The leaves are falling, and the weather is getting colder, meaning that Fall is officially amongst us. This time of year always gets hectic with all of the holidays, from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, but let’s take it one at a time. To get in the spooky spirit this year, here are some fun activities and/or places to visit in our area to get you ready for trick-or-treating, jump scares, creative costumes, and more:
“Fright Fest”
Of course, included in this list has to be “Fright Fest” at Six Flags. A lot of us have gone to “Fright Fest” at least once, and it never disappoints. It is located at Six Flags Great Adventure, in Jackson Township, New Jersey, only a thirty minute drive from RV, and this year lasts until the end of the month. “Fright Fest” hosts haunted houses, scare zones, rides in the dark, and more. For kids, there also is “Kids Boofest”, which, according to the Six Flags, is “scare-free fun for kids during the day [that] includes Crazy Hay Maze, Pumpkin Painting, Kids Costume Contest, Kids Scream Contest, and Trick or Treat Trail.”
“I haven’t gone to Fright Fest yet, but I definitely plan to, it sounds really fun,” said RV senior Elena Krajain
RV Senior Ryan Skuya agrees; while he hasn’t gone either, he “definitely would like to at some point.”
“Bloodshed Farms Drive-Thru”
“Bloodshed Farms” is a drive through haunted house in Springfield Township, New Jersey, only ten minutes away from RV. According to their website, it is “an immersive, terrifying, Halloween experience.” This is running all weekends, Friday-Sunday, in October, so you still have a little bit of time to catch it. Tickets are sold per vehicle, maximum 5 passengers per ticket, starting at $60 for the standard experience. This sounds like a lot, but it isn’t too bad as it’s really only $12 a person.
If you are really up for the scare, you can even upgrade to the “Psycho Pass!”, which “makes your experience more interactive and more terrifying.” By upgrading, you grant “permission for [the] actors to get more up close and personal with you! It grants permission for [them] to touch and interact with all the passengers of the vehicle. [The] actors may reach in your car, hand you items, squirt water on you, and your vehicle may get foam and fake blood on it.”
Pumpkin Picking and Carving
The acclaimed tradition of the lead-up to Halloween, whether it be with family, friends or by yourself: pumpkin picking and/or carving. You can buy pumpkins to carve at any local supermarket or store, like Target or Shoprite. However, if you want an experience getting the pumpkin, Johnson’s Corner Farm has Pumpkin Picking Hayrides until the end of the month from 10 AM- 5 PM during the week, and 9:30 AM- 5 PM on weekends. Tickets are discounted online for $6 Monday-Friday, and $8 Saturday-Sunday.
Krajain says her “favorite halloween activity would be pumpkin and apple picking at farms around the area.”
Movie Night In
Another great way to get into the Halloween spirit without having to spend any money or go anywhere would be to just watch a Halloween movie. There are hundreds of scary movies out there, multiple of which have long franchises that you could binge watch at a sleepover with friends, like the “Scream” movies, for example.
Skuya says he “loves watching horror movies.”
If you are interested in the movie night, but not the jump scares and gore, this is still definitely an option. There are fun, family friendly movies out there that are just as good at getting you in the spirit, like “Hocus Pocus” and “Halloweentown.”
These are only a few suggestions of things you can do for the rest of this month to build up to Halloween, with ranging distances and prices, depending on what works best for you. Whether it be fall festivities, or purposefully getting scared by strangers in haunted houses, there are a multitude of ways for you to celebrate this holiday season.
