Franklin Park Conservatory is one of our favorite Ohio gems, and October is the month to make the drive to Columbus. It’s about an hour and 15 minutes from Dayton and about an hour and 45 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. On select nights through Nov. 1, Pumpkins Aglow turns the Conservatory grounds into an after-dark pumpkin walk.
Pumpkins Aglow runs 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays on Oct. 7-11, 14-18 and 21-25 and Oct. 28-Nov. 1. Thursday, Oct. 29, is a 21-and-up cocktail night, so plan your family visit for another evening. On event nights the Conservatory closes at 4 p.m. and reopens at 5 p.m.
Carved pumpkins line the outdoor paths in themed displays with pirates, under-the-sea mermaids, spooky pumpkins and a crew of performing skeletons. Kids can hunt down the pumpkin house, the singing pumpkin patch and the light-up dance floor, and then work their way through the straw bale maze.
Your ticket covers the whole Conservatory after dark. The indoor biomes stay open, the Chihuly Collection is lit up and the Paul Busse Garden Railway keeps running. Harvest Blooms fills the gardens with mums, ornamental cabbages, thousands of pumpkins and two more pumpkin houses.
Live performers take over the Pergola in the Grand Mallway from 6 to 8 p.m. each night. The Wheel of Death acrobats perform Oct. 7-18, and a sway pole witch and a stilt walker take over Oct. 21-Nov. 1. Crafts are in the Pergola too: spooky sand art costs $5 and Stuff-A-Squishie costs $20. Food trucks rotate nightly. The Garden Café and Watershed Bar are also open and serve seasonal cocktails, beer, wine and mocktails.
If someone in your crew wants to make a pumpkin instead of just looking at them, the Conservatory’s Hot Shop runs glass pumpkin classes from 6 to 9 p.m. on select October evenings. Classes cost $100, or $90 for members. They’re designed for adults, but kids ages 10 to 17 can take part with a parent or guardian. They sell out quickly, so book early.
Pumpkins Aglow tickets, including the Columbus culture fee:
- Ages 13 to 59: $28.35
- Seniors 60 and up: $24.15
- Ages 3 to 12: $17.33
- Members 13 to 59: $13.50
- Members 60 and up: $11.50
- Members 3 to 12: $8.25
- Patron, Benefactor and Monarch Society members: Free, no reservation needed
- Museums for All (SNAP, EBT, WIC and Medicaid participants): $4
Buy tickets ahead of time through the Pumpkins Aglow ticket page. Franklin Park Conservatory is at 1777 E. Broad St., Columbus. You can find full event details on the Conservatory’s Pumpkins Aglow page.
