As you can probably tell, it’s been a minute since I’ve written on my blog. We had quite a summer and I have a lot of backlogged content I’m hoping to get to soon, especially as both of our girls have been back to school in person.
While some of that content to come is a bit more evergreen (including our recent kitchen remodel), I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to write about a fantastic fall activity we just experienced that is perfect for families.
Last Friday night, we attended the first evening of the Ingham County Fairgrounds’ Jack O’Lanterns Unleashed, a walkable Halloween experience in Mason, Michigan that includes thousands of hand-carved pumpkins with multiple themes and installations. 2021 marks the first year for Jack O’Lanterns Unleashed, but I’m certain it’ll be a must-do for families every fall to come.
I was starting to see targeted ads on my Facebook account for the experience in September, but didn’t know what to expect. It sounded like a fun Halloween activity that would be good for all ages. We invited my in-laws to join us and bought tickets for the first time slot of the first night, figuring it will only get colder as we get closer to Halloween.
Ticket information
Tickets range from $8-12 for children and adults; kids under 5 are free. When you visit the ticket page, you’ll see $30 VIP tickets listed at the top. These tickets allow visitors to do the experience any day and time slot of their choice, but as you scroll down the page, you’ll see the dates and tickets at the lower price point. Tickets are also available at the gate, but will be a slightly higher price and are dependent on availability.
Visiting at 8:00pm worked best for us with younger kids. We arrived around 7:30pm to park and get a sense of where we needed to go. There was already a crowd lined up at the gate, but shortly after we were let into the fairgrounds to enjoy a fire swallower, music, some fair food concessions, and a peek at the setup in the distance.
Right at 8:00pm, we were allowed to walk toward the start of the Jack O’Lanterns Unleashed pathway. I had our tickets on my phone, but I might recommend printing them off. Only one ticket-taker had a scanner for the digital tickets, so the process of getting through took a bit of time.
Once we got past the entrance, it never felt too crowded or congested on the path. There were hundreds of pumpkins with classic jack o’lantern faces and multiple color lights, but as we continued down the path, the setups became more intricate. Of the thousands of hand-carved pumpkins, many are Funkins, but there are also real pumpkins throughout.
I don’t want to spoil all of the cool installations with pictures, but these are some photos of our favorite parts. All in all, we got through the entire experience in about 40 minutes, but there’s no rush.
Things to know
If you plan to visit, I would absolutely recommend wearing boots or shoes you don’t mind getting messy. About 90% of the experience is on a paved walkway, but at the end we had to walk through a muddy barn area. The parking lot also had some large puddles due to the rain that day.
I would also recommend having your kid(s) wear something that lights up or glows. It was very, very dark back there (making the exhibits even more vibrant), and I was thankful we had a couple extra adults with us to keep track of the girls.
The girls spent the rest of the weekend talking about their favorite pumpkins and setups. I would absolutely attend Jack O’Lanterns Unleashed again and hope they continue to do it for the years to come.
Where is this? Never mentioned what state or a city close by.
Hi Bob! This is located at the Ingham County Fairgrounds in Mason, Michigan. I’ve added the city to my post to help clarify for those who aren’t familiar with the Ingham County Fairgrounds. Thank you for the feedback!