Can you handle the cold temps of the Polar Bear Plunge? Find out at the Beach House in Santa Monica. Photo by Joey Ranotti via Flickr
Oshogatsu Festival, Polar Bear Plunges, and More Top Things To Do in Los Angeles This Weekend
Welcome the Year of the Horse at the Oshogatsu Family Festival. Event photo by Doug Mukai for JANM
Top Free Things To Do with Kids in Los Angeles in January 2026, According to MP Editors
There is so much free fun to be had at places in LA like LACMA. Photo by Joey Zanotti via Flickr 2.0
100 Fun Free Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids
While LACMA rebuilds, kids can still watch Metropolis II for hours (and hours - it's mesmerizing!). Photo courtesy of LACMA
30 Free Things To Do Indoors in Los Angeles: Free Places To Play Indoors on Cold and Rainy Days
GUIDE
Guide to Free Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids
Everyone loves a snow day! Photo courtesy of Big Bear Mountain Resort
Snow Play Near Los Angeles: 16 Places LA Families Can Pretend It's Winter
Some of the tube lanes at Mt. Baldy are as long as 150 feet! Photo courtesy of Mt. Baldy Snow Play Park
Best Snow Tubing near Los Angeles for Families
Dig in to slime-making! Sloomoo Institute LA photo by Chelsie Hill, courtesy of BFA
21 Trending and Out-of-the-Box Activities for Kids in Los Angeles
Photo by Bill Soistmann
GUIDE
Los Angeles Visitors' Guide for Families
Dive into tons of fun in Long Beach. Photo courtesy of Aquarium of the Pacific
39 Things to Do With Kids in Long Beach
Embrace the mess! Sloomoo Institute photo by Kylie Williams
NEW Sloomoo Institute Opens in Los Angeles for Kids to Enjoy Slime Fun
Dive into fun at the Cayton Children's Museum. Photo by Matthew Tucciarone
Best Children's Museums in Los Angeles and Orange County
This 3 day itinerary will make you fall in love with LA. Photo by Roberto Nickson, via Pexels
3 Days in Los Angeles with Kids: Ultimate Itinerary by a Local Mom
Everything at the Cayton has been carefully crafted with one goal in mind: to help create a better world through the power of play.
Guide to the Cayton Children’s Museum in Santa Monica–A Parent Review
Imaginative play for preschoolers is music to our ears. Photo courtesy of Pretend City
39 Things To Do with Preschoolers in Los Angeles Before They Turn 5
Visit LACMA's Levitated Mass. Photo by Joey Zanetti
100 Things To Do in Los Angeles Before Kids Grow Up

Scary Haunted Houses in Westchester and the Hudson Valley for Chills and Thrills 2025

Head to Ulster Park to catch the spooky Headless Horseman Haunted Houses. Photo courtesy of event
Head to Ulster Park to catch the spooky Headless Horseman Haunted Houses. Photo courtesy of event
10/5/25 - By Katherine Dhurandhar

Westchester and the Hudson Valley are teeming with top-of-the-line haunted houses and scream parks, many boasting Hollywood-quality makeup and special effects. If you have teens keen on a thrilling screamfest this Halloween, look no further. 

Read on for our list of the top haunted houses and scream parks in Westchester and the Hudson Valley. Some of these are returning favorites that have been recognized as the top haunted houses in the country, such as Pure Terror Scream Park in Monroe. Others can even boast of being held in historic haunted locations, like the Dark Forest at Burn Brae Mansion in Glen Spey.  

Find more great Halloween activities in our Westchester and Hudson Valley Halloween Guide. 

Sign up for our newsletters to get stories like this delivered directly to your inbox.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Halloween spooks abound at the Dark Forest Fright Walk at Burn Brae Mansion. Photo courtesy of the venue
Halloween spooks abound at the Dark Forest Fright Walk at Burn Brae Mansion. Photo courtesy of the venue

Top Haunted Houses in Westchester and the Hudson Valley 2025

Pure Terror Scream Park

Monroe
Fridays-Sundays through November 2, 2025; also on October 30
An extensive Halloween attraction, Pure Terror features 10 haunted houses, including the Woods of the Dead. The walk-through experience utilizes costumed actors, special effects, and elaborate sets on a theatrical scale. Stop in the midway for food and music.  READ MORE

Kevin McCurdy's Haunted Mansion

Wappingers Falls
Fridays-Sundays through November 1, 2025
KM’s Haunted Mansion celebrates its 49th anniversary with The Keeper—a haunting experience where every story has an ending...what will yours be? Step into a realm of intricate haunt mazes, bigger scares, and creative twists around every corner. Encounter exclusive interactive performances and dive into a trail of terror filled with surprises at every turn. READ MORE

Headless Horseman Haunted Houses

Ulster Park
Fridays-Sundays through November 2, 2025, except October 5
Not for the faint of heart, this seasonal attraction pulls out all the stops to put the fright in Halloween. This year's format is a walk-through experience where horror-seekers encounter assorted settings like haunted hotels, a corn maze, and a greenhouse. A separate ticket gives access to an escape room. READ MORE

Scared by the Sound

Rye
Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, October 10-November 1, 2025; also on October 30
Scared by the Sound Haunted House returns home to where it all started 24 years ago by the Long Island Sound waters edge at Playland Amusement Park. Dare to explore the mortuary, asylum, clown hallway, and an all-new graveyard with even more creatures lurking in and around the mausoleums with just the moon and stars to light the way out! READ MORE

The Haunt at Wildcliff Mansion

New Rochelle
Fridays-Sundays from October 10-November 1, 2025, except October 19
Set on a windswept cliff overlooking Echo Bay in New Rochelle, this immersive Halloween experience will transport attendees to the haunted estate of Dr. Wildcliff, a reclusive botanist with a dark obsession. Guests will explore Dr. Wildcliff’s forgotten laboratory, the restless cathedral and graveyard, the haunted corn maze, and the labyrinthine halls of Wildcliff Mansion, encountering ghostly figures and reanimated horrors at every turn. READ MORE

Dark Forest Fright Walk at Burn Brae Mansion

Glen Spey
Fridays and Saturdays, October 11-25, 2025
Dare to take a walk through the haunted forest at the historic Burn Brae Mansion, a historic haunted location, and encounter the creepy creatures that lurk there in the night. With witches, monsters, ghosts, and goblins, the trail comes alive with Halloween's scariest creatures. Live music, food, and beer and wine are available from Shrewd Fox.  READ MORE

Classic Evening Lantern Tour at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Sleepy Hollow
Select dates through Saturday, November 29, 2025
Halloween season is a fitting time for a guided tour of the historic Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, the resting place of the author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Opt for a daytime tour or a nighttime tour lit by kerosene lamps.  READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

About the Author

Katherine Dhurandhar
Katherine Dhurandhar is a Community Publisher for Mommy Poppins, representing the Westchester and Hudson Valley region of New York, and a freelance copyeditor for Westchester Publishing Company. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, and traveling with her husband and son.
Recent Articles By Katherine Dhurandhar:
Read more articles by Katherine Dhurandhar.