Haunted Halloween Happenings in New England

This Fall Get in the Spirit by Visiting a Spooky Event

Oct 13, 2009

New England pulls out all the stops when it comes to celebrating Halloween. From haunted houses to cemetery tours, costume parades to witches' balls, spooky forests and g

It’s no surprise one of the spookiest towns in the country (home to the infamous Salem Witch Trials and an unusually high level of paranormal activity) hosts one of the best Halloween parties in the country. The month-long celebration includes re-enactments, costume balls, ghost tours, carnivals, and more.

Take a walk through the Wicked Woods, around a toxic dump and ramshackle farmhouse, and then visit the Midnight Mansion. There are special street performers, concerts, themes shows, and the rides are open, too, at this popular theme park turned haunted house.

Not for the weak of heart, this New England Halloween tradition is ranked as one of the best—and spookiest—in the country. The 20-acre “scream park” includes seven main attractions like the foggy Raven’s Claw Cemetery and Demented, described as “sick, twisted, and disturbing.”

The Halloween-themed park is set in an 1860’s western ghost town, with a jail, mine shaft, and the Skeleton Saloon and Hotel. Take a walk into the woods, if you dare. It’s billed as New Hampshire’s largest Halloween-themed park.

It’s a Vermont tradition and the largest outdoor theatrical productions in the state. Groups are led through a dark forest as character actors, lurking behind trees and emerging from the dark shadows, act out their stories in the giant theater in the woods.

Hayrides, bonfires, and ghost stories are all part of the fun at this family-friendly Halloween event at the Adams Family Farm. There are farm animals and a corn maze, too, and refreshments in the Old Log Cabin.

Booth Theater turns into a Haunted House and Main Street is one giant Halloween extravaganza at this fall holiday street festival. There are ghost tours, a cornstalk maze, storytelling venues, costume parade, even a Halloween-themed boat cruise. Nothing too scary, the events are all fun for kids and adults alike.

It’s always fun to visit this award-winning aquarium, but Halloween is extra special. There are lots of ghosts and ghouls and special shows, along with a Haunted Marsh, costume contest, music, and up-close encounters with creepy, and not-so-creepy, animals.

Salem, Massachusetts may be most famous for its witch trials, but there were people accused of witchcraft in Connecticut, who were also led to the gallows. These stories, along with others, are told along a walk in the Ancient Burying Ground.

There’s only one night a year when the historic Cedar Hill Cemetery is open to the public, and that’s for its annual Haunted History Tour (held this year on October 23.) Visitors are led by lantern light through the dark cemetery, to hear tales from the crypts of Hartford’s most colorful characters.

What could be scarier than a trip through am underground, haunted tunnel system? They call it the Tunnels of Terror for good reason. The annual event takes place at Fort Adams State Park, and also includes ghost hunts with real paranormal investigators.

There’s a theme each year to the massive display of carved pumpkins lining the trails at the Roger Williams Park Zoo. This year it’s Fables of Great Writers, so look for Alice in Wonderland, Moby Dick, and other famous characters. Special lighting and music add to the display.

The copyright of the article Haunted Halloween Happenings in New England in NE U.S. Travel is owned by Pamela Wright. Permission to republish Haunted Halloween Happenings in New England in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.