Pumpkin Point starts on Saturday, October 19 and runs the last two weekends of October. At this FREE pumpkin festival, held in Nolan Park, visitors can wander among the gourds for fun fall photo ops, purchase small- and medium-sized pumpkins to cart home, do arts and crafts in conjunction with the Children's Museum of the Arts, and enjoy seasonal eats and treats. Parents, in particular, will appreciate the food and beer vendors.

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Beyond the pumpkin patch, you can warm up for Halloween with a trick-or-treating event on Saturday, October 26. The historic officers' houses in Nolan Park serve as the perfect backdrop for an afternoon of suburban-style door-to-door treat collecting.

Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns is a scare-free, family-friendly walking trail, which showcases more than 5,000 hand-carved and illuminated jack o'lanterns. Photo by Mike Pollack 

Over at Colonels Row, the Night of 1,000 Jack O'Lanterns transforms the centuries-old buildings into a spooky backdrop for eight special nights, starting Thursday, October 17. More than 1,000 artist-carved pumpkins lit with LED lights flicker along the pathways. Some of the gourds weigh in at more than 100 pounds. Advance tickets are required and can be purchased online now. While this display is nowhere near the size of Van Cortlandt Manor's Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze it is a worthy alternative, especially for the carless!

If the Halloween-themed fun isn't enough to lure you to the ferry in the crisp, fall air, there are more fun happenings all month on Governors Island, plus all the usual good times on the isle from Slide Hill to zip lines, and the adventure playground.

Whether you've been a regular this season, or you haven't made it to Governors Island yet, the clock is ticking. It is open seven days a week through Thursday, October 31. Weekend hours are from 10am-7pm; on weekdays, the island closes at 6pm.

Unless noted, photos courtesy of Friends of Governors Island