11 and 18 are Fairy Tale Nights, when you can meet and take photos with your favorite fairy tale characters (and dress up too if you like). There are chances to see some characters, if you choose: Oct. Not once did a ghoulish “zombie” jump out and try to scare the daylight out of us.

We chose to take our time and revel in the artistry, stories and mood. It need not take long to take it all in, which means you can adapt your timing to the ages of your group. You certainly won’t go hungry: State-fair like booths with fun autumn fare dot the pathway. There are also classic pumpkin carvings, unique face carvings and fun setups like the skeletons mid cornhole game tucked into a side woods area. (Fun moment: When a teen pointed to two pumpkins one of Neil Armstrong on the moon and another - just past it - of the moon and asked someone, “What show is that?”) From “I Love Lucy” to “Breaking Bad” - a history of television is all there in the carvings. The theme gives all generations a point of reference. According to the park, more than 20,000 pumpkins are carved by the time the last night (Oct. The combination of location (a zoo at night), flow (while thousands go through, you never feel crowded) and ambiance (each year features a new theme this year’s is 75 Years of Television) all add up to sheer delight.Ĭarvers have to work continuously to keep the pumpkins fresh. Still run by Reckner and team, it features more than 5,000 carved pumpkins, centered around an annual theme.

Today, the event brings in tens of thousands of visitors over the month of October. The display drew so many visitors, they had to move it, first to a park in Oxford, then to Salem and then, in 2001, to Roger Williams Park Zoo where - other than a short jaunt to Salem and Boston - it has remained. The Spectacular has Bay State roots: It began when Oxford resident John Reckner, now owner and operator of Passion For Pumpkins, helped with a school fundraiser by crafting and displaying hundreds of carved pumpkins in his front yard. I found them all at the Roger Williams Park Zoo Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular (1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence /jols/), a monthlong event that mixes Halloween fun with artistry, food and setting in a family-friendly way. While I’m not a huge fan of super scares, those Halloween moments. The coziness of walking in autumn twilight, bundled up just right. If you look past the frights and over-the-top costumes, there’s a certain beauty around Halloween.

Roger williams zoo pumpkin 2021