night at the mall complete with trick-or-treating, a magic show, music, costumes and more!
• Trick-or-Treat at Clermont (Friday, Oct. 31, 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m., at Clermont State Historic Site, Germantown): Come for the candy, stay for the photo ops at the spooky-cute Halloween photo stations. Trick-or-treating in the Visitor Center is free. The mansion will be open for regular tour hours: on the hour from 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Halloween Fun at the Museum (Friday, Oct. 31, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., at the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum, Poughkeepsie): Emily’s Music for Kids leads this Halloween-themed Museum Melodies adventure, followed by trick-or-treating through the exhibits. Stick around for the Halloween Planetarium Show.
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• Movie Night at Bannerman Castle: "The Bride of Frankenstein" (Friday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m. at Bannerman Castle, Pollepel Island): Take a scenic sunset cruise to Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island in the Hudson River and enjoy a screening of this classic Halloween film starring Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester. Tickets include the round trip from the Beacon Dock to the island aboard the Estuary Steward tour boat. The dock is adjacent to the Beacon Metro-North train station.
• "Time Warp: The Rocky Horror 50th Anniversary Live Experience" (Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17 and 18, 8 p.m., at Barton Orchards, Poughquag): Get ready to sing along, dress up, and do the Time Warp again at these live performances starring Loosey LaDuca of RuPaul's "Drag Race." Performances will be staged in Barton's beautiful event venue, the Sound Garden. Costumes are highly encouraged, and audience participation is a must at this one-of-a-kind "Rocky Horror" experience!
• Jessica Lynn’s Halloween Bash (Saturday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m. at Daryl’s House, Pawling): Who better to host an unforgettable party than Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer Daryl Hall? Every Halloween, contemporary country music star Jessica Lynn and her band host this themed party. This year's bash will be filled with games, dancing, and a legendary costume contest with awesome Daryl's House prizes!
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• Monster’s Ball (Saturday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m., at The Lantern, Wassaic): After two days of creepy, crawly fun at the Wassaic Project’s Haunted Mill, the grown-ups head across the street to The Lantern for the Monster’s Ball featuring live music and a costume contest. All tickets to the ball must be purchased in advance — no tickets will be sold at the door. And, most importantly, all attendees must wear a costume. Uncostumed ball-goers will be turned away, even with a ticket. Must be 21 or older.
• A Hippie Halloween (Saturday, Oct. 25, 8:30 p.m. at the Towne Crier Cafe, Beacon): Come as you are or come dressed as your favorite 1960s personality and enjoy a live performance at the iconic Towne Crier by the Woodstock tribute band Back to the Garden 1969.
• "A Wedding in Transylvania: Murder Mystery Dinner" (Sunday, Oct. 26, 4 p.m., at Curry Estate, Hopewell Junction): Ticket includes a three-course meal with entree selection and entertainment by Murder Cafe. Costumes encouraged!
• Halloween Fun Run and Costume Contest (Wednesday, Oct. 29, 6 p.m., at Sloop Brewing, Hopewell Junction): Sloop Brewing, Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie and the Eastern Dutchess Road Runners Club present the second annual Miles & Brews Halloween Fun Run. Get in the spirit of the season with a fun run/walk and costume contest — no timers, no set routes, just a fun run or walk around the eerie streets of iPark!
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• Wing’s Castle (Millbrook): Spend the night and take a tour of this unique medieval-style castle tucked away in the Dutchess countryside. Husband-and-wife artists Peter and Toni Ann Wing began building the castle in 1970 as a “live-in art project” on land that had been in the Wing family since the 1800s. They have used mostly recycled and repurposed materials in its construction and decoration. Visitors can choose between the Annex Suite, the Dungeon Room, the Chamber Room or the Cottage and enjoy plenty of modern amenities during a quiet getaway. The castle overlooks the fields at the Millbrook Vineyards and Winery, which offers daily tastings of its award-winning wines and hosts special events like weekend food trucks from May through October and jazz concerts in the summer.
• Miss Fanny’s Victorian Party House (Wappingers Falls): Named after the last member of the Van Wyck family who lived there, Miss Fanny’s is a 19th-century farmhouse that has been decorated with an enormous assemblage of antiques — and a twist of the macabre. The home has been featured on several paranormal TV shows, including “Haunted Collector” on the Syfy Network and “My Ghost Story” on the Biography Channel. The current owners reportedly share the space with spirits who have made their presence known with doors opening and closing, voices, footsteps — and even apparitions. Events are held year-round, including ghost hunts, medium readings and psychic Halloween parties.
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• Red Hook Cemetery Crawl (Self-guided tours, now through Oct. 26 at multiple locations in Red Hook): This year-round, self-guided tour of six Red Hook cemeteries details the lives of interesting people and their memorials. It’s an interesting and innovative way to study local history. The Crawl also includes a seasonal scavenger hunt, which will conclude with an award ceremony on Oct. 26 at the historic Elmendorph Inn at 3 p.m.
• Stones & Bones Living History Tour (Saturday, Oct. 4, 2:30–8 p.m. at Wappingers Rural Cemetery, Wappingers Falls): Presented by Dani Masterson in collaboration with the Wappingers Historical Society, this event will introduce you to some of the notable cemetery “residents” who tell their stories through interactive dialog. Among the costumed apparitions will be Daniel Ashworth, first Fire Chief of W.T. Garner Engine Company; Ephraim Tait, a mere lad of 11 years; Fred Churchill, Postmaster in Hughsonville; Sisters Maria & Johanna Mesier and the "Knocking Girl;" Peter Brower, Shoemaker and descendant of the Brower family, builders of the Mesier Homestead; Thomas Goring, bicyclist and businessman; and others.
• St. James Episcopal Church Graveyard Tours (By reservation only, Oct. 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25, at St. James Episcopal Church, Hyde Park): Tour this 200-year-old churchyard during their seasonal graveyard tours by lantern light and "meet” some of the iconic people who are buried there! Characters dressed in costumes appropriate to their times tell their stories through interactive dialogue. Each year features new stories with connections to local history. This year’s “cast” includes Gertrude Lewis Livingston Lowndes (1805–1883), a member of the Livingston family, New York’s premier family dynasty at the time; Emma Victoria Pitkin Marshall (1866–1946), who was once known as the “Poet Laureate” of Dutchess County; Catherine Kennedy Harper (1830–1901), an Irish immigrant who gained employment in Staatsburg as nanny and nurse to the two daughters of Maturin and Ruth (Baylies) Livingston, Ruth and Elizabeth; Augustus T. Cowman (1814–1854), the son of Captain John Cowman, who sailed ships for John Jacob Astor (going twice to China); and Rev. John McVickar (1787–1868), who was appointed Rector of St. James’ Church in 1811 and in 1818 was elected Professor of Moral Philosophy, Rhetoric and Belles-Lettres at Columbia University, where he delivered the first course of lectures on Political Economy ever given in America. These graveyard tours are appropriate for ages 5 and older. They are not haunted tours and are not meant to be scary.
• Haunted Beacon Ghost Walk (select dates, Sept. through Nov.): Explore Beacon's haunted history reaching back more than 400 years. Hear stories of local legend and paranormal activity. Help unravel the connections of hauntings with local murder mysteries and meet the Matteawan Ghost!
• Legends by Candlelight (Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25, tours every half hour from 6–8 p.m. at Clermont State Historic Site, Germantown): Come face-to-face with “ghosts” of Clermont’s past and hear their tales of glory, loss, failure and success. Some will be funny, others scary, but all the stories are true! What starts as a campy candlelit tour of the museum quickly turns into a quest to quell the spirits of the mansion. Visitors will be led to the house through a landscape covered in flickering jack-o-lanterns, then into the mansion for a haunting experience. Space is limited and advanced tickets are required.
• Evergreen Cemetery Lantern Tours (Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17 and 18, 6 p.m. at Evergreen Cemetery, Pine Plains): The Little Nine Partners Historical Society hosts this tour in which tour guides will lead you by lantern light through the circa 1820 cemetery, where you will meet former residents of Pine Plains in period costume and hear their captivating stories. Tours begin every half hour from 6–7:30 p.m.
• Paranormal Investigation (Saturday, Oct. 18, 6–10 p.m., at The Brinckerhoff House, Hopewell Junction): Full Moon Paranormal for a night of haunted history and investigation. This exclusive event includes investigating the historic buildings on the property, including the original farmhouse dating back to the mid-1700s; the one-room schoolhouse; the carriage barn; and the ice house. Special guests Ron Yacovetti and Lourdes Gonzalez — creators of TDSE: The Digital Séance Experience — will join the investigation.
• Dutchess County Historic Tavern Trail: Spooky Stories from Old Dutchess (Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m. at Foster’s Coach House Tavern, Rhinebeck): Join Dutchess County Historian William P. Tatum III in the Foster’s Coach House Tavern basement and explore a curated selection of stories of ghosts, ghouls, and goblins of the Revolutionary War. Be sure to book your dinner reservations for before or after the program.
• Haunted History Ghost Tours (Every Friday in October at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, Red Hook): Enjoy a walking ghost tour filled with tales of pilots lost, adventure ending in tragedy, and tales of the haunted history of the Aerodrome.
