The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular 2018 is an annual, month long Halloween event at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI. 2018 was it’s 30th year!

The park is filled with jack-o-lanterns. While most of them are standard fare, there are many elaborate works of art to be seen! There are sections dedicated to games, fairy tales, comic book heroes, and more. See the pictures for yourself. Included along the path are some huge pumpkins, weighing hundreds of pounds! 

Venue:✩✩✩✩✩ (5/5)

Entertainment: ✩✩✩✩✩ (4/5)

Visitor Information: ✩✩✩✩ (4/5)

Value for the Money: ✩✩✩✩✩ (5/5)

Pros:

This event is an amazing display of artistic talent and a nifty way to spend a cool evening in October that is “Halloweeny” but not scary for the little ones. The zoo (full disclosure, I am not a fan of zoos) is well maintained and doesn’t feel terrible. There’s plenty of bathrooms, snacks, and souvenirs available. The park is littered with employees who are there to insure the animals are not disturbed, but are also available to direct you to the nearest bathroom, drink stand, etc. 

The zoo is located near the Museum of Natural History, so you can make a full day of your trip too.

Cons:

Adult admission during “prime times” is eighteen dollars, which seems a little pricey to me considering there’s not any live entertainment. That being said, kids are free, and they offer discounts for stuff like AAA and “off times.”

There’s also no live entertainment. It would be cool to have some people dressed up in costumes relating to each section of the displays, and interacting with people in character. Renaissance fairs have ruined me I suppose!

Recommendations:

It was a very cool event. I am glad I got to go. There are a few other events popping up in other cities in recent years, so search for one near you. Nothing beats the original though, so plan an October trip to New England to see the fall foliage, and plan on seeing the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular for yourself! Check out the website here.