Chicago families have one more reason to head outdoors after dark this October: Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns has returned to the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, running on select evenings through Sunday, October 25.
More than 1,000 real pumpkins, lit from within with LED lights, line a paved nighttime trail through the Garden’s beautiful fall setting. The Garden describes the walk as just creepy enough — an eerie, glowing adventure designed to be enjoyable for the whole family, not frightening for younger visitors.
The star of this year’s trail is the Monarch Skull, a 20-foot illuminated sculpture inspired by the monarch butterfly. Along the path, visitors will also find around 75 extra-large pumpkins, some weighing as much as 150 pounds, intricately carved with themes ranging from dragons and comic book icons to Día de los Muertos and 150 years of Chicago Cubs baseball. Each large pumpkin takes artists many hours to illustrate, paint and carve.
Live carving demonstrations, costumed entertainers and seasonal treats complete the evening. Families can enjoy homemade caramel apples, festive popcorn, cider donuts, spiced nuts, hot apple cider and hot chocolate along the route.
The event runs in three blocks of evenings — October 7 to 11, October 14 to 18, and October 21 to 25 — with timed entry between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. and the trail open until 10:30 p.m. The Garden encourages buying timed tickets early to secure a preferred time.
Photo: Chicago Botanic Garden
