Most of us look forward to the traditional fall activities as the season begins to change; apple picking, pumpkin picking, hiking through the mountains to capture that perfect Instagram picture of the colorful trees, and the countless trips to Starbucks for our daily dose of the pumpkin spice latte. While New Jersey is a beautiful place to be in the fall, it's also quite frightening with ghostly graveyards, abandoned asylums, and creepy legends, packed into this tiny state. But as the Sanderson sisters say, it's all just a bunch of hocus pocus, right?

There are many fright-filled attractions with unfathomable legends that we can all enjoy during the month of October and here are just a few to help you get into the Halloween spirit.

1. Brighton Asylum

Located in Passaic, New Jersey, Brighton was said to be "the scariest place on Earth" according to the Today Show and the Huffington Post ranked it #1 on their Top 5 List of Haunts for Millennials. In the mid 1940's, the asylum was used for housing mentally unstable and psychologically damaged individuals. The main building housed violent patients, who often needed to be isolated from staff and other patients for protection. There was a tunnel built beneath the ground for the staff to travel through from outside into any building to avoid passing through Brighton Asylum. After 59 years of being unoccupied, the asylum re-opened in 2011 as a haunted attraction. Visitors now have the opportunity to explore the decaying walls and rooms where many unthinkable events happened and legend has it that once you enter the building, you also enter the minds of the patients.

For more information on how to purchase tickets (if you dare) check out their website: http://brightonasylum.com/.

2. Haunted Scarehouse

via Google

Because who doesn't love an old, rickety haunted house, am I right? The Haunted Scarehouse in Wharton, New Jersey is the place to be, if that's what your fearless heart desires. It consists of two attractions: The House of Nightmares and The Attic. With this home comes an unsettling story of a family who turned this once pristine, beautiful farmhouse into a decrepit, heinous place. Back in 1967, no one could quite depict what was wrong with the Hayden Family because they kept to themselves for the most part. However, when people started to notice unknown visitors going into the house but never coming back out, that's when the community regarded the Hayden House as the Haunted Scarehouse. It wasn't until Aug. 1971 that the answers started to unfold, thanks to Hurricane Dorian demolishing the property and leaving it in shambles. Investigations reported bloodstained floors, ceilings and walls and gruesome displays of body parts. The Haydens were never to be heard from again after that point in time. If you're into unveiling the mystery behind the scariest family in the history of Wharton, NJ, the first step is visiting this Haunted Scarehouse. Enter at your own risk.

For more information on ticket prices and dates, check out http://hauntedscarehouse.com/

3. Pantophobia Haunted Attraction

via pantophobia.com 

Imagine if all of those infamous horror movie characters that haunt you in your dreams come alive to taunt you in real life. The Pantophobia Haunted Attraction in Montvale, New Jersey gives you chance to take a ride through this "Hollyweird" experience. Get a big group together and tour the back lots to uncover those characters that left you sleeping with the lights on and cringing at every little sound you heard in the dark.

Tickets and tour dates: http://pantophobia.com/index.htm