It’s time to announce the winners of the first ever Scouting NY Halloween contest! New York City’s Nightmare Haunted House attraction was gracious enough to offer 12 tickets for Scouting NY to give away. To enter, readers simply had to send in a picture of a location they felt was particularly unsettling, and offer an idea of what evil might lurk there.

There were so many great entries, I managed to get three more tickets to give away as runner up prizes. Without further ado, the winners!

FIRST PRIZE! FIVE TICKETS!

WINNER: Karen N.
LOCATION: Gothic Mill at Cedarmere

Cedarmere is the former 17th century “country” residence of American romantic poet William Cullen Bryant (Bryant Library is named after him). It is only 20 miles east of NYC in Long Island. This is where he got his inspiration for his poetry. Bryant died in 1878 of complications from an accidental fall in Central Park and has been haunting this place in kind spirits ever since. This place is free and open to the public and anyone who wants to write poetry here might channel Bryant’s thoughts.

SECOND PRIZE! FOUR TICKETS!

WINNER: Kelly D.
LOCATION: Abandoned Lake House Hotel

Here’s a picture of the Lake House in Saylorsburg, PA. It used to be a hotel that is now considered to be haunted, and has been here forever. It’s been used as a Haunted Hotel attraction for Halloween for as long as I can remember–and they don’t have to do much more to it to make it creepy. Also, a horror movie was shot here this summer with Corey Feldman that’s coming out in 2012 called “Six Degrees of Hell.”

THIRD PRIZE! THREE TICKETS!

WINNER: Jamie L.
LOCATION: Strange door under Riverside Drive (near 138th & 12th)

RUNNER UP PRIZE! ONE TICKET!

WINNER: Jenny L.
LOCATION: Abandoned motels, Fort Tilden

Three abandoned motels on the shore. A popular vacation spot until… an unspeakable crime shuttered these dark halls.

RUNNER UP PRIZE! ONE TICKET!

WINNER: Mark S.
LOCATION: The Nest jazz club (RIP)

This is the original building that housed The Nest, an underground Jazz club that opened October 18th of 1923. The Nest was one of the first Black-owned Jazz clubs uptown that were integrated from the start. Hollywood stars like Mae West were known to rub elbows with the Harlemites and Jazz elites at The Nest. After The Nest opened and Prohibition was in full swing, that block of 133rd Street saw the rise of many underground Jazz clubs, and was known as Swing Street, where Whites and Blacks could come to party until 4am, and then head to breakfast with the band.

I like to think all the ghosts of Jazz’s past like to come together every Halloween (what would be very close to the clubs birthday) and put on one hell of a show one more time at The Nest.

RUNNER UP PRIZE! ONE TICKET!

WINNER: Allison M.
LOCATION: LILAC (Lighthouse tender ship, Pier 25)

This was taken on the LILAC, a lighthouse tender ship docked at Pier 25 in Hudson River Park at West Street and North Moore Street. I’m sure some ancient mariners must haunt its bunks, peering out at the city lights from the portholes. I’ve never walked by the LILAC at night, but I’m sure anyone who looked closely would see some phantoms swaying with the rolling waters of the Hudson.

Thank you to everyone who entered – there were many more excellent submissions, and it was hard enough narrowing it down to just six. I definitely have to do this again soon.

Finally, special thanks to the Nightmare Haunted House attraction in New York City for sponsoring the contest. Buy tickets and find out more about the show here!

-SCOUT