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Photos: Adorable Halloween Energy at the Cincinnati Zoo's Jack O'Lantern Glow

By on Fri, Oct 4, 2024 at 10:45 am

On Thursday, the Cincinnati Zoo debuted a brand new Halloween experience perfect for the entire family (no jump scares involved). The Jack O'Lantern Glow takes guests on a breathtaking walk through a half-mile portion of the Cincinnati Zoo lined with 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins and fall displays.

Keep scrolling to see all of the spooky season ambiance that awaits at the Cincinnati Zoo's Jack O'Lantern Glow. Purchase your tickets to the Jack O'Lantern Glow here.

Photos by Lydia Schembre
Slideshow

20 Must-Do Fall Bucket List Activities in Greater Cincinnati

Be Immersed in All the Lights and Colors of BLINKFall is all about the color, and there’s nothing more colorful than Cincinnati's premier arts and lights festival, BLINK. This year, BLINK is bringing even more artwork, activations and dazzling displays than ever before. This can’t-miss festival will feature over 80 innovative projects, ranging from murals to projection mapping and light installations — all of which can be viewed for free. The festival runs Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 17-20, with projects located throughout Over-the-Rhine, downtown Cincinnati, The Banks, Covington and, new this year, Newport. Also new this year is the first-ever official BLINK afterparty, “afterglow,” taking place Saturday, Oct. 19 at MegaCorp Pavilion. You can read CityBeat’s preview of BLINK here, or view the official festival footprint on BLINK’s website.
Get Spooky at a Haunted HouseIf you love a good scare and dodging evil clowns, demented dolls and chainsaw-wielding psychos, Greater Cincinnati is home to quite a few top-rated haunted houses and attractions. Dent Schoolhouse in Green Township is a popular choice, with hours-long lines snaking around the outside of the building on weekends. This haunted house takes you through the story of an abandoned school where the janitor was responsible for kidnapping and killing students, all of whom now haunt the school. Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt is another popular choice and features several immersive scare mazes and scare zones, spooky live entertainment and more, plus some of the most popular roller coasters will be open. In Newport, be sure to also check out USS Nightmare, a haunted ship run by a ghastly crew of ghouls and manned by none other than the evil Captain Mitchell. For a more kid-friendly experience, check out Heritage Village’s Haunted Village, which offers a slight fright that won’t leave your kids with nightmares until Christmas. This recreated 19th-century village features “ghosts, witches, a fortune teller, a monster, and a cursed archaeologist along the way." Activities include a walk through a haunted wood or cemetery, plus balloon art, games and a "creepy critter" zoo. Pick the Perfect PumpkinFall, especially the spooky season portion, is not complete without picking out the perfect pumpkin, whether you want it for carving or decoration. There are plenty of patches around Greater Cincinnati for pumpkin picking, from Brown’s Family Farm Market on the western side of the Tri-State in Hamilton, to Burger Farm & Garden Center out east in Newtown, Irons Fruit Farm up north in Lebanon or McGlasson Farms to the south in Hebron. A lot of these places also offer family-friendly fall festivals with activities for kids ranging from hayrides to scavenger hunts and petting zoos. You can see CityBeat’s list of 14 pumpkin patches worth a visit this fall here. Get Lost in a Corn MazeSpeaking of pumpkin patches, the classic corn maze is another quintessential activity that goes hand-in-hand with pumpkin picking. Take a crack at finding your way through one of these amazing, maize-y mazes at spots like Neltner’s Farm in Melbourne, Kentucky; Shaw Farms Market in Milford or Burwinkel Farms in Ross. Don’t forget to reward yourself after with a crisp cup of apple cider and a tasty donut. Check out where you can find more corn mazes in Greater Cincinnati here. Show Off Your Costume to Fiona at Cincinnati Zoo’s HallZOOweenHalloween couldn’t be cuter at the Cincinnati Zoo. At HallZOOween, kids can dress up in costume and visit trick-or-treat stations throughout the zoo, watch Halloween-themed animal enrichment activities, take a trip on the Hogwarts Express, ride the Scare-ousel and catch a show at Phil Dalton's Theater of Illusion. The event takes place on Saturdays and Sundays in October, starting Saturday, Oct. 12. There’s also a new Halloween tradition at the zoo this year: Jack O’Lantern Glow. Jack O’Lantern Glow is an immersive walkthrough experience that features over 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins and fall displays along a half-mile trail in the zoo. The attraction runs Oct. 3-6, 11-13 and 18-31, with doors opening at 6 p.m. In addition to the pumpkins, guests can also enjoy a variety of fall treats, like pumpkin hot chocolate, caramel apples and orange and purple cotton candy. Feel Sunny at Gorman Heritage Farm’s Sunflower FestivalOn Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 5-6, Gorman Heritage Farm will transform into a sunflower wonderland for their annual Sunflower Festival. Guests can wander through the sunflower fields and cut their own flowers for just $1 a stem. The festival also features education stations, live music, hayrides and mule carriages, and you can shop from a variety of craft vendors while the kids get to meet the farm animals. Food trucks and HighGrain beer will also be available. Shop Local for Your Halloween CostumeSpirit Halloween makes for a good meme, but Greater Cincinnati is also home to locally owned costume shops with plenty of props, wigs, apparel, makeup and more to make your Halloween costume the talk of the party. Cappel’s has been family-owned and operated in Cincinnati for more than 75 years and has shops in downtown Cincinnati, Anderson Township and Blue Ash. Visit in-store, or browse their selection of costumes, fake blood, fangs and more on their website. For more vintage costumes or apparel, Talk of the Town in Reading offers one-of-a-kind costumes and reproductions from several different eras.
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The opening night of the Jack O'Lantern Glow at the Cincinnati Zoo
Photo: Lydia Schembre
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