Halloween fun on Long Island

Halloween is upon us and for those seeking a scare or some seasonal fun, a plan is needed. Here’s a trail of terror that will help guide you to events happening in Nassau and Suffolk to take your boo crew now through Oct. 31.

“ASYLUM, A LOVE STORY”

Sands Point Preserve Conservancy, 127 Middle Neck Rd., Sands Point

Have a frightening immersive experience at the Hempstead House in Sands Point Preserve by witnessing a theatrical presentation which intertwines love and madness. Actors travel with audience members throughout the mansion during this two-hour performance with an intermission and wine bar.

SCHMITT’S FARM HAUNT

Look out for live action monsters in the 10,000-square-foot haunted house where clowns and demons lurk in the dark. Then dare to enter the haunted corn trail where various living ghouls are tucked into the stalks. It has been expanded to include a new 3D experience. On your way out, hit the midway to participate in ax-throwing or play Zombie Brains .

DARK NIGHT HALLOWEEN WORLD SCREAM PARK

This scream park features a full evening with nine haunted attractions including “The End is A.I.,” plus a spooky vendor market, vintage Halloween museum, immerse photo-op experience, pumpkin trail and a candlelit outdoor art gallery in the woods.

“We are satirizing the rise of A.I. and its implementation by big corporations,” says co-owner Aidan Finnegan. “It’s a modern, relevant topic shown through the eyes of a fun Halloween event.”

CHAMBERS OF HELL

Get three haunts for the price of one with the Trilogy of Fear. Each haunt has a completely different style.

Part one is the “The Bourbon Street Massacre” based on the local culture of New Orleans with jazz music, secret whisperings within the voodoo shop and the mausoleums from the infamous cemeteries.

“Legends” makes up the second section featuring monsters like Wendigo, Mothman, La Llorona, Bloody Mary and the Yeti.
“They are all trapped inside this giant cave system by monster hunters,” says co-owner Robert “Doc” Frankenberg. “It’s almost pitch black with nothing but a candle flicker down a hallway.”

The final haunt is “The Inferno” where visitors take a descent into hell.

“The demons are covered in metal, armor and spikes,” says Frankenberg.

BAYVILLE SCREAM PARK

If you seek a full evening of evil, this spot has six haunted attractions that will make your hair stand on end.

Enter Bloodworth Haunted Mansion where twisted scientist Dr. Bascombe Bay experiments on corpses. Watch out for creepy clown Uncle Needles in the 3D Funhouse of Fear and the zombie mummies at the Temple of Terror. Inmates are running wild at the Bayville Haunted Asylum and prisoners of the Bay View Sanitarium are on the loose at Evil in the Woods. Meanwhile the Cage has a breakout of diseases.

Not enough? Catch some creepy cocktails at three secret bars, Zombie Pirate’s Voodoo Lounge, Diablo’s Lost Tequila Cantina and Dr. Decay’s Toxic Quarantine Club, located inside the haunted houses ($10 to access).

DARKNESS RISING

800 Chettic Ave., Copiague

Travel to Victorian London where Jack the Ripper looms in the fog at this two-part haunt. In addition to “Jack the Ripper’s Reign of Terror,” attendees can experience "The Coven’s Curse" featuring a group of witches who have put a curse on a village in the 1600s.

“The vibe is more old school horror,” says co-owner and founder Kevin Baird. “It’s as scary as it can be without touching people.”

GATEWAY’S HAUNTED PLAYHOUSE

The Sandman is terrorizing visitors, and revenge.

“This year’s haunt is based on a true story of when Gateway was a hotel back in the 1940s. Judge Michael Hawthorne sent some people off to death row that were actually innocent,” says haunt director Paul Allan. “The judge returned as a demonized Sandman and got inside people’s dreams at the hotel.”

There’s also a midway featuring a nightmare carnival, a “Fear Garden” for those 21 and over, plus a food truck.

HALLOWEEN HOUSE

Broadway Commons, 358 N. Broadway, Hicksville

Get some wicked selfies in 10 different themed rooms.

This all-ages attraction features no live actors. Explore "Beetlejuice," graveyard, zombie, glow-in-the-dark rooms and more before checking out the interactive trick-or-treat room.

“You actually can go up to the house and trick-or-treat,” says founder Justin Schwartz. “A person answers the door and gives you candy. There’s even a tree that you can decorate with toilet paper.”

THE GREAT JACK O'LANTERN BLAZE

Walk through this half-mile loop featuring more than 7,000 illuminated pumpkins all hand-carved by local artists at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. The designs vary from classic Halloween characters to massive pumpkin displays featuring the Statue of Liberty, a 12-foot high smoke breathing sea monster and a 20-foot spider web made of jack-o’-lanterns.

“We even have a nautical theme featuring a lighthouse with a rotating light, an ocean scene, a boating scene and an underwater scene,” says creative director Michael Natiello.

New this year is a tribute to the circus with pumpkin characters like acrobats, clowns and sideshow artists such as a strongman, a contortionist and a sword-swallower. Plus, there are  new costumed pumpkin creations with humanlike features including arms, legs and feet.

RISE OF THE JACK O'LANTERNS

Families gather annually to see thousands of hand-carved pumpkins lit up at the USDAN Summer Camp for the Arts in Wheatley Heights. “The area is wooded and we make the trail spooky,” says executive producer Mike Pollock. “It’s also paved and very walkable.”

Pumpkins will feature more than 50 different themes ranging from prehistoric animals and sports teams to horror movie icons and "Alice in Wonderland."

“There will be a behind-the-scenes peek into how we do the carving,” says Pollock. “There’s a video you can watch and you can also look right into the studio to see what’s in production.”

JACK’S NIGHTMARE HALLOWEEN POP UP

Walk into Alibi Lounge in Farmingdale and you’ll be greeted by Oogie Boogie to your right and Jack Skellington to your left from the 1993 Tim Burton film, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” The new pop-up experience, Jack’s Nightmare, is currently running Thursday through Sunday for the Halloween season.

“This ties together Halloween and ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ film,” says Michael Marra, president of Unique Social Events. The company also runs the "Hocus Pocus"-inspired Witch Craft Halloween Pop Up in Brentwood. The menu is themed to autumn seasonal ingredients with a nod to the film. All servings will be shareable appetizers ($12-$14), desserts ($8-$12) and drinks ($8-$16), which are a la carte.

WITCH CRAFT HALLOWEEN POP UP

Fans of Disney’s Halloween classic “Hocus Pocus” can see witch sisters Winifred, Sarah and Mary come to life at the Witch Craft Halloween Pop Up at The Edgewood on the Green in Brentwood.

Guests can order starters ($15-$18) such as cranberry barbecue chicken wings or pesto arancini, entrees ($23-$30) like sweet potato gnocchi or a bourbon bacon burger plus desserts ($8-$12) including pumpkin cheesecake or the double chocolate spell book brownie with fudge. Craft cocktails ($17) named after each witch get served with dry ice for a smoking effect. Everyone goes home with a souvenir cup commemorating the event.

Here are parades that will help you show off your Halloween spirit and get you in the mood for some trick or treating:

STONY BROOK VILLAGE COSTUME PARADE 

Head to the Stony Brook Village Center for a day of Halloween fun from 2 to 5 p.m. Oct. 31. Parade is within the village. Monster Merlin leads the Halloween costume parade (3:30 p.m.) and kids can play games and trick-or-treat, and the winners of the annual scarecrow contest will be announced at 3 p.m.;

With Long Island having such a rich history, claims of encounters with ghosts — call them phantoms, wraiths, apparitions, what have you — are a common thread shared between generations.

There are homes and businesses where the living claim to have crossed paths with specters, but there’s no need to wander through a graveyard to try to spot a spirit. Here’s a list of places you can visit that locals have said to be haunted.

Montauk Lighthouse

Fire Island Lighthouse

He says the version the society sticks to takes place back when the current lighthouse was under construction, relegating the keeper and his family to live in a shack next to the original lighthouse. The keeper’s daughter reportedly fell ill, and it took him three days to return with help. When he arrived, she had already died, and due to his overwhelming grief, he hanged himself in the current lighthouse that wasn’t yet completed.

As Femminella explained, his organization has never been able to confirm who allegedly haunts the lighthouse, but there are several candidates. Records show a man named Benjamin Smith was the keeper while the second version of the lighthouse was constructed in the 1850s, but the same documents show Smith lived at least long enough to retire in 1861. However, there is the tragic and widely documented tale of a former keeper named Hugh Walsh, who reportedly died 1878. Then there was keeper John T. Doxsee, who the U.S. Coast Guard reports "died from asphyxiation" in 1913.

1648 Thomas Halsey Homestead

Sylvester Manor

Sagtikos Manor

Terry-Ketcham Inn

Raynham Hall

Laurel Lake

Lake Ronkonkoma

'MOUNT MISERY'

Further lore includes that a children’s asylum that was built there in the 18th century burned down, and the wails of the unfortunate souls who lived and worked there can still be heard. Then there is "Hatchet Mary," whose house was located somewhere within what is now the Mount Misery Nature Preserve — and Mary’s ghost has been said to haunt the area.

As fall creeps in leaving behind the sunny days of summer, the haunting season begins. Long Island offers a trail of scary attractions throughout September and October in Nassau and Suffolk. Here’s a guide that will make you shudder and scream.

'ASYLUM, A LOVE STORY'

Explore the immersive theatrical Halloween performance, “Asylum, A Love Story.” Hours 7-9 p.m. or 9:30-11:30 p.m., Oct. 31. Ages 21 and older. Fee $140.

BAYVILLE SCREAM PARK

This North Shore mainstay has six haunted attractions that bring thrills and chills. New this season are three secret bars hidden inside the haunted houses. Hours vary; through Nov. 5. Fees $33.75-$59.75.

CHAMBERS OF HELL

Take on the Trilogy of Fear as this three-part haunt will leave you with permanent nightmares, compliments of the live actors from the creepy cast. Hours 8 p.m. weekdays, 7 p.m. weekends; through Oct. 31. Fee From $80 (admits 2).

DARK NIGHT HALLOWEEN WORLD

Check out the seven haunted houses plus a food court, flea market, live bands on Fridays and Saturdays. Hours 7-10 p.m. Oct. 31. Fee $35 general admission, $50 VIP fast pass.

DARKSIDE HAUNTED HOUSE

This indoor and outdoor haunt with scary themes and characters is celebrating “25 years of fear.” Hours weekends through Oct. 31 and select weekdays; 7-11 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 7 p.m.-midnight Fri., 6 p.m.-midnight Sat., 6-10:30 p.m. Sun.; for attendees 13 and older. Fee $35.

DARKNESS RISING HAUNTED ATTRACTION

This season, discover the witches that haunt a village from the 1600s and witness Jack the Ripper on the loose in London. Hours 7 p.m.-midnight Fri. and Sat., 6-10 p.m. Sun., 7-10 p.m. weekdays; through Oct. 31. Fee $35 includes entry into two haunted houses, $50 fast pass.

GATEWAY HAUNTED PLAYHOUSE

Live characters, three-dimensional environment created and built by the Gateway’s design and production team. Hours weekends and select weekdays through Nov. 4; best for ages 13 and older (younger than 12 must be accompanied by an adult). Fee $40 online, $50 at the door; $55 online or $65 at the door for a fast pass.

HALLOWEEN HOUSE LONG ISLAND

This haunted house includes 10 rooms decorated for Halloween,  open through Nov. 7. Fee $29.99 adults, $19.99 ages 3-12.

HAUNTED HOUSE OF HAMBURGERS

Celebrate Halloween all year long at this Halloween-themed restaurant in Farmingdale. Creepy cuisine is served in a scary setting featuring classic horror icons like Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Mummy. Haunted food items include the Trick-or-Treat Triple burger, R.I. Pizzas and Crypt Keeper cocktails. Hours 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri., 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat., 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Halloween.

SCHMITTS FARM HAUNT

This haunted farm house features a clown takeover night, a slasher night and a lights-out lantern night as well as a haunted corn trail and axe-throwing. Hours starting at 7 p.m. Oct. 5-8, 13-15, 20-22, 26-31. Fee $39.99-$41.99 general admission.

Scream inside your car while creatures clean the outside this Halloween season at four haunted car washes on Long Island. Don’t forget to keep the doors locked and the windows up to escape without fright. 

HARRY’S TUNNEL OF HORROR & WANTAGH HAUNTED CAR WASH

Once you enter the property at Harry’s Express Car Wash in Franklin Square or Wantagh Hand Car Wash, characters will be popping up at your window and knocking on your door before any suds hit your vehicle.

“The car wash tunnels will be completely decorated for Halloween with lights, smoke, strobe lights, spider webs and scary music playing,” says owner Harris Stone. “There will even be a gory car scene out front.”

Although the scares are similar at both places, the washes are completely different. Franklin Square offers a standard machine wash. However, Wantagh customers will get the Ceramic Craze that includes a hand wash on the outside of the car, undercarriage rinse, crystal top coat finish, triple foam wax, Rain-X spray, rim polish, lava bath and a ceramic shine that makes the car’s paint glow.

TUNNEL OF TERROR, PART 3 

Now in its fourth year, Five Corners Auto Salon in New Hyde Park is ready to amp up the scares for “Tunnel of Terror, Part 4.”

“Inside the tunnel, we will have holographic scenes projecting images of screaming ghosts and witches flying around accompanied by sound effects,” says owner David Rubinstein. “There’s also fog, strobe lights and a loud buzzer when you enter.”

Five Corners delivers a hand wash which will be done by 15 different characters including a chain saw goblin, creepy clowns and Jason Voorhees from "Friday the 13th."

“They’ll try to get into the car,” says Rubinstein. “With the SUVs, sometimes they’ll attempt to go through the back hatch.”

The horror continues in six different spooky scenes throughout the property.

“People look forward to this every year,” says Rubinstein. Proceeds from the event go to Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park.