We were able to take a sneak peak at Pumpkin Nights, a new Halloween adventure, here in Salt Lake City.
The entrance to Pumpkin Nights is fun all on its own. You walk down a lit path, with pumpkins hanging in the trees to the side. After passing countless Jack O’Lanterns, you come to the Pumpkin Night sign. Further down the path, hundreds of carved pumpkins are hanging over your head. It was so fun checking out all the faces.
Right near the entrance are a lot of fun activities. A man was carving a huge pumpkin. We didn’t see the completed project, but it was fun to watch him working on such a large pumpkin. There are food trucks. You could watch a movie (it was Harry Potter when we were there), and you can sit on hay bales underneath the lights and watch. There are some lawn games like croquet and bocce. Our favorite activity was glow in the dark archery. We shot arrows at a target that was launched in the air, like skeet shooting. The man running this station was very helpful and kind with our boys, and we had fun trying to hit the target, although none of us did.
Pumpkin Nights has a half mile walk through different themed areas filled with carved pumpkins. In one spot, there is a dragon hanging over a pond with an amazing reflection. There is a whole Dia De Los Muertoes area with more hanging pumpkins. Our favorite was the Under the Sea section. The pumpkins were lit with different colors. It was so beautiful. There was also a garden area with animals and flowers. It was amazing to see what they could make out of pumpkins.
As you walk through the path, there is music playing and the atmosphere is a ton of fun. There is something to see the entire walk. Even if there are no pumpkins, there are corn mazes, a graveyard, spider webs, and more. The best spot along the way was “The Big Dig.” Here the kids could dig in a huge sand pit for mini pumpkins. Our boys thought this was so much fun. They also loved the strider racing track even though some of them were a little big for the bikes!
There was one scary spot that was specifically designed for the older crowd. Mom and the boys did not walk through, but Dad decided to give it a try. He said things were jumping out and there were many loud startling noises. We decided it was definitely not for our boys. But if you enjoy being scared, make sure to stop after the dragon and walk through the spook alley.
Pumpkin Nights is a little pricey. For a family of four, it’s $64 dollars, but they have a special on Mondays and Wednesday and the family four pack is $48. We decided that people pay about this same price for the Haunted Forest or other Haunted things, so if you are looking for a fun family outing that is less scary than all the haunted adventures, this is the spot for you. It’s definitely different than other pumpkin patch type activities that we are used to seeing at Halloween time.
We thought Pumpkin Nights was a lot of fun, and the pumpkins were awesome. It was fun to see the creative ways in which they were carved. We spent about an hour and a half on this adventure, but you could spend longer if you walked through again or wanted to spend more time playing games. Check out Pumpkin Nights for a unique adventure.
Tips for Families
- Bring a stroller: This path is wheel friendly, and you will be walking around for this adventure, so bring a stroller for the little ones.
- Dress Warm: It gets chilly once the sun goes down, so make sure to bring hats, gloves, and jackets to stay warm.
- Parking: It said that there was a $2 parking fee, but when we visited there was no one manning the gate. I might bring a few dollars in cash in case you need to pay for parking.
- Snacks: You can bring snacks in for the little kids to keep them happy while you walk.
- Go early: We arrived right at 7:00 and it was not busy at all. And we were able to get the kids home to bed at a decent hour.
We were given tickets to visit Pumpkin Nights, but the opinions are our own.
