Nothing ushers in the fall like reddish-brown fallen leaves,
fresco weather and Halloween costumes.
Last year, was my Yum Yum’s first Halloween and boy did I have some ambitious goals...
gotta love the unrealistic expectations of a first-time mom.
Last fall was pretty basic and uneventful after I realized my
10 month old was not up for any of my impractical to dos. When Halloween came
by, we dressed her up as a dragon and told the Mistress at the daycare to take
PLENTY pictures… while I twiddled my fingers patiently waiting for this year.
So this year, since my daughter is a rising 2 year old (ahhhh
how time flies) and can do a whole lot more stuff YAY!!! I figured we’d start off the fall/Halloween
season with a trip to the New York Botanical Garden. This was one of my summer
to dos that never happened. So, when I found out from a co-worker that the
Garden had a Halloween themed Garden “Haunted
Pumpkin Garden” , it was a no brainer. Plus this was a much more attractive
alternative to driving 1 hour to a farm like AG80 and I had initially planned.
As usual there’s always a dollar amount attached to these
things, so here goes it
Adult Tickets – $25 ; $22.50 (if you use a MasterCard)
Children Under 2 – Free
Children 2-12 – $10
These numbers vary during the week (we went on a Saturday)
Food: There are two Cafés and a Japanese Restaurant on the
grounds. My suggestion; bring your meals
and make a picnic out of your visit.
Haunted Pumpkin Patch
The pumpkin patch is located in the Everett’s Children
Adventure Garden ( per garden guide- make a left a the reflecting pool )
The Garden is whimsical; at the entrance, there are all sorts of carved
pumpkin sculptures from bugs to miniature pumpkin houses. Further in, you’ll find a cute little maze to the
right and pumpkin covered rocks to the left. Past these, is a charming little woodsy
area with a wooden Xylophone and adorable little train chairs. We paused here
for a little while , while the kids beat the hell out of the Xylo and then headed up to the little opening where you have the children’s puppet theater, a pumpkin house, and a huge frog
frozen midair.
We took to break at the children center indoors where there
were even more activities for the kids. At the center, there were
all kinds of messy projects going on. I think this was YumYum favorite part of
the garden, not because she could get her hands dirty but because there was a
reading nook with several book shelves. She went through all the books on the
shelves identifying every animal she recognized as “bobo” (apparently my
daughter likes books) and for now, all animals are called bobos.
I think the most fun part for her was getting on a the
Jolly Roger-like “ship” attached to the side of the building. She steered the ship’s
wheel back and forth until she tired herself out. She was totally channeling
Izzy.
We capped off the visit at the picnic area with at the Animal Show ‘n Tell. Here, the kids got to see and learn about all kinds of eeky animals like frogs, snakes, gators and much more. Our 12 year old nephew who is usually tough to impress said he had a great time. Can I say pat on the back ?!
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| Would you like to touch a python? Ugh... no thank you |
Random Facts
- Kids can wear their Halloween costumes but don’t
have to
-
Kids
are not allowed to carve pumpkins. That’s a separate class you have to pay
extra for BUT there is a pumpkin carving demo
-
There is a Halloween “parade” = the children are
given instruments which they play as they dance around the adventure garden.
Time varies so be sure to ask the guides
-
If you
decide to be a member you can apply your entrance tickets that day towards your
membership
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| Successful trip = Happy Dance :) |
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