Enormous warty pumpkins. Carnivorous plants. Immersive arachnid displays. Slithering snakes and fluttering bats. And illuminated displays of hundreds, or thousands, of ornately carved jack-o鈥�-lanterns.
Zoos and botanical gardens have become increasingly popular Halloween destinations. Their haunting array of natural installations and spooky events provide a fun addition, or alternative, to traditional trick-or-treating.
They also are a teachable moment, naturalists and conservationists say.
鈥淔all is a celebration of the natural world, so Halloween and botanical gardens are an organic pairing,鈥� says Michaela Wright, manager of interpretive content at the New York Botanical Garden, where October is 鈥淔all-o-Ween.鈥� The garden鈥檚 Halloween offerings began with a haunted greenhouse tour about 50 years ago, she says, 鈥渁nd it continues to evolve and expand.鈥�
This year, there鈥檚 a Halloween pumpkin patch that includes exotic heritage varieties in blues, pinks and other surprising colors, in addition to varieties covered in warts. Master pumpkin carver Adam Bierton, a sculptor from Rochester, New York, known for his life-like jack-o鈥�-lanterns, hosts weekend pumpkin-carving events. And of course there is the annual display of giant pumpkins, some weighing in at .
At the Chicago Botanic Garden, the 鈥淣ight of 1,000 Jack-o鈥�-Lanterns鈥� features elaborately painted and carved pumpkins, along with costumed entertainers, pumpkin-carving demos, and festive food. The garden鈥檚 online adult education classes include one on 鈥� and a Halloween Hub with information about seasonal plants and pumpkins.
ZOOS TOO
Many zoos, meanwhile, are hosting Halloween programming with names like 鈥淏oo at the Zoo,鈥� or 鈥淶oo Boo.鈥�
鈥淲e started hosting what we call 鈥淗alGLOween鈥� back in 2017 and it鈥檚 become one of our biggest draws of the year, providing a huge audience for our conservation messages,鈥� says Lisa Martin, a wildlife care ambassador for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
The event started as a single weekend in October, and was so popular it was expanded to two weekends, she says. It鈥檚 now held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for most of October, and Halloween has become one of the most popular times of the year at the zoo.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no trick-or-treating. And we don鈥檛 offer candy,鈥� she says, adding that that鈥檚 a relief for many parents.
This year鈥檚 鈥淗alGLOween鈥� features a 鈥淪keleton Band,鈥� a 鈥淏oo Crew鈥� of scarecrow stilt-walkers, and an illuminated 鈥淧ython Path鈥� through the reptile house, among other events.
An immersive display of arachnids in the Cool Critters building 鈥済ives kids a chance to learn about something that seems scary but might not be so scary in real life,鈥� says Martin.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park just north of the city also features a bat house.
And at the zoo, which is also an accredited botanical garden, a 鈥淲ildlife Explorers Basecamp鈥� has all kinds of bugs, and bee and ant colonies. Elsewhere, horticulturists are on hand to answer questions about seemingly spooky plants like strangle-vines and vampire dragon orchids.
Fort Wayne Children鈥檚 Zoo, in Indiana, is hosting a series of 鈥淲ild Zoo Halloween鈥� events. Each weekend in October has a different theme, like 鈥淪uperhero Weekend,鈥� 鈥淧irates and Princesses Weekend,鈥� 鈥淲itch and Wizard Day鈥� and, for those over 21, 鈥淩ock and Roar Halloween鈥� with live music and drinks.
The Bronx Zoo in New York offers 鈥淏oo at the Zoo鈥� events during the day and 鈥淧umpkin Nights鈥� after sunset. At night, guests can follow a jack-o鈥�-lantern trail of over 5,000 illuminated pumpkins while they learn about nocturnal animal behavior.
Says Martin, of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: 鈥淧eople learn best when they鈥檙e having fun, and they just may come in for some Halloween fun, and go home with a better understanding of conservation.鈥�
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