The Minnesota Zoo holds the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular yearly, and fun, colorful pumpkin displays captivate the eyes of anyone who walks through. They hold the display from Sept. 26 through Nov. 2, leaving a little over a month of fun, festive pumpkin joy. The Jack-O-Lantern spectacular is the perfect place to get into the spirit of the fall and spend time with friends and family. Tickets range from twenty-nine dollars to nineteen dollars for kids, plus a parking fee of nineteen dollars, which is pricey. They gave a discount of $3 to $4 for members, but it still seemed super expensive.
The spectacular takes about an hour to walk through, not accounting for the many stops you could take while taking pictures with each handcrafted jack-o-lantern they have up. The path is pretty dimly lit, and the only light there is comes from the pumpkins, but it adds to the ambiance of the festivities. The pumpkins are organized to be displayed in different themes, like nocturnal animals or children’s books. They featured pumpkins with carvings of owls or bats and books like “Goodnight Moon” or “Frog and Toad.” Each different themed area had smaller and less intricate carved pumpkins along the path leading towards the bigger and more detailed themed jack-o-lanterns that were the main event.
My favorite part was the different designs we got to walk through, like the nocturnal animals and children’s books. Walking through the children’s book section felt so nostalgic to me because I got to see all of my favorite books growing up come to life in the light of a jack-o-lantern. It felt like I was a little kid again, walking through the magic of the woods lit up by pumpkin lights, and it brought back a lot of the joy of the holiday season. The animals were also a really good addition to the spectacle because of the setting at the Minnesota Zoo.
I loved the beginning display of pumpkins that they had at the start of the trail, before you even get to the main part of the event. They had multiple scenes set up for photo opportunities and a whole lot of pumpkins. They showcased the biggest pumpkins here, giving them a whole display dedicated to their award-winning size.
Once you have made your way through the whole trail, there are multiple stops you could take to get some hot apple cider or hot chocolate to warm your hands after. They also had a concession bar running where you could get some appetizers or food. I got cheese curds and hot chocolate, which I was not the biggest fan of. They also had a mini donut truck, and I split some donuts with a friend. I would recommend getting the donuts over cheese curds. The mini donut truck was also cheaper than the food, which was better, considering the food was gross at the concessions stand.
Overall, I felt that the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at the Minnesota Zoo was the perfect fall activity. I felt that it was really well done, with a lot of effort being put into it. The music they played matched every theme, and the pumpkins they had out on display were incredible. I think that it can be pretty expensive, so to cut some costs, maybe consider not getting any food from concessions.
