October 31 | 11am–5pm | Free Museum Admission
Get ready for all treats and no tricks as the Seaport Museum comes alive with Halloween fun! Get into the spooky spirit with a full day of family-friendly activities, from sailors’ superstitions aboard a historic tall ship to crafts, costumes, trick-or-treating, and plenty of seasonal surprises.
From 11am to 5pm, enjoy free General Admission to the Museum and chart a course for a spooky scavenger hunt aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree. Follow the clues and collect all of the sailors’ superstitions for a special treat.
From 11am to 4pm, head to Pier 16 for the Healthful Halloween Fair with Mommy Poppins. Families can drop in for Halloween-inspired crafts and free samples of healthy Halloween treats. Then, at 2pm, show off your Halloween finery in the costume parade, where you might even take home a special prize.
The festivities continue from 3pm to 5pm with trick-or-treating throughout the Seaport. Grab your treat bag and explore the neighborhood for even more Halloween goodies.
Don’t miss out on this frightfully fun day! Preregistration is encouraged. Walkups will be accommodated as possible.
Free General Admission for this special day brings you aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree and 1908 lightship Ambrose at Pier 16, and into both exhibitions on view in the first-floor Schermerhorn Row galleries at 12 Fulton Street. General Admission also sets you on course to explore Maritime City, the Museum’s immersive, three-floor exhibition at A.A. Thomson & Co., located at 213 Water Street.
About Mommy Poppins
Written by local parents who love to seek out the coolest, off-the-beaten-track things to do with kids, Mommy Poppins shares activities that aren’t just pleasant time passers, but promise enriching experiences for your family.
Get More Halloween Fun at the Seaport Museum Throughout the Month
October is the perfect time to join the Seaport Museum’s 90-minute Sinister Secrets of the Seaport walking tour that will take you on a winding journey that unravels the sinister past of the South Street Seaport Historic District and Lower Manhattan. This timely tour will tell the scandalous, spooky, and dubious tales lurking in the cobblestone streets, historic buildings, and waterfront. Throughout this interactive tour, your guide will share historical stories ripped from the headlines of newspapers and publications from the 1790s to the 1990s.
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On Sunday, October 11, stop by the Seaport Museum at 207 Water Street between noon and 2pm for Halloween Paper Crafts and Letterpress Printing. In this free hands-on experience you’ll learn how to craft folded-paper bats, and other spooky paper creatures, along with Halloween-themed paper chains. For an extra thrill, our skilled Bowne designers will be on hand to guide you through crafting your own letterpress-printed broadside posters using a 19th century printing press from the Seaport Museum’s working collection.
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On Saturday, October 24, take a Halloween crossing that becomes a floating salon, with bite-sized talks exploring witches, folklore, natural magic, and mysteries of New York Harbor and Lower Manhattan. In A Haunted Harbor Halloween: Onboard Panel and Ferry Tour the adventure begins at a Brooklyn neighborhood watering hole before boarding the NYC Ferry for an engaging sail from one waterfront to another. As the city drifts by, the ferry becomes a floating salon, with a series of bite-sized encounters featuring experts offering a splash of witches, legends, folklore, natural magic, and mysteries connected to New York Harbor and Lower Manhattan.
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Plan Your Visit
We look forward to welcoming you! Before your visit, please review the Visitor Guide and Frequently Asked Questions. You’ll find helpful information on ticketing and discounts, planning a family visit, directions and accessibility at each of our historic sites, the visitor code of conduct, what is and isn’t permitted across the Museum campus, tips for using technology during your visit, and more.
Ready for more?
Head over to our Programs and Events page to see what else is happening at the Museum. Sign up for an upcoming talk, learn more about visiting Wavertree, or explore our virtual offerings.