To say I really have seen nothing like it would not be an exaggeration! Blaze is artistic and inventive, spooky and spectacular all rolled into one.
I was invited to this walkthrough experience at Van Coutlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson with my seven-year-old son and five-year-old daughter. I’d been meaning to go for the last few years after some very good recommendations but someone never got around to it. I had also naively wondered how thousands of carved pumpkins could really be such an impressive experience.
Well, now I know! And I have to admit the sight of 10,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated jack o' lanterns truly is something incredible to see. Each year the carving beings in June to get this event ready. A team of some 200 volunteers prepare the pumpkins for carving by scooping out the pulp and seeds. Then, each night, 30 people take almost three hours to light all the candles.
And it isn't just carved faces - although there are a lot of them.
There are true works of art as well. Intricately craved scenes or creatures carved into the sides of the pumpkins. We wondered how some of them stayed together as they seemed to be more carving than pumpkin!
There weren’t just small scale displays either. Many of them involved hundreds of pumpkins placed together and carved as a whole to create giant creations. Like an enormous sea serpent or the hugely popular Jurassic Park which included a triceratops, a pterodactyl, a brontosaurus, and a fighting T-Rex.
My daughter was absolutely captivated. With each new scene she let out a little gasp or a "wow", and there were certainly lots of "that's amazing”! And she was right - there really was a childish delight in seeing each new pumpkin creation, the newest one seeming to somehow top the last incredible invention.
Some of our favorites included a 24-foot high spider's web made out of about 180 pumpkins; a beehive with dozens of swarming bees; Sleepy Hollow's most iconic inhabitant, the Headless Horseman; and the Pumpkin Planetarium - a walkway with star-shaped holes carved into the ceiling of pumpkins. There are also sound effects, and synchronized lights and music to add to the atmosphere.
I have to admit before going I was slightly anxious that the combination of dark and thousands of jack o'lanterns might be a bit overwhelming for my kids. But the emphasis of this event isn't on the scary; it is more spectacular than spooky. There are skeleton creations but considering some of them were dancing and waving my kids thought they were funny, not frightening.
I would definitely recommend Blaze. But make sure you book early. Last year every night was sold out and many of the 30 nights this year are already reaching capacity.
Tickets online are $20 for adults, $16 for children aged 3-17.
Saturday prices increase to $25 & $20. Under 3s and members go free.
Please check out our other article for further details on Blaze and the other amazing event the Historic Hudson Valley is putting out this Halloween season.
