Halloween Drive-Thru Events in New York
Although the pandemic has put a damper on traditional Halloween celebrations, the Empire State still has plenty of safe ways for you and your family to get into the spooky spirit. Here’s a look at four of New York’s finest drive-thru Halloween attractions.
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Headless Horseman
Located in Ulster Park, this daring drive-thru attraction has been lauded as the best in the nation by HauntWorld Magazine and USA Today. It’s even garnered high praise from sources as diverse as MTV, The Weather Channel, AOL News, Fangoria Magazine, and the New York Daily News. With that kind of buzz, you won’t want to miss out on the fun. You’ll be challenged to survive the Headless Horseman’s trail, where the titular New England terror will pursue you through a haunted forest. The event runs on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings in October.
Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse
This frightfully fun Bellport attraction offers a 1.5-mile drive-thru experience. At The Forgotten Road, you’ll cruise through the immersive story of a campground massacre, hearing the details on a radio broadcast that you can tune into on your car. Once you’ve made it out of the woods, chill out with a Halloween horror classic at the on-site drive-in theater. They even have showings of kid-friendly movies for the little ones. You can scare up some ghoulish good times at Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse on select dates throughout October. Check the website for more details.
Double M Haunted Hayrides
Double M Haunted Hayrides in Ballston Spa offers Dead End Road, a terrifying drive-thru Halloween experience. Featuring theatrical special effects, this thrilling attraction will rattle you to the core with ghouls, goblins, and monsters of all kinds. After you’ve gotten your share of chills, warm up with some cider and doughnuts from the concession stand. You can traverse this haunted trail on select dates in October, as shown on the attraction’s website.
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Dunkin’ Halloween at the Park
This family-friendly drive-thru event is a safe, fun, and not-to-spooky way to get your kids into the Halloween spirit. This whimsical journey takes you through a haunted farm, a pumpkin patch, a skeleton-filled graveyard, and a forest crawling with spiders. The festivities run every evening from Oct. 1-31, at Jamesville Beach Park. And as a bonus treat, every car gets a coupon for a six free Dunkin’ doughnuts. Talk about a sweet surprise!
Want more ways to spend a weekend in New York State? Check out the brilliant colors of fall with these scenic drives.
Kimiko Kidd is a native Daytonian. She graduated from Wright State University with degrees in environmental science and sociology. She loves her trusty old Honda Civic, but dreams of owning a 1974 Ford Falcon XB with a custom paint job and a vintage Kawasaki Z1000. In her free time, Kimiko can be found watercolor-painting, baking muffins, collecting rocks, playing old-school Nintendo games, writing her novel, sewing stuffed animals, and cosplaying as her favorite Mad Max characters. See more articles by Kimiko.