‘Tis the season to be scary, and get spooked. There’s never a shortage of Halloween happenings across the 3 counties. From paranormal walks and cemetery tours to haunted hayrides and America’s Screampark, these events will be sure to conjure some spooky fun and maybe a few nightmares.
Cattaraugus County
For 32 years, Nightmare Hayrides has offered the scariest haunted hayride and haunted house in the area. John Kent and his family make each year scarier than the last on their 25 acre property. The hayrides take riders out on a 25 minute ride in the dark with scares and shadows around every corner. Th haunted maze consists of 4-foot-wide lumber hallways with just enough light to take you through the next turn. The old cattle barn has been converted into a haunted barn, with claustrophobic walls, vortex tunnel, and gloomy hallways. Open 7:30-9:30 Fridays-Sundays through October. For more information visit http://www.nightmarehayride.com/.
For family friendly fun visit the Ellicottville Memorial Library for a Halloween Escape Room on October 27-28 from 6:30-8:30. The Escape Room puzzles are geared towards a middle school age range, but everyone is welcome. Costumes encouraged, teams are recommended, no more than 5 members per team. Under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Registration required call 716-699-2842 to reserve a spot.
Erie County
A variety of spooks await near the Queen City of Buffalo, including Fright World America’s Screampark, the country’s #1 rated Haunted Attraction on Google with over 1,500 reviews. Frightworld features 5 award winning indoor haunted attractions. Those looking for even more screams should visit Six Flags Darien Lake’s Fright Fest for haunted houses, Scare Zones and rides in the dark. The entire theme park is transformed into a spooktacular haunted experience, including themed drinks and snacks. Family friendly daytime fun is available too. For more information visit https://www.sixflags.com/darienlake/events/fright-fest-2023.
The Evil Buffalo Experience at Riverworks brings guests on a guided tour of Buffalo’s eight most notorious examples of murder, mystery and mayhem spanning 350 years. The stories are brought to life on a lantern-lit 50 minute guided tour inside the abandoned grain silos on Buffalo’s waterfront. Each story is graphically depicted in a chalk mural inside the silo including a local Jack the Ripper suspect, when Buffalo was burned to the ground, an Ouija Board murder, and more. Tours run Thursdays-Sundays through October, tickets available online https://buffalodoubledeckerbus.com/.
Visit Becker Farms for family harvest fun and apple picking during the day, and come back in the evening for a haunted Halloween Hayride, nighttime corn maze and more. The Country Market and Becker Brewing Company will be open until 10 PM, offering hot cider, donuts, baked goods, and seasonal drinks. Grape Maze, Petting Zoo, and Playground will remain open until 9 PM for visitors to enjoy. There will also be fires lit and smores available for purchase. The Haunted Hayride and attractions cost $18 per person and includes the Haunted Hayride, Phylotech: Bioengineering lab gone wrong, Haunted Corn Maze and Mega Slide in the dark. Available at 7pm until the last ticketed time.
Paranormal Walking Tours in the village of Hamburg are offered weekends in October offering an interactive ghost tour of the paranormal history of the area. The village’s former burial ground has yielded some strange anomalies for almost a decade. The walk features tales of love and murder, little girl ghosts, and successful communication with the spirits. Hamburg’s history of bizarre and tragic murders will be revealed as well. Visit www.paranormalwalks.com for more information.
Explore Buffalo is also offering a daytime walking tour exploring the Scandalous Side of Buffalo History. On this downtown walking tour, you’ll learn some of the darker stories of the Queen City’s past. Stops include the site of a triple hanging in 1825 and the former location of a Ku Klux Klan office. You’ll also find out what happened to the assassin who shot President William McKinley at Buffalo’s 1901 Pan-American Exposition. Tickets are $10 and tours run through October. For more information visit https://explorebuffalo.org/.
Chautauqua County
Fredonia Harvest Moon Festivals and Tours will run Friday and Saturday October 20-21st offering cemetery tours from 7:30-9:30 and horse-drawn wagon tours from 7-10PM. Enjoy a narrated guided tour through the town and cemetery on the 60 minute carriage ride departing from the Gazebo in Barker Commons. Psychic Medium Ivy Rivera will lead walking tours of the cemetery on both nights, also departing from the Gazebo. Kids activities will run all day Saturday including trick or treating downtown, pumpkin painting and carving contests, live music and entertainment, food and craft vendors, and more. Visit https://festivalsfredoniany.org/harvest-moon-festival-tours/ for more information.
The Fenton History Center is offering their annual Saints and Sinners Walking Tours of Lakeview Cemetery located at 907 Lakeview Ave in Jamestown on October 14 at 6:00. Learn the historical significance and get into the spirit of All Hallows Eve as your guide uncovers some of the 43,000 personal stories hidden in the cemetery. Tours change yearly, so no two tours are ever the same.