***Appended with new content 10-26-2015
With only nine more days until Halloween, things are heating up (or should we say cooling down) here in Jacksonville! We’ve gotten our first few days of seasonably cooler temperatures and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it! Pumpkin patches have sprouted up all over town, and even our own Jacksonville Zoo has gotten in on all the Halloween fun. So in the few days before Halloween what’s on your weekend radar?
No matter where you are in Jacksonville, we can guarantee that a pumpkin patch isn’t far away. Oftentimes pumpkin patches can be found in front of churches. This year is no different; many of our neighborhood churches in fact, have set up not just a wide variety of pumpkins for visitors to choose from, but also staged spots for photo ops for families and friends. For a complete list of pumpkin patches in your area as well as general fall activities, jaxmomsblog.com is a great resource to check out!
If you’re looking for more fall fun than just a standard pumpkin patch, our very own Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is putting on a magnificent Halloween spectacle. Together with their staff, they have created a series of scary houses, fun zones for the kids and young at heart, and bounce houses and games galore! With specific zones dedicated to the Land of Oz, Neverland, Charlie Brown, not to mention special – the zoo is pulling out all the stops this year. With tickets for non-members priced at $10 and members at $8 (cheaper when ordered online), the Zoo is an absolute must see this Halloween season! ***
Better get your potion’s organized, your cauldron brewing, and your broomsticks at the ready! Halloween night is almost upon us!
Every year there are many great and glorious things that fall brings with it. The children go back to school, the air picks up a distinct chill (a BIG deal for those of us here in Florida), and Halloween is never too far away. We start planning our costumes a month in advance and contemplate just what outrageously terrifying costumes we can get away with at work. But sometimes, dressing up at work just isn’t enough. It’s often not enough for just our coworkers to see us in all of our frightful Halloween-ish glory – we want to have some fun too! And with such a big city, a diverse population, a number of local colleges, and a beach that’s never more than 20 minutes away, there’s no end to the number of Halloween activities on the horizon this year!
So for all of us Jacksonville locals, what exactly does the city have in store for us? We’ve taken it upon ourselves to find out and compile a list of some of the best upcoming Halloween events in and around town!
1. Conner’s Amazing Acres
Few fall attractions stand out as much as Conner’s Amazing Acre’s. Every year the activities range from pumpkin patches, to hayrides, and of course a corn maze with the option of doing it at night for an added creep factor! Year in and year out, Conner’s has proven to be fun for the whole family and has become an annual family tradition for countless families in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area’s.
This year Conner’s amazing acres is open for fall and Halloween activities from September 22nd to November 13th. For more info check out their website!
2. Ghost Tour in St.Augustine
Did you know that one of America’s most haunted cities is right in our own backyard? St. Augustine, FL is in fact that city! In fact, there are few cities in the country with a history as rich and as varied as St.Augustine, so it makes sense why so many spirits seem to have a hard time letting go.
From its lighthouse, to the Castillo itself and everywhere in between such as the halls of the illustrious Flagler College and the old jail, it’s safe to say that the spirit of St.Augustine is alive and well. And while we would love to recommend one tour in particular to you, the truth is that there are just too many to count! From the adventuring sort, we would recommend a haunted pub crawl (oh yes, it exists), for those more interested history, all you need to do is pick anything from the Castillo itself, all the way to the Ripley’s Museum house. No matter what you do, we recommend a camera!
3. Catty Shack Ranch Haunted Forest
If your family is full of animal lovers, we’ve got the perfect Halloween activity for you! Every year Jacksonville’s very own Catty Shack Ranch puts together a Haunted Forest fit for the whole family to enjoy! This year the annual festivities will be taking place over a period of three evenings in the beginning of October. The ranch will have a special craft and activity table set up under their usual tent and will have attendants throughout their big cat enclosures in case anyone has any questions about their care. One of the great things about Catty Shack Ranch is that all the money they earn goes to the extensive care of their magnificent animals.
Want more Halloween? You’re in luck! We’ve recently added a whole new collection of high quality Halloween Stamps to our online catalogue! From spooky Address Stamps to fang-tastic craft stamps, we’ve got Halloween covered for this year and beyond! Go ahead and check out our new selection and don’t let the ghouls keep you from having a terror-ific Halloween season!