My mom and I went to Pumpkins at Callaway. What to expect from the fall attraction
I moved to Columbus last year and this was the first chance I’ve had to visit Callaway Resort & Gardens as they opened Pumpkins at Callaway.
After walking into the event, my mom and I were welcomed by the 50-foot tall singing Pumpkin Tree.
“In just one year, we have created a new Fall tradition here at Callaway,” Sonny Horton, Vice President and general manager of Callaway Resort and Gardens, said in a news release.
As we continued making our way through the attraction, we approached the Pumpkin Art Garden, which was set up in a square with all kinds of white and orange pumpkins of all different sizes.
Pumpkins were placed on hay with fully bloomed chrysanthemums adding color to the display. Friendly scarecrows sat in the artsy pumpkin display smiling at their visitors and roasting marshmallows by the fire.
Since we arrived ahead of the crowds, we decided to focus on the real priority: food. Food trucks were parked towards the front of the attraction offering fall fest staples such as kettle corn, ice cream, funnel cakes, corn dogs and empanadas.
My mom ordered a footlong corn dog. Apparently, anytime you go to a fair or something similar where corn dogs are offered, you are required to eat one.
I think she began questioning her parenting skills when I went to a different truck to order three empanadas: beef, spicy beef and tangy chicken.
We sat at one of the green picnic tables set up near the food trucks to eat our piping hot food, gossip and plan what we wanted to look at next. As time passed, more groups of people began filing in.
After we finished eating, we walked through the 75-foot long glowing Pumpkin Tunnel with lights that opened up to more attractions and around 3,000 carved pumpkins. One of the can’t miss features is the Enchanted Forest that’s filled with glowing scenes made up of large, carved pumpkins.
It’s important to note for people who are sensitive to blinking lights, have epilepsy or a history of seizures take precaution before entering the Pumpkin Tunnel.
Although my mom and I went during the day, for the best experience, be sure to visit after dark.
As interesting as the Enchanted Forest was, we also took advantage of Glow Golf. We had fun taking turns cheating at putt-putt and decided the winner would be whoever cheated the least [I did get a hole-in-one though, honest.].
Next, we decided to hop on one of the trolleys that took us around Robin Lake to Cason’s Corn Maze.
The corn maze is located in Cason Callaway’s original vegetable garden, Horton said, and was created using state-of-the-art GPS technology. The maze is the only one in this region, he said.
Walking into the vegetable garden, we took advantage of the selfie opportunities provided by the numerous face-in-hole boards and admired the pumpkin patch.
Before we went into the maze, we had to stop for shaved ice from another vendor. It was necessary because strawberry shaved ice is always necessary.
A map of the maze was posted in front of the entrance, so I took a picture to study it. The plan was to avoid getting lost because I had the answer to the maze on my phone.
Staffers were standing at both the entrance and exit of the maze, and we were told to yell out “Marco Polo” if we were too lost and in distress.
The corn stalks towered high above us. Daylight dimmed because of the shadows.
I soon learned that maps are useless if you lose track of where you are on the map, and Waze is no help in a corn maze.
My mom immediately panicked. I was cool and collected. Why go in a maze if you don’t expect to get a little lost?
After about 10 minutes of wandering and one dead end, my mom was ecstatic to find the “Bale Out” sign directing us to the exit.
We spent about three hours at Pumpkins at Callaway and didn’t leave without buying a couple of trinkets from the Pumpkin Emporium.
“I even like the things I didn’t get to do,” my mom told me as we drove back to Columbus. “I liked getting lost in the itchy corn maze. I liked you cheating in putt-putt, especially since I won anyway.”
Callaway recommends people purchase tickets in advance on their website.
Pumpkins at Callaway will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Oct. 30, and it will also be open Oct. 10 for Columbus Day.
On prime nights, adult tickets are $29.95 and children’s (ages 3-11) are $24.95.
If people go on value night (various dates), adult and children’s tickets are $24.95 and $19.95, respectively.
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 4:36 PM.
