Halloween 2012 in Hudson Valley: The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, Legend Celebration, Horseman's Hollow and Irving's Legend

[UPDATED: September 12, 2012]

Every autumn, my family and I head to historic Hudson Valley to gaze at the thousands of silly and scary jack-o'-lanterns that are displayed on the grounds of Van Cortlandt Manor. The Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze is a great way to usher in the Halloween season. It's a short drive or train ride from New York City, and totally worth keeping the kids up past bedtime.

While the Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze is the premier Halloween event in the area, there are three other cool holiday happenings in Hudson Valley: Legend Celebration, Horseman's Hollow and Irving's Legend, which was inspired by Washington Irving's famous short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

We've got the scoop on these Halloween festivities, which take place throughout October (and in the case of the Blaze, early November). But you better plan now: All require advanced tickets and tend to sell out quickly.

The Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze – Croton-on-Hudson
Van Cortlandt Manor, 525 S Riverside
Select evenings Saturday, October 6-Sunday, November 11. Times vary. Visit the website for a complete schedule.
Saturdays: $20 for adults, $16 for children ages 3-17. Other nights: $16 for adults, $12 for children ages 3-17. Advance tickets are a must.
For 22 nights in October and early November, visitors can marvel at more than 5,000 hand-carved, illuminated jack-o'-lanterns displayed all over the 18th-century grounds of Van Cortlandt Manor. In addition to traditional pumpkin heads, there are huge dinosaurs, snakes, giant spiderwebs, creatures from Greek and Roman mythology and King Kong, all cleverly assembled from carved pumpkins (both organic and synthetic). Plus there are themed pumpkin patches like a beehive, an aquarium and a towering pumpkin-henge. Eerie sound effects and mood lighting enhance the experience. Although the carvers spent months creating these sights, you only need about 45 minutes to take it all in.

The Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze Tips

Make sure you buy your timed tickets in advance. As you can imagine, this cool attraction has quite a following, and tickets go faster than Ichabod Crane fleeing from that Headless Horseman. FYI, Saturday time slots sell out fast!

While strollers are permitted, be aware that they may not fit through all of the aisles.

There's always a big traffic jam at the start of the tour. Feel free to pass the slowpokes and move at a brisker pace.

If you arrive early, you can catch pumpkin-carving demos in the waiting area tent.

There's seasonal food for sale like hot cider, apple doughnuts and chili

Make a day of your Hudson Valley visit! My family and I always pack a picnic and head out in the afternoon to nearby Croton Point County Park, a huge, grassy peninsula on the east shore of the Hudson River.

If you don't want to drive, you can take a one-hour train ride on Metro-North or Amtrak. Get off at the Croton-Harmon station and then it's just a five-minute cab ride away. (You could also walk but frankly it's not so nice. A taxi is your best bet.)

Legend Celebration – Irvington
Washington Irving’s Sunnyside, 3 W Sunnyside Lane
October 6-28: Saturdays, Sundays and Columbus Day 10am-4pm
$14 for adults, $8 for children ages 3-17
After the Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze, this is the best Historic Hudson Valley Halloween event for children. Plus, it takes place during the day! The grounds of the 19th-century author's beautiful riverside home are transformed into a fun and only slightly scary Halloween festival featuring puppet shows, magic, live music, old-fashioned games, arts and crafts, a mime scarecrow and roaming costumed characters.

Horseman’s Hollow – Sleepy Hollow
Philipsburg Manor, 381 N Broadway
Select evenings Saturday, October 6-Sunday, October 28. Times vary. Visit the website for a complete schedule.
$25 on Saturdays, $20 all other nights.
This creepy attraction has been extended to 11 nights in its third year due to popular demand but it's definitely not for preschoolers or scaredy-cats. If you dare, take a terrifying walk through the grounds of a haunted village full of vampires, rotting corpses and other terrifying creatures driven mad by the Headless Horseman. Professional actors, high-tech special effects, elaborate costumes and excellent makeup help create the spine-chilling experience, which is why Horseman's Hollow isn't recommended for revelers under 10 or people with claustrophobia, or heart or respiratory issues. Timed tickets are only sold in advance.

Irving's Legend – Sleepy Hollow
Old Dutch Church, 430 N Broadway
Select evenings Saturday, October 6-Sunday, October 28. Times vary. Visit the website for a complete schedule.
$16 for adults, $12 for children under 18.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow comes to life in a dramatic 45-minute performance by master storyteller Jonathan Kruk. He portrays Ichabod Crane in the same church where the fictional school teacher served as choir master, as well as all of the other characters. Appropriate for children ages 10 and up. Tickets are sold in advance.

For more seasonal fun, check out our Fall Fun Guide and our Halloween Guide.