Critical 5 things to do in NYC: get spooky, October 26-28

As exciting as Halloween-themed bacchanals can be, drinking-while-dressed up can get a little repetitive. Here’s a list of season- and holiday-inspired events taking place throughout the city that don’t require polyester or fake blood, and provide a good mix of the festive, the haunted, and the outdoors.

“Boo at the Zoo” at the Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, and Prospect Park, Oct 27-28

Now in its final weekend, Boo at the Zoo brings Halloween to city zoos in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens with activities including haunted mansions, crafts, magic shows, costume parades, pumpkin carvings, hayrides, trick-or-treating, and a chance to visit with the creepiest critters they have to offer.

Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House, Oct 26-Nov 3

For the sophisticated scare-seekers, “Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House” offers an alternative to the usual Halloween tropes of zombies and vampires. Created and curated by Tim Haskell and Steve Kopelman (of Arizona’s famed haunted house, The Nest), “Killers” gets its inspiration from real-life horrors, this year focusing on historical and contemporary serial killers like Ted Bundy and the Zodiac killer. As an entrée to your evening of psychopaths, a gallery of personal effects and memorabilia from the serial killers themselves will be on display.

Halloween Haunted Walk & Carnival at Prospect Park, Oct 27

Bring the scares outside at Prospect Park’s Halloween Haunted Walk and Carnival. This Saturday from 12-3pm, Lookout Hill will be overrun with zombies, werewolves, witches and headless horsemen looking for innocents to torment. When you run out of screams, make your way to Nethermead, where there will be an all-ages carnival replete with autumnal edibles, games, and activities. The best part is, it’s all completely free.

Howl-o-ween at the Canine Court, Oct 28

If Halloween celebrations aren’t already gimmicky enough for you, drop by Van Cortlandt Park at noon for its annual canine costume competition. Anyone can compete for the prizes awarded to the scariest, funniest, and best pet-owner look-alike, or you can simply attend for the sake of drooling over spider-puppies and mutts as muppets. Stick around after the contest for Eco Crafts and a tour of one of New York’s largest parks’ burial grounds.

Astronomy Day at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, Oct 27

Rather be awed than scared out of your mind? This Saturday Astronomers from the Rockland Astronomy Club will bring their tech knowledge and tech gear for a night of outdoor ogling and star-gazing at Pier 86. With eight different range telescopes from high-tech to no-tech, there will be many ways to see the sky, plus multimedia presentations and hot beverages served. Beginners to experts are welcome to drop by from 7-9:30pm, or they can simply drop by the Intrepid’s corn maze and pumpkin patch earlier in the evening.