I’m a Catskills gal, and counting the days until I take my 4-month-old to my fabled summerland at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts  to see jack-o’-lantern designs inspired by mermaids, dinosaurs, Woodstock symbols and more.

For a real bone chiller, head to Burn Brae Mansion. This psychological scare walk-through experience brings to life H.G. Wells’ 1896 sci-fi classic “The Island of Dr. Moreau” along overgrown woodland paths with half-beast, half-human creatures popping out in every direction.