It’s the end of September, and fall is here.
Tree leaves are falling as pumpkins and skeletons are popping up all over Columbus.
As Halloween approaches, Callaway Gardens is hosting its third annual Pumpkins at Callaway event for families who want to enjoy a “non-spooky” fall experience.
This year’s event will run every Friday through Sunday during September and every Thursday through Sunday in October, including Columbus Day.
Organizers decided to create Pumpkins at Callaway a few years ago after realizing that the resort didn’t have anything exciting to offer during the fall, Rachael McConnell, marketing manager at Callaway, told the Ledger-Enquirer.
In the spring and summer there’s the beach experience and hot air balloons, and during the winter they host Fantasy in Lights.
So, Callaway developed a Halloween attraction that was something unique from the typical haunted house, she said. This year’s “garden by day, glow by night” experience has grown significantly, McConnell said.
“Our glow has expanded bigger and brighter than ever before with all new scenes throughout our walkthrough experience,” she said.
The 400 ft. Foggy Hollow pathway is an immersive scene during the walkthrough experience that showers visitors in fog, dramatic lighting and Fobbles, fog-filled bubbles. There’s also ground fog, a laser river and realistic holographic displays of woodland critters that adds to the experience.
Music, including selections from The Nightmare Before Christmas, plays in the background as guests make their way through the illuminated path.
Guests can take a trolley to Cason’s Corn Maze, which has grown to include two designs over 2.5 acres, up from last year’s one maze.
Feedback from last year was taken into account during the design of this year’s mazes that feature 10-foot-high corn, McConnell said. Some parents wanted something a little easier for their young kids in strollers, while other people wanted more of a challenge. One of this year’s mazes is a little easier than the other, she said.
“We wanted to make sure that this year we actually introduced different options for people to have both experiences,” McConnell said.
Near the corn mazes, guests can drive autumn-inspired drinks and bits in Cason’s Beer & Wine Garden. Throughout the event, a variety of fall foods are available including Pumpkin Chili, Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese, Salted Caramel Apple Pie Funnel Cakes and Pumpkin Spiced Iced Coffee.
Other Pumpkins at Callaway attractions include:
Visitors can go online to purchase tickets. Prices range based on age and the day guests attend.
The event is something that people of all ages can enjoy, McConnell said, and Callaway’s goal is to help families create memories.
“We see couples out here,” she said. “And we see families with their grandparents and grandchildren. But really it’s just that interactive glow experience that really makes everything worth it.”
This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Ledger-Inquirer.
