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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

10/16/13: Roger Williams Park Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular

I love FALL!  I love apple picking, I love the weather, but most of all I LOVE Halloween and all the fun activities that surround it.  One not to miss is Roger Williams Park Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular going on until November 3rd.  The theme this year is Pumpkinville USA.  
I wanted to share some tips from our years of attending this wonderful display.
1.  Go on a WEEKDAY!  Attendance is much lighter during the week and the quality is the same as daily they are fixing any pumpkins that need fixing.  When we left last year on a Saturday at 7:15 the line was enormous.  It had to be at least a 2 hour wait. 
2.  Go toward the end of the month, the attendance is also lighter then.

3.  If you do chose to go on a weekend make sure to get there early to get in line.
4.  A better plan if you do go on a weekend is to go to the Harvest Buffet as we did last year.  You go in at 5 pm and get the VIP entry to the Spectacular.  You can find more information here on the Harvest Buffet.  

The great thing about the Harvest Buffet is you get to eat there, plus get VIP entrance to the Pumpkin Trail.  They lead you past the line of people entering the Pumpkin Trail and let you right in.There is turkey, cranberry sauce, squash, vegetables, and mashed potatoes.  Plus hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken fingers.  The food was really good.  Plus there is soda, water, coffee, and hot cider.

There is a NEW Moonlight Meal Deals (Monday - Thursday) (meal ticket prices are in addition to purchase of admission ticket): Adults, $15 per person A choice of: Option 1: Hamburger, Jumbo Hot Dog, OR Veggie Burger, with seasoned kettle chips, beverage, and choice of cookie or fruit Option 2: Chicken Tenders OR Pizza, with french fries, beverage, and choice of cookie or fruit Kids, $10 per person, ages 3 – 12 A choice of: Option 1: Jr hot dog, chips, beverage, toy, and choice of cookie or fruit Option 2: Chicken nuggets, french fries, beverage, toy, and choice of cookie or fruit Option 3: PB and J sandwich, animal crackers, beverage, toy, and choice of cookie or fruit 

Here are some more details:
The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is open 6pm - 11pm, with the last admission at 10pm.
On Saturdays, admission will be extended an hour, with the last admission at 11pm, and the trail closing at 12am.
Pricing: Monday - Thursday are $12 adults, $10 seniors and $9 for children ages 3 – 12, with children under three admitted for free.
Admission prices on Friday - Sunday are $15 adults, $13 seniors and $12 children ages 3 – 12; children two and under are admitted for free.

More about this year's display:
Intricate pumpkin art will represent regions of the country, highlighting their unique attributes and as well as historical and cultural landmarks of each of the states. Regions will include Heartland of America, Pacific Coast, Mid-Atlantic, New England, and Appalachian Highlands. One scene will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and another will honor President Kennedy. Show standards will return, such as the childhood favorites and Halloween scenes, and the show’s dazzling grand finale, the Laughing Tree.

Hundreds of glowing jack-o-lanterns on the ground and high up in the trees surround carved giants (well over 1,000 pounds) amid spooky fog and music, punctuated by its iconic catchy beat and laughter. Crews from Passion for Pumpkins, the show creators, will spend several weeks leading up to the event creating the magical display. Then, they will work nearly around the clock throughout the 32 night run to keep the show fresh for visitors.
 Here is some video of the Tree from last year.

I can't say enough about this event, go check it out for yourself!
 Check them out on Facebook: 
Disclosure: I was provided tickets to the Harvest Buffet for my family and I in exchange for promotional review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

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