Pumpkin Glow at Hershey Gardens offers up kid-friendly spooky fun

Pumpkin Glow, the annual family-friendly Halloween event at Hershey Gardens, will light up the night with more than 200 carved, illuminated jack-o-lanterns on October 18, 19, 25 and 26, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Kids are encouraged to wear their costumes and use their own flashlights as they trick-or-treat along the pathway.

Hershey Gardens has announced a new attraction to Pumpkin Glow event this year: the Creepy Creature Gallery. Located in the Milton & Catherine Hershey Conservatory, the gallery will showcase predatory animals, including an albino corn snake, tarantulas, scorpions and cockroaches. Additionally, insect-eating plants will be on display, including Venus fly traps, cobra plants, pitcher plants and plants with creepy creature names.

Other highlights of Pumpkin Glow include pumpkin carving demonstrations by pastry and culinary art students from Lebanon County Career & Technology Center; themed areas of jack-o-lantern displays, including Halloween Zoo, Under the Sea, Hero Headquarters, Emojis, and Pirate’s Life; scarecrows; and fall displays of gourds, pumpkins, straw bales and mums. There will be snacks available for purchase from Jack & Joan’s Kettle Corn and Shorty’s Funnel Cakes.

On Friday, October 25, and Saturday, October 26 only, celebrity pumpkin carver Danny Kissel will be onsite demonstrating his pumpkin carving techniques. Kissel, a self-taught carver, was featured on two episodes of Food Network’s “Halloween Wars.”

General admission for Pumpkin Glow are $13.50 for ages 13-61, $12 for seniors (ages 62 and older), and $9.50 for juniors (ages 3-12). Children ages 2 and younger are free. Tickets can be purchased in advance at HersheyGardens.org or in person at Hershey Gardens during normal hours of operation or on the night of Pumpkin Glow.  The Butterfly Atrium will be closed during Pumpkin Glow.