Even before the first leaves start to fall, once September rolls around, many people begin to get excited for Halloween! For those who love to celebrate a little early, or even well into November, the Hudson Valley Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is for you!
The Hudson River Valley (located about an hour north of New York City) is known for its Halloween-themed activities. It’s no wonder! Washington Irving set his creepy The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the area (where he lived).
Since then, visitors have flocked to Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, and their neighboring towns to look for spirits. More recently, visitors have been coming strictly to see the magnificent carved-pumpkin displays at the Van Cortland Manor. And it’s no wonder! We really enjoyed our visit to the Blaze and think you will too.
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What is the Hudson Valley Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze?
The “Pumpkin Blaze” is a walk-through jack o’lantern display at Van Cortland Manor in the Hudson River Valley. The area is known for it’s incredible Halloween events, thanks to its notoriety due to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Started in 2005 to celebrate the Halloween season, the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze has grown to feature over 7000 carved pumpkins!
Location, Hours, and Cost of the Pumpkin Blaze
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is held annually at the Van Cortland Manor in Croton-on-Hudson in New York, about an hour north of New York City. Parking is available on-site, up to 30 minutes before your scheduled ticket time.
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is also held on Long Island in Old Bethpage. Visit their website for more information. This article is about the Blaze near Tarrytown.
Timed tickets must be purchased to park and enter the Pumpkin Blaze. Tickets go on sale around Labor Day for the upcoming event. If you are interested in attending the Blaze on a weekend night, make sure to purchase your tickets early, as they sell out quickly. The event starts mid-September and is open on weekends through the end of November. During the month of October, weeknight admission is available.
Tickets to the Pumpkin Blaze range from $24-$48 depending on the day and time of the ticket. Members of the Historic Hudson Valley get to attend the event for FREE. Members also get the opportunity to purchase tickets before the sale opens to the public.
5 Reasons to Attend to the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze
The Unique Sculptures and Carvings
The biggest reason to attend the Hudson Valley Pumpkin Blaze is the sculptures themselves!! Throughout the Blaze, you will find sculptures that are not your typical Halloween displays. A working carousel, the Statue of Liberty, even a field of dinosaurs! One of our favorites was the circus train. It had not only the engine, complete with actual steam and sound effects, but also several cars filled with circus animals. All carved from pumpkins!
The Attention to Detail
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze could carve some pumpkins and put them into a shape of a bridge, or statue, and call it a day. But they don’t. The details that go into each carving are astonishing. More than 1000 volunteers help to scoop, carve, and light the pumpkins. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed!
One of the newest displays, the “Museum of Pumpkin Art” or “MoPA” for short, contains several famous paintings carved out of pumpkins. But it doesn’t stop there. Each “painting” has a unique twist, featuring both a pumpkin and the Headless Horseman in each one. It was so much fun finding the famous character in each sculpture!
A Family-Friendly Halloween Event
Families know that Halloween events are becoming scarier and scarier. Sure, you can take your little ones pumpkin picking during the day. But once the sun sets, it is almost impossible to find a Halloween event that doesn’t contain blood, chainsaws, and haunted cornfields.
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is an awesome Halloween event that is family-friendly! Yes, you will hear the galloping footsteps of the Headless Horseman’s steed. But for the most part, kids will find the entire event to be pleasant, not scary.
The Fun Atmosphere
Before you even enter the main display, you will find yourself among food and fun! A snack stand selling various tasty treats, including apple cider donuts is on one side of the area. A stand selling local beer, wine, and hard cider is on the other. There are benches and barrels to sit on or stand at to enjoy your libations. You can also bring the treats into the Pumpkin Blaze display to enjoy while you meander.
Don’t forget to stop by the gift shop. The Historic Hudson Valley sells many Halloween and Sleep Hollow themed goodies. We loved the throw blanket depicting the famous scene of Ichabod Crane trying to escape the Headless Horseman.
A Well-Organized Event
This may seem like a silly reason to attend an event. But have you have ever been to a completely disorganized event? No matter how amazing the display might be, if the event isn’t run well, people aren’t going to want to return.
Well, the Hudson Valley Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze is an extremely well-run event. It starts with parking. Their attendants get in you your spot quickly. After that, upon entering the Pumpkin Blaze, you are instructed clearly where to go and what to do.
Lastly, the walk-through itself is well organized. Although there is a path to follow through the sculptures, you never feel like you are being herded through. There is plenty of space on the trails to step aside and enjoy each display at your leisure.
Tips and Things to Know Before You Attend the Pumpkin Blaze
- The Pumpkin Blaze walk-through is primarily unpaved. Plan accordingly as far as footwear.
- It took us about 45 minutes to walk through the entire blaze at a leisurely pace.
- From parking to exit, plan to spend at least 1 – 1.5 hours at the Blaze.
- You can arrive no earlier than 30 minutes before your timed ticket to park.
- Although there are over 7000 lit pumpkins, it is still dark walking through the blaze. You may want to put glow bracelets or necklaces on your younger children to quickly identify their location.
- As noted above, there are snacks and libations for sale at the entrance to the blaze.
Have You Attended the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze?
Have you ever been to the Pumpkin Blaze? Is this something on your bucket list? Let us know in the comments! We are so glad we got to attend this year and will be making plans to return in future years as well!
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