TRICK OR TREAT? The best places to enjoy Halloween in NYC with kids and without.
Halloween is almost here and Newyorkers really love this celebration. You can see decorations allover Manhattan and the other boroughs as well. The stores are full of inspiration to entairtain and decorative items from pumpkins to skulls, from witches to ghosts and so on. You might notice decorative pumpkins and the typical fall flower plants in every corner and on every stoop,but in some neighborhoods the decorations go way beyond that and this is a great opportunity to walk around these streets end enjoy them even with your children, while you explore different parts of New York.
Naturally on the day of Halloween, October 31st, you’ll find many parties , celebrations and parades. One above all, the most famous, is the Village Halloween Parade on 6th ave. in Manhattan, which is a lot of fun and where you can experience the craziest costumes and characters. But if you have children that can get a little scary, cause it’s insanely crowded especially towards its end part in the Village.
So if you are traveling with your kids I’ll suggest you few spots that are more appropriate for children.
First of all you need to buy a costume !
Luckily in NYC you can find many places where to get your Halloween outfit without spending a fortune. They are available in most Pharmacies and Department stores like Key-mart ( 1 Penn Plaza by the Madison Square Garden) and specialized stores like Party City (various location, one is on 34th st.between 7th and 8th ave.) Village Party Store (13 E.8th st) Ricky’s Halloween Superstore (many locations around the city one is on Broadway between 39th and 40th st.).
After you are all dressed up and ready to go these are the options:
Greenwich Village
(3-12 years old)
Gather in Washington Square Park by 3.00pm to line up for the parade around this lovely neighborhood. After the parade they offer free Trick or Treat bags,games, and rides on W3 rd st. between La Guardia Place and Mercer st.
Upper East Side
(3-12 years old)
78th st between Park and Lexington Av. has been for years a great block to go for Trick or Treat. Start going around 5.00pm so you’ll have more chances to get the best candies!
Upper West Side
(3-12 years old)
On this side of town the most popular block is 69th st.near Central Park West. You’ll find beautifully decorated lobbies ,entertainment for the kids and police controlling the crowd. It is so well known that the house owners decided to stop distributing candies around 7.00pm! So make sure to arrive early!
Harlem
Harlem has become really popular as “the place to go” on Halloween to Trick of Treat.
I personally find really entertaining Hamilton Terrace between 141st and 144th st. Here you can also appreciate the stunning blocks full of historical townhouses from the Harlem Renaissance era and also the Hamilton Grange ( right in front of Hamilton Terrace) that was once the house of Alexander Hamilton, today is a Museum.
The Bronx
(ages 12 and older)
Well, the Bronx Zoo offers entertainment for kids of all ages every weekend until October 29th with the great BOO AT THE ZOO program. But they organized something for a little older kids as well, THE HAUNTED FOREST. This installation at the World of Darkness it’s really spooky with creepy crawlers,spiders and so much more!
The Zoo offers also live music,games,live theatre, magic hayrides and of course, Trick or Treat.
Brooklyn
(ages 7-12)
Prospect Park offers Halloween Festivities on Saturday the 28th, in the Lookout Hill area of the park. Here the kids will be visited by zombies, wolf men,headless horsemen,good and bad witches and so much more.
While in the area of Nethermead in the park fun and candies for children of all ages.
Queens
(all ages)
In Forest Hills Gardens you can really experience the festivities of Halloween. Starting from around 6.00pm you can walk Burns Street and all the little roads that cross it, to admire the beautifully decorated Tudor homes and go door to door for the famous Trick or Treat? So many kids ( and their parents as well in some cases) parade these roads in their best costumes and it’s certainly a great fun!
I also offer a tour of this amazing historical neighborhood, so it’s possible to connect the two experiences together.
Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes and to bring a bag to store all the candies!
I hope that if you are visiting New York during this time you’ll find my suggestions helpful, don’t hesitate to contact me for more infos and to know about the tours I offer.
