October 17, 18, 24 & 25
Kids under 12 in costume get half-priced admission!

Join us for some spooky day-time fun time this Halloween season!  From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. enjoy Trick or Treat stations, pumpkin carving demonstrations, a costume contest, live music, games, amazing animal encounters, costumed characters, pumpkin treats for the animals and more!
See the full schedule of activities>

New this year, we invite you to make an already "spooky" day (our Spooky Zoo event days) even more spooktacular, by joining us for an exclusive Spooktacular Pumpkin Party! The Parties offer some great entertainment and some extra special treats in addition to the regular Spooky Zoo festivities, including an exclusive magic show by one of two acclaimed magicians (Matt Roberts or Steve Zany) a paint your own pumpkin activity, costume contest with great prizes and more! Tickets must be purchased in advance and seating is limited, so get yours soon!
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How to Carve a Spectacular Jack-O-Lantern at Home

Probably the mostfrequently asked questions about the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular have to do with carving technique – what are the secrets of the Spectacular’s expert carvers?  Here are some tips from the experts on how to get crafty with pumpkin carving.

• Carve the hole and gut your jack o’ lantern from the bottom of the pumpkin, not at the top.  This will provide more stability for your jack o’ lantern as it gets softer and it will make it much easier to light.
  
  
• Use the features of your particular pumpkin to your advantage.  For example, if the pumpkin has a long, curly stem, place the pumpkin on its side and use the stem as a nose.
  
  
• Use a specialized carving tool, such as those used in ceramics, to peel the pumpkin skin in different thicknesses to make for more detail, rather than just carving holes into the pumpkin.
  
  
• Practice peeling more or less of the skin away.  By peeling different thicknesses of the rind away, you can create a 3-D shading effect when the light shines through.
  
  
• Use markers to draw your design before you carve and to provide detailing to the finished carving.
  
  
• To help your pumpkins stay fresh longer, spray the outside with a diluted bleach solution. (Of course, this means there will be no pumpkin pie made from that pumpkin later!)