Get into the Halloween spirit at LI events with a ghoulish, or not-too ghoulish, vibe

October 19, 2018 Jaclyn Gangi Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, Center for Science Teaching and Learning, Halloween events, Halloween Pawty, Haunted Halloween Nights at Coe Hall, Haunted Rogers Mansion, Planting Fields Arboretum, Southampton History Museum, Spooky Fest, Tanglewood Preserve

While I’m not someone who enjoys screaming in fright, I do like to participate in a little bit of spooky fun this time of year. Here are four events I’ve chosen, with some appealing to the faint of heart, like me, and some for those more daring.

Haunted Rogers Mansion, 17 Meeting House Lane, Southampton. Oct. 18-Nov. 3.
Enjoy an encounter with animated skeletons, spiders, cobwebs and birds on a self-guided tour through the Gilded Age mansion, dressed in a Halloween vibe and featuring a room dedicated to Mexico’s “Day of the Dead.” This haunted excursion is open Wednesdays to Saturdays, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Spooky bonus: Southampton History Museum is hosting a team of Long Island Paranormal Investigators, on Oct. 27, at the mansion; and, you’re invited! You might just find out the reason behind the home’s creaky floorboards…

A creature in the Haunted Maze at the Center for Science Teaching and Learning’s Spooky Fest, 2015.
Photo Credit: Marisol Diaz

Spooky Fest, CSTL/Tanglewood Preserve, 1450 Tanglewood Road, Rockville Centre. Oct. 19-21 and Oct. 26-28.
The preserve’s 16-acres has been transformed into a Halloween haven to invite younger kids — and me — to the “Not-So-Spooky Walk,” an arts and crafts area and a meet-and-greet with friendly monsters. For more chills and thrills, you can participate in the “Spooky Walk” through haunted woods and the Maze of Zombies. The fest is open from 6:30-9:30 p.m., each evening, rain or shine.

Haunted Halloween Nights at Coe Hall, 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay. Oct. 19-20 and Oct. 25-27.
Haunted spirits have taken up residence in the second and third floors at this historic North Shore mansion, with live music by Jack Kohl playing, live actors and special effects. Children under 12 are not permitted; under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The haunted house is open from 7-9:30 p.m., each evening.

Halloween “Pawty,” ARF Adoption Center, 124 Daniels Hole Road, East Hampton. Oct. 21.
Bring the whole family (kids and pets welcome) for contests, games and a haunted trail. There will be adoptable cats and dogs at the celebration, too. The “pawty” is held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Rogers Mansion: 631-283-2494 · southamptonhistory.org/ghosts
CSTL/Tanglewood Preserve: 516-764-0045 · cstl.org/spooky-fest
Coe Hall: 516-922-8668 · plantingfields.org
ARF Adoption Center: 631.537.0400, ext. 203 · arfhamptons.org