Whether you like Halloween or not, going to a haunted house that isn’t too scary, but still thrilling, is a great and fun way to get in the spooky spirit.
The Horseman’s Hollow located in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is a series of haunted houses in between segments of woods that follow the original “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” story.
The story is that of Ichabod Crane, the school master, who tries to swoon Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter of a powerful man in the village. Ultimately Crane gets scared off by the tale of the Headless Horseman.
The haunted trail takes you through the old-timey village and shows the disturbed townspeople and their houses and lives, leading up to the final Headless Horseman scare.
Tickets were $22 each and the full walk-through took 35 minutes. The town itself is about an hour away from West Milford. For next year, the event runs on the weekends from October 4- November 3, including Halloween night itself, no matter on what day of the week Halloween falls.
The whole experience was well put together; the scary characters had unique and convincing makeup, the actors were constantly in character, and there were a variety of rooms and scares.
Initially you start walking through the town tavern, then through character’s homes and creepy hotels, leading up to running frantically through the haunted woods. If you’re concerned about the scares being too intense, the actors are not allowed to touch visitors, so you are guaranteed to be safe.
` My favorite section of the experience was the simulation of what it felt like running through the woods from the Headless Horseman at night, with strobing dark lights and twists and turns to really put you on edge.
All of the actors had really good camouflage to the backgrounds and scenes, so that when they jumped out, they really scared you.
The most unique part was that it wasn’t one big house to walk through, but instead was a series of smaller houses that you have to walk through the woods to get to. It was a different, spooky, enjoyable way to spend a chilly October night.
Another perk about the experience is that the town Sleepy Hollow itself and the surrounding areas have lots of cozy restaurants and sidewalks to walk the streets before or after the haunted house.
My family and my friends went to one of the many grill-type restaurants nearby called J.P. Doyle’s. Our first choice was Bridgeview Tavern, but it was full. Both of these restaurants have reasonable prices, and had welcoming atmospheres, which made the whole night more enjoyable (no one wants to be hungry while running from ghouls!)
All-in-all, my family and friends definitely agreed this is something we would recommend. It was an entertaining, family-friendly, yet nonetheless chilling, place to get ready for the spooky fall season.