By Heidi Sutton
Halloween is such a fun time of year and celebrations have come early, with many fun and spooky events happening this weekend in addition to next weekend. Here are 31 Halloween events on the North Shore to enjoy.
Centerport
Storytime Under the Stars
See your favorite Halloween storybooks come to life during Storytime Under the Stars at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport on Oct. 30 from 6 to 7 p.m. Children are invited to wear their Halloween costumes and bring their favorite stuffed animal. $8 per person. www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.
Spooky Science Lab
The Vanderbilt Museum Education Department, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will offer Mr. Vanderbilt’s Spooky Science Lab, a program for children in grades 2 to 5 on Oct. 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. Take part in a scavenger hunt in the collections galleries and then create jars that can be used in any spooky Halloween display. Cost is $20 per child. Register at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org. 631-854-5552.
Cold Spring Harbor
Harbor Haunts Walking Tour
Explore Cold Spring Harbor’s ghostly side with fascinating tales of mishaps and historic hauntings on Main Street, courtesy of the Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor, on Oct. 21 and 28 at 6 p.m., Oct. 22 and 29 at 4:30 and 6 p.m. and Oct. 23 at 4:30 p.m. Recommended for ages 8 and older. Held rain or shine. Tickets are $12 adults, $8 children. 631-367-3418, www.cshwhalingmuseum.org.
Haunted Hatchery
Calling all ghosts and goblins, spiders and bones … Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor will host a Halloween event on Oct. 29 from 2 to 5 p.m. Families are welcome to join them for a not-so-scary Haunted Hatchery. Trick-or-Treat your way through their outdoor grounds. Admission fee is $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 children ages 3 to 12. 516-692-6768, www.cshfishhatchery.org
Haunted Boo-Museum Festival
Join the Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor for its spookiest event of the year, with fun activities for all ages, on Oct. 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Go on a spooky-not-scary walk through as museum exhibit coming to life; have your fortune read; listen to ghost stories; and visit Dr. Gellerman’s Spooktacular Zoo with live native spooky wildlife found on Long Island. Enjoy tons of Halloween crafts and activities in the workshop including mixing up your own potion, creating a spider hat, wrapping a mummy whale, designing a mask, and candle-dipping to create a homemade candle and see what’s sticky and gooey at a Spooky Touch Table. Tickets in advance are $10 children, $5 adults; $15 children, $10 adults at the door. 631-367-3418, www.cshwhalingmuseum.org
Farmingville
Trick or Treat Trail
Join the Farmingville Historical Society on Oct. 29 for a Trick or Treat Trail at Farmingville Hills County Park, 503 Horseblock Road, Farmingville from noon to 3 p.m. Come in costume and trick or treat along a trail while learning about the history of candy. Fill your bag with real, full-size candy treats. The entry fee is $12 per trick or treater. Parents are welcome to escort their children without paying. Please note this is not a haunted trail. Rain date is Oct. 30. All Trick or Treaters must pre-register at www.farmingvillehistoricalsociety.org.
Dark Night Halloween World
Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater, 1 Ski Run Lane, Farmingville hosts the 2nd annual Dark Night Halloween World, an outdoor extravaganza combining moderate scares with comedy that at the same time celebrates the nostalgia of vintage haunted trails through a post-modern twist on inspired characters from pop culture and horror movies of the 1990s, on Oct. 21, 22, 23, 27 to 31 from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person, $10 children 12 and under, $35 VIP front of the line. www.DarkNightLI.com
Huntington
All Hallows Tour
Huntington Town Hall, 100 Main St., Huntington hosts an All Hallows tour at the Town Clerk’s archives October 24 to 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Halloween event will feature a guided tour exploring Huntington’s haunted history with live interpretations of stories taken out of the archives vault. Free. 631-351-3035.
Trick or Treat at the Heckscher
Families are invited to celebrate Halloween at the Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington on Oct. 27 to Oct. 30 from noon to 5 p.m. Create a spooktacular art activity, make a haunted Digital Action painting, and take home a festive treat! 631-380-3230, www.heckscher.org
Halloween Costume Parade
The annual Downtown “Hauntington” Village Halloween Costume Parade returns to the Town of Huntington on Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. Sponsored by Town of Huntington, Councilwoman Joan Cergol, Dr. Dave Bennardo, and the Huntington Village BID. Line-up at the Huntington Post Office, 55 Gerard St., Huntington for a parade through Huntington followed by trick or treating at designated village merchants. Call 631-351-3173 or 631-351-3085.
Lake Grove
Halloween at Smith Haven Mall
Join the Smith Haven Mall, Moriches Road, Lake Grove for a spooktacular, fun trick-or-treating for all the little ghouls and goblins on Oct. 31 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (while supplies last*) If you want to know what retailers and restaurants may have tricks or treats for the little ones on Halloween, keep and eye out for the pumpkin in their windows. 631-724-1433
Miller Place
Spooky Lantern Walking Tour
The Miller Place Mount Sinai Historical Society presents its annual Spooky Lantern Tour, a not-too-scary walking tour of the haunted history of Miller Place, on Oct. 21, 22, 28 & 29 at 5:30 p.m., 6:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. Walk the Miller Place Historic District with a guide from the MPMS Historical Society who will regale you with all the spooky stories surrounding this pre-Revolutionary War town. Bring a lantern or flashlight and wear comfortable shoes. For ages 10 and up. Tickets are $15 per person. www.mpmshistoricalsociety.eventbrite.com.
Mount Sinai
Heritage Halloween Fest
The North Shore Youth Council presents a Halloween Fest at the Heritage Center, 633 Mount Sinai Coram Road, Mt. Sinai on Oct. 29 from noon to 3 p.m. Enjoy pumpkin picking and decorating, a spooky walk scavenger hunt, costume parade, a goodie bag, dance party and more! Registration is $15 per child 12 and under. Parents and guardians are not required to register. Advance registration only at www.eventbrite.com.
Nesconset
Halloween Pet Parade
The Nesconset Chamber of Commerce and Jennifer O’Brien of State Farm hosts a Halloween Pet Parade fundraiser for the Smithtown Children’s Foundation at the Nesconset Gazebo, across from Nesconset Plaza, 127 Smithtown Boulevard, Nesconset on Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. Come in costume and trick-or-treat, enjoy ice cream, raffles, music, pet costume contest, vendors and more. 631-724-2543, www.nesconsetchamber.com.
Northport
Halloween Hayride
The Village of Northport will host its annual Halloween Hayride in Northport Village Park on Oct. 30 from noon to 4 p.m. with hayrides, pumpkin patch, pumpkin painting, live music, petting zoo, costume contest & refreshments. Fun for the whole family! $5 per person. Call 631-754-3905.
Halloween Magic Show
Join the Northport Historical Society, 215 Main St., Northport for a dazzling Halloween Magic Show for all ages with magician Todd Harris on Oct. 30 from 5 to 6 p.m. Cost is $5 per person. Register at www.northporthistorical.org.
Port Jefferson
‘A Kooky Spooky Halloween’
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents A Kooky Spooky Halloween, a merry musical about a ghost who’s afraid of the dark, on Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. Recently graduated spirit Abner Perkins is assigned to the Aberdeen Boarding House — known for its spectral sightings and terrific toast. Here, Abner finds himself cast into a company of its wacky residents. When his secret is revealed, he is forced to leave his haunted home and set-off on a quest with his newly found friends. All tickets are $10. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
Harvest Fest
The Village of Port Jefferson hosts its annual Harvest Fest throughout the village on Oct. 22 from noon to 5 p.m. with live music, children’s activities, costumed dog parade, pumpkin carving, chowder crawl (fee) and much more. Rain date is Oct. 23. 631-473-4724, portjeff.com
Port Jefferson Station
Halloween Spooktacular
In coordination with The School of Rock, the Port Jefferson Station-Terryville Chamber of Commerce hosts a Halloween Spooktacular event at the chamber train car, corner of Nesconset Highway and Route 112, Port Jefferson Station on Oct. 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. (Enter on Rose Ave off Canal Road). Enjoy live music, trick or treating, pumpkin painting, vendors and a game of cornhole. Free. 631-821-1313
St. James
Deepwells Haunted Mansion
Just in time for Halloween, the Deepwells Farm Historical Society transforms the historic Deepwells Mansion, 2 Taylor Lane, St. James into Deepwells Sanitarium, Home for the Criminally Insane on Oct. 21, 22, 28 and 29 from 7 to 10 p.m. Featuring 16 rooms of horror, wooded trail of terror, food vendors, photo-ops and more. Advance tickets are $20 per person, $30 at the door. 631-862-2808, www.deepwellshauntedmansion.com
Setauket
Spirits Cemetery Tour
Join the Three Village Historical Society for its annual Spirits Cemetery Tour at the Setauket Presbyterian and Caroline of Brookhaven churches on Oct. 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. Tours, which last 1 1/2 hours, leave from the Setauket Presbyterian Church, 5 Caroline Ave., Setauket every 15 minutes. Guests will visit 10 locations to walk-in on conversations between Spies of the American Revolution, Known and Unknown. Rain date is Oct. 29. Call for prices. 631-751-3730, www.tvhs.org
Smithtown
Tails, Trails and Treats – This event has been postponed to Oct. 30.
Celebrate Halloween at Sweetbriar Nature Center, 62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown with Tales, Trails, and Treats on Oct. 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. Kids can enjoy close encounters with animals, a ghostly garden, games, and a special puppet enchanted trail. For families wtih children ages 2 to 7 years old. $15 per child, $5 adults. www.sweetbriarnc.org, 631-974-6344
Ghosts and Goblins event
Ghosts and goblins will invade Smithtown all in the name of good fun when the Smithtown Recreation Department hosts its annual Ghosts and Goblins event on Oct. 22 at Browns Road Park, 72 Browns Road, Nesconset from 10 a.m. to noon. Enjoy games and prizes, pony rides, a balloon artist, and more. Free. Call 631-360-7644.
Stony Brook
Halloween Family Fun Day
Family Fun Day is back at the Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook just in time for Halloween! Join them on Oct. 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. for pumpkin painting, trick-or-treating, crafts and more. Wear your Halloween costume if you wish. Free admission. 631-751-0066, www.longislandmuseum.org
Secrets and Spirits Walking Tour
Ward Melville Heritage Organization hosts a Secrets and Spirits of Stony Brook Village walking tours on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Participants of the tour will hear new stories of local hauntings along Stony Brook’s coastal community including the story of the Long Island witch trials, the apparitions of Annette Williamson at the Country House Restaurant (c.1710), the mysterious woman in white seen at the Stony Brook Grist Mill, William Sidney Mount and Spirit Photography; the ghost ships of shipbuilder Jonas Smith, and the role women mediums played in the Suffrage Movement.$12 per person. To reserve your spot, call 631-751-2244.
Halloween Festival
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization hosts its 32nd annual Halloween Festival at the Stony Brook Village Center, 111 Main St., Stony Brook on Oct. 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. with music from WALK 97.5, trick-or-treating throughout Stony Brook Village Center, dancing and games for children, Scarecrow Competition announcements at 4 p.m. and a Halloween parade, led by Monster Merlin! Free. 631-751-2244, www.wmho.org
Yaphank
Haunted History
The Suffolk County Farm, 350 Yaphank Ave., Yaphank presents Haunted History: Night at the Farm on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. What’s the farm like after dark? Learn all about the haunted history of the farm’s 150+ year old barn. Hear a spooky story and then take a wagon ride to the corn maze. Hopefully, you can find your way out before the headless horseman finds you! Bring a flashlight. $15 per person. Recommended for ages 8+. Call 631-852-4600 or visit www.ccesuffolk.org for further information
Commack
Commack United Methodist Church, 486 Townline Road, Commack presents its 5th annual Trunk-N-Treat event on Oct. 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. Children can trick or treat for candy at festively decorated car trunks and truck beds and enjoy games, crafts and activities. Free. 631-499-7310, www.commack-umc.org
Hauppauge
Hauppauge Public Library, 1373 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge invites the community to trick or treat in their parking lot on Oct. 28 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Community members will be decorating their trunks in fun and spooky themes and will pass out candy to trick or treaters. The library will also have snacks, games, crafts, and other activities. This event is free and open to all. 631-979-1600.
Riverhead
Join Hallockville Museum Farm, 6038 Sound Ave., Riverhead dressed in costume for a festive Trunk or Treat on Oct. 29 from 3 to 6 p.m. The event will feature Mike the Silly Magician, a fabulous silent auction and raffle, pumpkin decorating and other Halloween crafts, games on the lawn, a costume parade and contest, all culminating in an amazing Trunk or Treat! Admission is $15 per person, $50 family of 4. 631-298-5292, www.hallockville.org
Rocky Point
The North Shore Youth Council and the Rocky Point PTA present a Trunk Or Treat! event at the Joseph A. Edgar School, 525 Route 25A, Rocky Point on Oct. 30 from 2 to 5 p.m. with decorated cars and trunks, candy and non-edible treats, face painting, crafts and photo prop. Costumes encouraged. Join them for a scary good time! Register for this free event at www.eventbrite.com.
Yaphank
Suffolk County Farm, 350 Yaphank Ave., Yaphank hosts a Truck or Treat event on Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy truck or treating, trick or treating around the farm, crafts, wagon rides, games, farm animal visits, corn maze and more. Costumes encouraged. $15 children ages 1 to 17, $5 adults. Register at www.eventbrite.com. 631-852-4600.
