A Night Out on the Pumpkin Patch
A thrilling and silly quarter mile of October’s favorite fruit
BY SYDNEY PESHON
Tucked away in the quiet corners of Apple Valley, the Minnesota Zoo is hosting its fourth year of the charming and cheery Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular. Themed “Night at the Library,” this enchanting event presents over five-thousand pumpkins inspired by themes such as fairy tales, music artists, well-known authors, movies, and more. This spooky spectacular that runs until Nov. 5th isn’t an event to be missed…
You’ll enter a dreamlike cobalt and magenta lit trail with pumpkins ranging in expression and cascading off trees, while classic jams like the Ghostbusters theme song and Disney’s “This is Halloween” sound softly in the background. You’ll soon stumble onto a seemingly endless array of true artistic pumpkin brilliance–some notable and intricate pumpkins include Lizzo, Dora, Les Misérables, a chess board, ET, Edgar Allen Poe, and Shrek, although there are countless others that appeal to other cultural interests, hobbies, and passions. Come hungry and thirsty, as you’ll have numerous choices to try, including T-rex cookies, mini donuts, pretzels, piping hot chocolate, and apple cider with the optional splash of whiskey (I’d recommend fireball for those with an insatiable sweet tooth).
You’re even able to create your own pumpkin with customizable messages and images if you plan 10 days in advance, something hard to resist if you get quesy by the sinewy strands of pumpkin guts or somehow always manage to saw a tooth off your sharpie outline. Schedule your visit beforehand, because tickets priced from $18-$20 are only sold online, however there is an $8 fee if you need to change your time slot to a different day. This event has free parking and attractive backgrounds for photo-op’s, such as the imaginative and distinctive pumpkins themselves, a colossal neon orange frog, a massive boulder of a pumpkin, or my personal favorite, an angel-white blow-up lizard. This gem of an excursion will take around an hour to walk through and admire, and being that it’s outdoors, be sure to dress appropriately. Whether for whimsically and playfully fun frights or a chance to see space Muppets grinning down at you through a pumpkin lens, this stunning holiday spectacle has a little something for everyone.