6 Most Haunted Locations in the Hudson Valley, New York

Can you believe that we are into Spooky Season already? It's late August, the weather is getting cooler, and believe it not, while driving on I-84, I'm seeing some trees start to change color. As someone who loves summer, I don't want it to fade away to quickly; however, fall is such an awesome time of year.

Spooky Season Starts As Early as July!

Fall doesn't technically begin until September 22nd, but stores say it starts now! One reason why people say Spooky Season starts as early as July 5th is because the stores tell us its so. Independence Day is the last commercialized holiday on store shelves before the transition to fall harvest and Halloween merchandise. Stores start to pack away all the Independence Day gear, and start rolling out the fall decor. Sure, you can still find some summery stuff, but you can't tell me that when you walk into a TJ Max, a Homegood's, a Marshall's, a Target, a Home Depot, a Michael's, a JoAnn Fabric's, or even a Dollar Store you won't be seeing tons of fall merchandise in July!

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Not just the main department stores signal that it's time for all the ghosts and ghouls to come out. The king of them all starts popping up everywhere: Spirit Halloween. I'm already seeing signs on empty buildings saying that Spirit Halloween is coming. The Spirit Halloween Flagship Store is considered the main store of Spirit Halloween, located at 6725 E Black Horse Pike #26, Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey (08234). The flagship store opened August 1st, with many other locations opening on the same day or soon after.

The Most Haunted Mansions in New York's Hudson Valley

Halloween will be here sooner rather than later, so you might as well embrace it, or at least, start prepping for the heart of the season. Scary movies and elaborate attractions can be fun for Halloween, but the Hudson Valley has so many opportunities to be immersed by the grand History and frightening hauntings of many significant landmarks.

Burn Brae Mansion

Built in 1908, the Burn Brae Mansion was built by Margaret MacKenzie Elkin as part of the estate of George Ross MacKenzie, third president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. The Burn Brae Mansion was recently restored for its 100-year anniversary. Since the renovations, overnight guests have reported Mysterious sights and sounds throughout the visits. Further researched revealed a History of such reports. The mansion has been the subject of numerous paranormal investigations and can be booked by ghost hunting groups for private research upon request and availability.

King House Mansion at the Tarrytown House Estate

The King House Mansion has been in use for 165 years and has recently gone through a $15 million restoration and refresh. A renovation can't wash away history, though. In 1955, Sybil Harris King, daughter of Benjamin Newton Duke, co-founder of the American Tobacco Company, died on the second floor of the mansion. she has been heard pacing up and down the second-floor hallways and tends to linger near Room 293, the room she is said to have passed in. People claim to have seen an apparition of white along with orders or faint shadows.

Old Dutch Church Cemetery

The Old Dutch cemetery dates back to 1658 and has witnessed various groups of residents from the Dutch to British Soldiers, Native Americans, and African American slaves and servants. The cemetery is the resting place of many Revolutionary Kingstonians whose homes were burnt by the British in 1777. The first governor of New York, George Clinton, also resides there. Theatre of the Road in collaboration with the Old Dutch Church present a living History tour where they tell stories of the former residents of Kingston and the haunting tales. Participants tour the cemetery, following lit candlelight, as they back in time.

Private Haunted Huguenot Street Tours

The town's long, complex History offers a diverse range of fascinating, eerie and macabre tales than span the centuries. Historic Huguenot Street is home to seven 18th century stone houses (each with their own paranormal past, a replica Munsee wigwam, a reconstructed 1717 French church, and the original Huguenot burying ground. Stories of ghostly apparitions and unsolved mysteries run rampant across the district. Tours include their Private Haunted Walking Tour, Boos & Brews Tours, and Haunted Huguenot Street.

The Shanley Hotel

There's a chance that you know of the Shanley Hotel without ever visiting. It has been featured on TV shows such as "Ghost Lab" and "Ghost Hunters." Visiotrs throughout the years have reported rocking chairs moving on their own, Mysterious clock chimes, cold and hot spots, whistling, footsteps, piano music, voices, children laughing and unexplained aromas. Many have seen shadows and apparitions, and many visitors have left before staying the full night.

The Tarrytown Music Hall

The Tarrytown Music Hall is a 136-year-old theater which houses incredible entertainment for the public. It is also grounds for strange paranormal activity. After hours, lights will turn on and off on their off; the sound of an unknown singer performing vocal scales eerily rings through the halls, and high-profile artists have refused to stay in a certain dressing room, citing they sense a presence and feel extremely uncomfortable. The Gotham Paranormal Research Society, and proud member of TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) performed an extensive investigation in 2019 documenting intriguing EVP audio files and odd electromagnetic field readings.