Magic of the Jack-O'Lanterns is back at Littleton's Hudson Gardens again this year!
This year we were unable to make it in the evening, so for something a little different, I decide to visit during the day and check out all of the jack-o'lanterns under the sun. I’m so glad I did, because it was such a different experience from visiting in the evening, and it was lovely to see all of the jack-o’lanterns with the colorful Fall foliage.
If you can only visit once, I definitely recommend going in the evening for the full experience of seeing all of the jack-o’lanterns lit up, as well as the light tunnels, the music, and the tasty food on offer (including make your own s’mores), but a visit during the day is also pretty magical. It’s a great option for families with little kids, people with sensory issues, and anyone who wants to get a closer look at all the details. Plus, visiting during the day is free!
Let’s take a look at this year’s Magic of the Jack-O’Lanterns during the day…
Visiting Magic of the Jack-O’Lanterns during the days means that you’ll find Hudson Gardens to be much quieter than it is during the evening, however, it is still a pretty popular spot, so you can expect to find quite a few people there, especially if it’s a nice day. As you can see from my pictures, it was a pretty beautiful day when I visited last week. It was also much busier than I had expected it to be. Both parking lots for the gardens were full and I had to park further away than I ever have when attended in the evening. So, that was definitely a surprise. I think I may have visited at the same time as a large group of home school families, as there were a lot of school aged kids there despite me visiting during school hours.
So what can you expect to see at Magic of the Jack-O’Lanterns during the day? Pretty much everything you can see there at night! Of course, the exception being that nothing is lit up and the displays that interact with music are turned off. Visiting during the day gives you the chance to see a lot more of the details that you might miss at night though, which to me, was a big plus. One problem with visiting during the day, however, is dealing with the sun. Some areas appear very bright while others are dark in shadow. You’ll notice that throughout my photos.
Many of the displays at Magic of the Jack-O’Lanterns are repeats from previous years, however, this year are two larger than life new displays. The first being the “Jack-O-Matic”. This jack-o’lantern production line takes regular pumpkins at one end, guts them, carves them, and pops out freshly made jack-o’lanterns at the end. Or, at least it pretends to! It’s a fun installation with a giant jack-o’lantern on top of a tower overlooking the production line.
My other favorite new installation this year were the three giant pumpkin headed scarecrows. These three look quite malevolent, but also kind of friendly at the same time - if you look past their terrifying bodies! They tower over a grassy area and this was one part of the event that I was excited to see during day light as I was able to get a good look at all of the detail that went into these guys.
As always, the intricately carved pumpkin sculptures are fun to see. These sculptures feature animals, cartoon characters, celebrities, movie characters, mythical creatures, buildings, and more.
Scarecrows also feature heavily throughout the event. Some are pretty classic scarecrows, while others appear as witches, musicians and more.
Magic of the Jack-O’Lanterns is on display at Hudson Gardens through November 2nd.
Hudson Gardens is open daily from 9am to 4pm. Entry during these hours is free.
The evening event runs Tuesdays through Sundays (closed Mondays). Hours vary depending on the day but are generally between 6pm and 9pm. Tickets must be purchased online in advance and start at $24.99 for adults (13+) and $14.99 for kids (3 - 12). These prices are for timed entry. Anytime tickets start at $39.99. Children under 3 years old are admitted free of charge.
Hudson Gardens is located at 6115 S Santa Fe Drive, Littleton.
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