Nothing makes me happier than Halloween season. It’s my favorite holiday, and it brings back great memories of trick-or-treating with my siblings, dressing up in costumes, and going to parties. I usually buy my costume a month or two in advance. I decorate in September, and take it down around Thanksgiving trying to prolong Halloween season as long as I can. As I write this in November, I’m still wearing my Halloween dresses. Chicago has a ton of great events all year, but the fall ones are my favorite, so here’s what I’ve been up to this season.
Highwood has a pumpkin festival where they try to beat the jack-o-lantern record by allowing attendees to participate by carving pumpkins all week. There are vendors there selling their wares, an amusement park, games, petting zoo, and food, of course. I got to try a pumpkin martini, which was pretty tasty. You could do some shopping while enjoying your libation. And then there are pumpkins in bins you can take and carve whatever design you like. There is also live music to enjoy while you carve. At night the pumpkins are lit, which looks amazing! The town of Highwood is charming, and I love that they have this festival every year. This was my first time attending so I will make it part of my fall traditions. It is a great event for adults and children.
The Boerner Botanic Gardens in Milwaukee hosted the Chinese Lantern Fest, called China Lights. A team of artists from Zigong, China come to the gardens to create the beautiful displays. Artisans sell handmade works of art and other trinkets from the mainland. You can get Chinese food, or cheese curds if you prefer a taste of Wisconsin. Lantern Fests go back to the Han dynasty when the people lit lanterns to pray for good harvests and fortune. There is a stage set up where you can watch performances while you sip your saki (I know it’s from Japan but it was there). There was also parades at certain times. If you decide to go, make sure you get tickets in advance, the event was sold out when I attended. I left work and headed to Milwaukee and came early. The line was wrapped around the entrance since it is such a popular event. I really enjoyed this event, and it was worth a trip to Milwaukee. It was a magical evening!
Lincoln Park Zoo had an Adults Night Out: the Great Pumpkin Glow where the zoo opened after hours with fun fall events aimed at grown ups. The zoo does this event throughout the year with different themes depending on the season. Luckily, it was a beautiful night so it was pleasant being outdoors. I thought the corn maze was really fun. I was impressed that the zoo put this together. The pumpkin patch was charming, especially with the lights in the trees. I recommend riding the carousel; you have to let your inner child out. I have done this event for Christmas and enjoyed this one more since the weather was much more pleasant. Some of the other Adults Night Out events are focused on beer tasting, so there are a couple coming up soon. So try one of the zoo’s events since you are supporting a great cause!
Night of a 1000 Jack-o-lanterns came back this year at the Chicago Botanic Gardens in Highland Park. I went last year, and had such a great time I decided to attend again. What I like about this event is that they stagger the event times so it isn’t as crazy as it could be. I still had to wait in line, but once I was in, it was smooth sailing. Some of my favorite pumpkins were the mythological creatures, historical figures (like Edgar Allan Poe), and traditional Halloween monsters. The carved pumpkins are created by talented artists so they look amazing! You can watch live demonstrations. Some of the pumpkins are gigantic, and weigh up to 150 lb. I took my niece to this event, and she had a blast. She liked the regular pumpkins that were lit with different colors over the elaborately carved ones. I also like that the Botanic Gardens sells hot, spiked drinks, which definitely helped keep me warm. Again, I enjoy events here too since it supports a great organization. I haven’t been to an event here that I did not like. There are some great holiday events coming up so make sure you go!
Autumn is not complete without a ghost tour, so I took one of the historic Prairie District, which is south of downtown. This is a beautiful part of Chicago. The Glessner Museum hosted Shadows on the Street: Haunted Tours of Historic Prairie Ave., which took a stroll through some of the famous, old homes in the neighborhood. Our guide was dressed right out of the 19th century. Famous Chicagoans like the Pullmans and Fields lived in the Prairie District. Marshall Fields’ son died in his study of a gunshot wound, so that room is haunted by his ghost. The Wheeler House has a dresser that shakes at night. The tour was about an hour, and definitely more historical than scary. The tour ends at Clarke House where the Fort Dearborn massacre was. If you like history, then this is the tour for you. And if you want to live in a haunted apartment, try renting on Prairie Avenue. The museum hosts an event during the summer where the people that live in the homes, open them up to the public. I will definitely have to attend since I can imagine how amazing the homes look on the inside as well.
Lastly, on Halloween night, after taking my niece trick-or-treating, I decided to check out Emporium’s Pop Up Bar: House of the Dead. The bar contained a haunted house with great installations of horror themed rooms. There was even a shower so you could recreate the famous scene from Psycho. You could even sit, and enjoy your drink in the haunted house. The glow in the dark skeletons were the best…I think everyone that visited the pop up took a picture there. The drinks were Halloween themed as well. I had the Pumkinhead, a bourbon-pumpkin punch, which was quite tasty. There were also horror films playing if you needed a break from socializing. I had a great time going through the haunted house. The music was good, along with the drinks. Since I went on Halloween most of the people were dressed up, which made it even more fun. Emporium does a great job with their pop up bars, and I look forward to the next one!
These are a handful of activities that I have enjoyed these past few months. I also recommend attending an Edgar Allan Poe reading at Pleasant Home in Oak Park. I did that last year, and it was a great time. The home is beautiful! The town of Sycamore also has a pumpkin festival that I went to years ago. I’ll have to try it next year. I recommend taking a nice stroll or hike to places like starved Rock to enjoy the foliage. I visited a friend in Iowa so we walked around Augustana College campus where I could take in the beautiful autumn scenery. Also, feel free to recommend any fests or fall activities that you have enjoyed. I’m always looking for new events. As always, thank you for reading, and feel free to message me any feedback. Follow me on Instagram (Wayfaringgal) and like my Facebook page for future updates.
