The leaves are turning, the nights are getting cool, and Allaire is about to get spooky. Every October the park's two non-profits put on their own Halloween events, and a lot of people do not realize they are two different things run by two different groups:
- The Historic Village at Allaire runs the Night of Frights, the Allaire Ghost Tours and the All Hallows' Eve trick-or-treating day, all inside the 1830s village.
- The Pine Creek Railroad, run by the all-volunteer New Jersey Museum of Transportation, runs the Haunted Halloween Express, a night train ride through the woods.
Separate tickets and separate rules, but they sit right next door to each other. Here is what is still ahead this October. Dates and times can change, so check each group's page before you go.
Halloween in the Village
Night of Frights
Historic Allaire Village at night is a different place. Ghosts, ghouls and monsters roam the grounds and the buildings, with something at every turn: glow-in-the-dark bubble shows, a fire juggler and sword swallower, a fortune teller, scary storytelling at the Chapel, clowns at Mr. Allaire's House, spirits in the Carriage House and treats at the Bakery.
It is for all ages, but there are scary scenes with live actors, and the village puts up signs where things get scarier so you can decide how far to go with little ones. Rain or shine.
- Still ahead: Friday Oct 16, Saturday Oct 17, Friday Oct 23, Saturday Oct 24 and Friday Oct 30
- Time: 6 to 9 pm
- Tickets: adults (13 and up) $20, kids 4 to 12 $15, ages 3 and under free
- Tickets are on Eventbrite. No refunds or transfers
Allaire Ghost Tours
This one is for grown-ups and older kids. Now in its third year, the ghost tour takes groups of just 16 into very dark parts of the village that are not easily reached, with the stories that go with them. It is a historic walking tour, not a paranormal investigation.
Be ready to climb, with very little light. The village does not recommend it for kids under 12.
- Sunday, Oct 18: tours at 6 pm and 8 pm, 90 minutes each (the village's site also lists Sunday, Oct 25)
- Tickets: $50 a person, ages 12 and up. Space is limited, so book ahead
All Hallows' Eve (for the little ones)
If your kids are not ready for the Night of Frights, this daytime party is the one. The villagers celebrate Halloween the old-fashioned way, with trick-or-treating through the village, a bubble magician, glitter tattoos, the fire juggler and sword swallower, music, fortune telling, crafts, a pumpkin carving contest, and blacksmithing, tinsmithing and woodworking demonstrations.
- Sunday, Oct 25: 11 am to 4 pm
- Tickets: adults $12, kids 4 to 10 $6, ages 3 and under free
All of the village's Halloween tickets and details: the Historic Village at Allaire.
The Haunted Halloween Express at the Pine Creek Railroad
If you hear a whistle in the dark woods this month, that is the Haunted Halloween Express. The volunteers at the Pine Creek Railroad take the train out after dark for a night ride through the haunted woods of Allaire. Tickets are sold at the railroad's ticket office, not online.
The railroad is run entirely by volunteers, so the nights, train times and prices are posted on the New Jersey Museum of Transportation's events page and its Facebook page. Check there before you head out.
Make a night of it
The Night of Frights runs 6 to 9 pm on Friday and Saturday nights, so start in the village while there is still a little light, then walk over to the railroad for a ride through the dark woods to finish the night.
Coming earlier in the day? Get a hike in first: Allaire State Park has miles of trails along the Manasquan River, and the park is beautiful this time of year.
Support the folks who make it happen
The Historic Village at Allaire is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, and the New Jersey Museum of Transportation is a non-profit run entirely by volunteers with no state or federal funding. Neither is part of the park's budget, so every ticket you buy helps keep the village's buildings and the railroad's trains going.
