Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses

Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses is an amazing Halloween park open from mid-September to early November every year, and it's just a few miles from where we live!

Here's a description of the attraction from the website:

"The property incorporates over forty-five acres of naturally landscaped property that includes foreboding woods, surreal ponds, fruit orchards and more. This "family oriented" attraction includes a one mile hayride, a labyrinth style corn maze, three professionally created haunted houses, four food concessions, as well as Ghoulish Gifts, Magic Moon Gifts, Scarewear, Fear Gear and Witchy Woman gift shops. Our attraction is designed and built by professionals from the lighting, costume, sound, set design, special effects, and make-up industries. Over one-hundred actors and employees are trained to provide a memorable and enjoyable evening for the entire family."

By "family oriented" it means that it's suitable for children. Well, children capable of being scared!

To keep everyone safe and happily scared (of the haunted attractions not the COVID-19) the Hayride has been replaced with a Drive-Thru Haunted Experience - The Horseman's Trail. 

The Corn Maze, Haunted Houses, and other Attractions are still operating - just follow the protocols!

New for 2022 - The Horseman's Night of the Shadows!

See for yourself how scary the attractions are: See the Horseman's Trail Drive-Thru new in 2020, and the attractions from 2014 - celebrating over 20 years of scary attractions!

They explain what they mean by "family oriented':

"Due to the nature of our attraction, this is NOT recommended for children under the age of 13.  Children 8 (or younger) will NOT be allowed on any evening walk thru, in the corn maze, or haunted houses.  Children age 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times."

Well, my daughter would probably have loved this place at age 5, but it was a little older before she actually visited! And just because some 8 year-olds are thrilled by this, some 12 year-olds can't handle it (as well as some of us more timid adults!). Remember that now, no emergency exits from the hayride or the corn maze - you gotta make it all the way to the end!

They do have Children's Days, when they reduce the scare level somewhat. There's a daylight hayride and a friendly storyteller to tell the scary stories! Plenty of fun activities like a walk through the corn maze, haunted gardens, country games, face painting, and entertainment make this the perfect outing for families with young children.

Children's Days - A Tiny Taste of Terror - are on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays in October,. that is October 8th and 22nd, from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm in 2022.

Quotes from www.headlesshorseman.com.

The Headless Horseman is a fictional character from the short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow written by Washington Irving. The Horseman was a Hessian soldier killed in the American Revolutionary War by having his head shot off by a cannonball.

Legend has it that his ghost continues to ride at night, still searching for his head.

In Washington Irving's story, a local schoolteacher named Ichabod Crane is chased by the Headless Horseman on his way home from a harvest festival party. He rides across a bridge near the cemetery and thinks he's safe because the ghost can't follow. However, the Horseman throws his head at Ichabod Crane, knocking him off his horse, and then rides off. In the morning, Ichabod's hat is found beside a shattered pumpkin.

This is the book that my daughter has that contains the story of the Headless Horseman. Her grandparents gave it to her when she was 10, so it's suitable for children who enjoy scary stories of the slightly more literary kind!

If you enjoyed the Halloween show, or missed it, or have kids who were too young for the scary experience, the Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses team have created a Christmas spectacular - "A Frosty Fest"!

This family-friendly fun holiday light spectacular features wonderful COVID-safe winter attractions, including a drive through Frosty's Enchanted Forest, the Candy Cane Lane, the Magical Mansion, and much more!