Cradle to grave

Boo at the (Bronx) Zoo

Photograph: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS

Spooky is in the eye of the beholder. Canny parents have long used graveyards as secret hangouts. Think about it: These oases are meticulously maintained and uncrowded (above ground, at least); some even have paved walkways that ease stroller access. As for the residents, we imagine they enjoy giggly young visitors.

Green-Wood Cemetery
Chic Green-Wood is the Bungalow 8 of cemeteries—though you won’t have nearly as much trouble at the door. A-list residents include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Leonard Bernstein and F.A.O. Schwarz. Visitors are welcome to tour the 478-acre grounds every day from 8am to 5pm (later during spring and summer). Sign up for a walking tour, such as “Halloween at Green-Wood,” where historian Jeff Richman will tell tales of some of the cemetery’s celebrity denizens. “Halloween at Green-Wood,” Sat Oct 31, Sun Nov 1 at 1pm. Meet at Fifth Ave and 25th St entrance, Sunset Park, Brooklyn (green-wood.com); adults $20, children $10; no reservations necessary.

FREE New York Marble Cemetery
Walking past it on 2nd Street, you might mistake this final camping ground for a park—there aren’t any headstones. But underneath the lawn lie 156 marble vaults; plaques along the walls indicate who’s buried where. The cemetery hosts “Open Gate” days from April through October on the fourth Sunday of each month; stop by on October 25 between 11am and 3pm. 41½ Second Ave between 2nd and 3rd Sts (marblecemetery.org); gates are adjacent to Provenzano-Lanza Funeral Home.

FREE St. Paul’s Chapel
This sanctuary in the Financial District faces a bustling din, yet the churchyard surrounding it is anything but. Here you’ll find people eating their lunch on one of the yard’s benches or taking a trip through the gravestones of local leaders from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Wide walkways make it easy to maneuver a stroller. 209 Broadway between Fulton and Vesey Sts. Open Mon–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 7am–3pm.

FREE Trinity Churchyard (Downtown)
This stunning Episcopal church and graveyard are open year-round, but Halloween night is when its inhabitants come to life: Members of New York’s famous Astor family are portrayed sharing personal histories, and Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton stand-ins reenact their deadly duel. Plenty of treats will be provided, but for an extra kick, parents can mosey over to the North Churchyard for the Haunted Hamilton Happy Hour. Ghouls, Games and Graves, Fri 31 4–6pm; Haunted Hamilton Happy Hour, Fri 31 6–8pm. 74 Trinity Pl between Broadway and Wall St (trinitywallstreet.org). Open Mon–Fri 7am–4pm, Sat 8am–3pm, Sun 7am–3pm.

FREE Trinity Church (Uptown)
When the original Trinity Churchyard ran out of room in 1842, Trinity relocated to another space in upper Manhattan, where 24 acres are now home to notable New Yorkers such as author Clement Clarke Moore (’Twas the Night Before Christmas), Mercedes de Acosta (Greta Garbo’s rumored lover) and actor Jerry Orbach (Detective Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order). If you’re piloting a stroller, stick to the flatter, east side between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. 3720 Broadway between 153rd and 155th Sts (212-368-1600). Open daily 9am–4pm.

FREE Washington Square Park
Today, it’s home to puppy runs and political protests, but in the early 1800s the eastern side of the park was used as a potter’s field for the impoverished and diseased. Skeletal remains have been discovered several times over the years—most recently back in January 2008 by archaeologists involved in the park’s ongoing renovations. W 4th St to Waverly Pl between MacDougal St and University Pl. Open 24 hours.

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• Halloween Fun