Kid’s Korner
Halloween is here! Get spooked by 4,000 blazing pumpkins and the skeleton of an 8,000-pound mastodon
If you love dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals (and who doesn’t?), you’ll want to see the Cohoes Mastodon at the New York State Museum. The skeleton of this giant mammal — it weighed about 8,000 pounds — has been part of the museum’s collection since 1866, but it recently got a new home in the building’s South Hall Lobby. Discover the secrets of its life and death, learn about its history, and find out why there are no mastodons around today. (And afterwards, take a ride on the working carousel upstairs!) Daily 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. u Empire State Plaza, Albany. 518-474-5877 or www.nysm.nysed.gov
When you think of Halloween, what’s the first thing that comes to mind — besides candy, that is? Pumpkins, of course! At the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, you will see not one, not two, but 4,000 carved and lit up pumpkins. Some are spooky, with crooked grins; but some look like fish, some like space aliens — there’s even a huge dinosaur made from hand-carved pumpkins. These scary squashes are all over the grounds of Van Cortlandt Manor; as you walk among them, you’ll hear eerie music and sound effects that will really creep you out. Take your parents when you go; they’ll love it, too. Oct. 5-7, 11-14, 18-21, and 24-31. $14-16, $10-$12 children 5-17. Tickets must be purchased in advance. u S. Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson. 914-631-8200, ext. 637 or www.hudsonvalley.org
