When I first heard there was an event that actually featured nearly 10,000 illuminated hand-carved pumpkins, I thought it sounded like a great way to get into the Halloween spirit. Little did I know, the Historic Hudson Valley’s Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor, is an excellent way to enjoy fall and you don’t have to go before Halloween to get the full impact. Trust me, you’ve never experienced anything like this! Less than an hour north of Manhattan, your adventure starts in a giant meeting tent where you can buy pumpkin-spiced cappuccinos and bags of popcorn, cookies and doughnuts to munch on while waiting for your allotted entrance time to embark on the trail. Once you head out, you will hear the dramatic musical soundtrack and the occasional, eery sound effects and let me tell you, the mood is set.
VAN CORTLANDT MANOR BY NIGHT
Have your cameras ready for some breathtaking sights, from thematic carvings such as fairies, insects, ghosts, witches, animals and flowers to extremely intricate keltic patterns and 3-dimensional images that are so detailed it’s impossible not to think, Eat your heart out, Martha Stewart. Add to this, whole scenes made out of pumpkins from spooky ghost-filled graveyards to prehistoric dinosaurs to an Undersea Aquarium to an enchanting butterfly garden. You will also travel through and around a beautifully lit pumpkin tunnel, creepy Jack-in-the-Boxes and even a doomsday grandfather clock that keeps accurate time.
You will have to exit through the gift shop, which is annoying (you’ll spot many parents moving their kids through quickly), but a lot of the items for sale are hand-crafted by local artists and seemed reasonably priced. There is also a Museum of Pumpkin Art which features 20 thematic works, including an $8,000 Headless Horseman display made out of Legos.
A PUMPKIN WEB
There is truly only one complaint I can make: the crowds. Blaze sells out every year, so you can expect a lot of people, but it seemed not too bad for about half of the trail. There are a few areas where the path narrows and picture taking is at a high. A few planning suggestions: try to go during the week if you can (ha! may not be realistic I know) but at least try to go before 7:30 pm as the crowd seemed to increase quickly after 8. Keep in mind that it takes a good 45 minutes to walk through and if it’s too late you could end up carrying your kids. But here’s a handy tip: if your little darlings get impatient let them take some pics of their own (sadly, probably with your phone). You’ll see they get really into it and you won’t hear a peep out of them until you hit the gift shop!
Lastly, consider going after Halloween, as the event runs until November 11, it’s not like Blaze becomes any less incredible after you trick or treat. If it all doesn’t work out for you this year, make a note in your iCal right now to go online around Labor Day for the best available tickets next season. Much like the Botanic Garden’s Train Show or any production of The Nutcracker over the holidays, this may not be an activity you want to attend every year, but I can definitely see revisiting it every couple of years and if you don’t believe me, watch this video!