EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY

Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut have plenty of spooky fun to offer — and they’re just a short ride away. 

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

The City of Brotherly Love is home to Eastern State Penitentiary, one of the country’s most haunted prisons. Tours run year-round, but come October, it’s all about spine-chilling Halloween Nights (select dates through Nov. 12). Be warned—this attraction is not for the faint of heart. Curious travelers can also stop at The Mütter Museum (all days except Tuesday) to see anatomical oddities, slices of Albert Einstein’s brain and more. If history is more your fam’s thing, take a candlelight tour of the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site (Oct. 28–29), where the author lived and wrote for six years, or take a ghost tour through cobblestone streets and cemeteries with the Spirits of ’76 Ghost Tour (Fridays and Saturdays in October).

SLEEPY HOLLOW, NEW YORK

Explore the town that inspired Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” See locations from the book IRL or revel in over-the-top retellings of Ichabod Crane’s plight. Watch a short film and play lawn games at Irving’s historic home (weekends through Nov. 13), soak up live music and a performance of Irving’s famous tale (weekends through Halloween) or hop aboard the Haunted Hayride (Oct. 21–22) through the woods.

WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

The fun kicks off at Wallingford’s famous Trail of Terror that runs every weekend of the month. Head to nearby Middlefield’s Evidence of Evil for an interactive experience and participate as you brave the walkthrough haunt (weekends in October). On the 15th, take little ones to the free Halloween Craft Fair for activities, photo ops, vendors and trick-or-treating, then spice things up on the 31st by making the trip to Killdeer for the annual Halloween Carnival.