It is good to be back, friends! After a short break of getting into the oh-no-back-to-school mode, it’s nice to be writing again! There are so many places I want to talk about! And, time is of the essence for this particularly illuminating post.
It’s probably no surprise that I love all things holiday! If there’s a way to celebrate a season, I’m in! But, I am too cowardly to enjoy Halloween Haunted Houses. While I can appreciate a teeny weeny amount of scare, I prefer Fall events that feature the changing and falling of leaves, hot cider, pumpkins, cool temps, and lots of lights! That’s why I am super excited to share my recent trip to the Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular in Louisville, KY.
I’ve been trying to go to this event for three years, and life keeps getting in the way! Not this year! And it was worth the wait. Think five million pumpkins (okay, more like five thousand), themed music, lights in trees, a dark forest (well, it’s more like a dark park), and a cool, autumn breeze. Just what the season calls for.
As you journey through the woods, you will see a variety of carved pumpkins: scary, happy, dopey, sad, angry, silly, and more; it’s pumpkins galore. There are also themed sections which showcase professionally carved pumpkins that truly are works of art. A few of my favorite sections included Fairy Tales, Edgar Allan Poe, Mother Goose, and Inspiring Figures. It’s pretty cool- the music changes with each section as well.
If you want to check out the Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular, you have a couple options. You could drive down, arrive by 7 pm, spend a couple hours, and drive home. Or, you could make it an overnight. That’s what we did. I’m such a fan of Louisville. We stayed in NuLu– an area full of cute shops, restaurants, and coffee shops. In fact, our favorite restaurant, the Mayan Cafe (local, seasonal Mayan food), was just across the street from our Airbnb. We also stumbled onto a new Vietnamese restaurant, Chick’n & Mi, that served, hands down, one of my favorite pork ramen dishes. Trust me, I’m still dreaming about those noodles.
So whether it’s this season or next, be sure to make the drive down to Lousiville for the Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular. The show runs daily from dusk to 11 p.m., during the week (Sunday-Thursday), and closes at midnight on Friday & Saturday. You can find out about buying tickets here.
Tips:
- Wear tennis shoes or boots (boots if it’s been raining).
- Speaking of rain, you can still go if it’s drizzling.
- Most of the path is paved, but it is dark.
- The line gets long; show up early.
- Take your time- even if that means going against the crowd. You want to see both sides.
- Grab some hot cider or cocoa first.
GO THERE (Louisville, KY)! TRY THAT (Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular)!
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