Who says you have to be a kid to enjoy a good old spine-tingling scare this season?
Even if you’re too old to dress up as Dracula or the Bride of Frankenstein and go door-to-door accumulating a year’s worth of candy, there are plenty of ways to spook yourself silly between now and Halloween. Don’t be afraid to scream, run from ghouls, or, if worse comes to worse, hide behind your own children for protection. Happy haunting!
Here is a sampling of spooky destinations in the local area:
The Ultimate Terror at the Altamont Fairgrounds, Altamont.
Billed as very intense on the fright scale, this features five individual attractions. The first place to test your courage is the Skull Manor, with more than 16 rooms guarded by an enormous (human) skull.
There’s the Code Blue Haunted House, where a horrific toxic disaster has taken place, causing all kinds of mutant monsters to prowl, and the 3-D Chaos maze of terror with all kinds of twists and turns. If you dare, venture into Professor Morgan’s Dark Museum, filled with his macabre collections, and take in the Creepy World live show.
For the tamer of heart, take your best shot at the Rain Ball room, a black light paintball gallery with targets that are alive and moving.
Want to take the experience home with you? Festoon yourself with a temporary skeleton tattoo at the tattoo parlor, or have your palm read by a psychic.
Haven’t lost your stomach yet? Dig into Texas barbecue treats, calzones, cotton candy or apple cider doughnuts.
Gates open at 6:15 p.m.; head there early to avoid crowds. For information and directions, go to www.ultimateterrors.com.
Double M Haunted Hayride, Malta.
Literally thousands of thrill-seekers flock to this popular nighttime scream ride through the woods of a horse farm.
Riders clamber aboard a hay wagon with their legs dangling precariously from the sides. Will ghouls jump out at you? Yes. Guests watch an electrocution, meet Michael Meyers, greet the Headless Horseman, and drink spider cider served by witches gathering around a cauldron.
The hayride runs Thursday through Sunday nights until Halloween; reservations are required by calling 884-9122.
Ghostly Tours, Saratoga Springs N.Y.
Sponsored by the Saratoga County Arts Center, participants are led on an exploration of the city’s notorious haunted sites: area restaurants and pubs, Skidmore College dormitories, and the Trask family home at Yaddo. Tours are led by local photographer and historian Michael Noonan of Ballston Spa.
The Ghost Walks are led Friday and Saturday nights in October at 7 p.m. To reserve a spot, log onto www.saratoga-arts.org.
Haunted Museum and Pumpkin Patch, New York State Museum, Albany.
This attraction is aimed at youngsters not quite ready for creatures to jump out from behind trees. Kids and adults can learn from their afternoon jaunt; the event incorporates artifacts and items from the museum’s teaching collections and past exhibits, including a mummified cat, a reconstructed prehistoric tree, 20 bear furs and more.
Visitors over age 10 can enter the `Mine Shaft,` with increasingly tighter spaces, pass through the `Greenhouse Infect,` encounter a legion of huge, unpredictable scarecrows and travel through the 60-foot `Black Whispers` corridor with sounds of mysterious wheezes and groans.
The Pumpkin Patch encourages children under age 10 to come in costumes for arts and crafts, face painting and a parade through exhibit halls.
This event runs Saturday, Oct. 21 and Sunday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29. The Haunted Museum portion is open from 11 a.m. ` 5 p.m.; the Pumpkin Patch opens its gates from noon ` 4 p.m. Call 474-5877 for information.
Schuyler Farms Corn Maze, Schuylerville.
Known as the `Stalk of the Town,` this year’s winding corn maze is themed the Pirate Ship. Hikers enter through the open doorway of a shipwreck, and end up ultimately lost in the 7-acre series of twists and turns.
Visit by day, and not only will you have the sun to guide you, but the worst case scenario will be needing help to find your way out. Visit by night from dusk to 10 p.m., and the cornstalks hide creatures and other assorted freaky things. `Flashlight Nights` are every Friday and Saturday through Halloween.
Bring your flashlight and your courage. The corn maze is open weather permitting.
For information, log onto www.schuylerfarms.com.“