Spooktacular Music

Marina and I have always enjoyed going to the Colorado Symphony’s Halloween Spooktacular in the past. We haven’t always been able to fit it into our schedule however. So this year when they decided to schedule it after Halloween we were able to make it work.

Marina decided to wear her Mulan costume for the show. I wore my new Elsa dress. We left the house early but ran into Bronco traffic downtown. Fortunately, we still arrived on time.

We took a look around the pre show activities. It was jam packed with people so we didn’t stay long. We decided to order chai lattes to drink during the show. The barista decorated the top with Jack O’Lantern faces.

The show was fun. It featured music from Star Wars, Jurassic Park and the Harry Potter movies. There were also a few classical pieces mixed in. Of course, Marina and I enjoyed looking at all the costumes just as much as the music.

Pumpkin Art

Since Halloween is only two days away, we decided to take time this evening to carve our pumpkins. This year I didn’t find stencils I liked, so Marina decided to draw the designs on the pumpkins and then carve them out.

First we cleaned out the pumpkins. After I cleaned one out I helped Marina finished the other one. Then she carved out the designs herself. One of them had a crazy face and the other she created the outline of a ghost. After she finished I made the outline on the ghost a bit thicker so it showed up better.

Marina seemed pretty happy with them when we were done.

Glow at the Gardens

The Glow at the Gardens event has become another Halloween tradition for Marina and I. This year the event was scheduled for one week only. I got our tickets early since it always sells out.

It started snowing just as Marina got out of school. Traffic wasn’t too bad despite rush hour and the weather. However, when we arrived it was clear parking was an issue. After a bit of circling around we came upon some people who were leaving and we were able to grab their spot. It was very close and we were happy about that.

We quickly checked in and started off by buying hot chocolate before venturing back out to explore the gardens. We stopped to look at the pumpkins and Marina picked up candy at each trick or treat station. We just followed the path since it was still snowing heavily.

As we walked around, we kept an eye out for the ghosts we heard about on the Ghosts in the Gardens tour last week. We shared some of the stories with people around us as well. Marina was pretty creeped out when we walked through the trees in the back of the gardens.

Every year, the botanic gardens has the most interesting pumpkin displays that we see. This year was no exception. I took pictures of many of them, but they were all surrounded by snow.

We went back inside to try out the virtual reality experience they set up this year. We had three experiences to choose from. We both picked the Halloween Epic Roller Coaster. It took a bit to get mine started, but I could hear Marina as she went through it. The volunteers thought she was very entertaining.

After our VR experience we were ready to go home. We had a quick walk to the car and headed home. We had an easy trip where we put on dry clothes and watched TV for a little while before bed.

Another Slice of Sweeney Todd

This evening we had plans to go to Breckenridge again to see Sweeney Todd. This time we were going with two of our friends. We met at their house so we could all drive up together.

It was about a two hour drive to the theater, fortunately we didn’t run into any traffic.  We arrived right around dinner time.  We had decided that this time we planned to eat at the Cajun restaurant Marina wanted to try. It wasn’t crowded, so we were able to sit down right away. Marina ordered a root beer and fried catfish. She decided she liked it.

After dinner we had plenty of time before the show started. So we spent time in a gift shop near the restaurant. It had all sort of unique items in it. We had fun looking at them. Marina fell in love with a headband with mermaid fin/ears on it, so I got it for her. We browsed a t-shirt shop as well before heading to the theater.

After we picked up our tickets, we found there was a Victorian Haunted house leading into the theater. Marina decided she didn’t want to go through it, so the rest of us did. Marina met me at our seats.

Just like the two performances before, Marina enjoyed the show. Her favorite character was still Toby. As we left after the show, the actor who played Toby was right behind us. So we talked with him for a few minutes and took a photo before heading home. It was a long drive and Marina was ready for bed when we finally got there.

Halloween at the Zoo

It’s a Halloween tradition for Marina and I got go to Boo at the Zoo. Marina decided to wear her new Mulan costume today. We wanted to get an early start, but it didn’t work out as well as we hoped. We ended up having to walk quite a way.

When we finally got into the zoo, we found out where the characters would be so we didn’t miss them. Then we were on our way. We looked at some of the animals along the way around. Marina was much better at spotting the small trick or treat stations than I was.  She collected quite a bit of candy.

Near the entrance we saw Kylo Ren and a Bounty Hunter. By the carousel we found Snow White, who was played by a friend of ours.Then we went to the primate exhibit where we found Captain Jack Sparrow. He recognized us immediately. Near Tropical Discover was Maleficent who recognized us as well. She hugged us both and we talked with her for a few minutes.

By this time, we were hungry, so we stopped for lunch. Marina had a quesadilla. It was nice to sit and rest for a while. At noon, the characters changed. So we headed back to some of the spots. At the carousel we ran into Moana. She was played by an actress we haven’t seen in a while. Then we went to the tropical exhibit where the Evil Queen was lurking. We had a nice exchange with her as well.

Once our visits were done. We headed to the car, which was quite a walk. We were both very tired but we’d had a fun time.

Ghosts in the Gardens

Marina and I sometimes watch the TV show Ghost Hunters together. So we were both excited to go on one of the Ghosts in the Gardens tours at the botanic gardens this evening. I’ve known for a while that the land used to be a cemetery, which is creepy enough. But both of us were interested in learning more.

When we arrived, we sat in an auditorium and watched a brief movie about the history of the land and how human remains are often found there. We also saw some footage a local ghost hunter had found. Then the group split into four.

We started over by the greenhouses. our guide told us some of the stories of ghosts that people have reported, including one called The Watchman. We even got to go into the employee area behind the greenhouses. There has been quite a lot of reported activity in Greenhouse #4.

We went to the Victorian Secret Garden where we heard about a couple who sit on the bench and strolls through the park. In the back area we were told about one called The Shadow Man who was not at all friendly.

Throughout the tour we heard stories of strange sighting and sounds. In the Lilac Garden there have been reports of a girl in a white dress. After hearing that, Marina swore she’d seen her on one of our visits there.

On the tour we were able to go into a 1920’s mansion that the botanic gardens uses for offices. It was a gorgeous house. We heard about the previous residents who might still be there, including a little boy named Jack. We also checked out a haunted mirror.

After the House, our tour arrived at the main entrance. Marina and I both enjoyed the tour. We agreed we’ll never look at the gardens the same way again!

Return to the Enchanted Hallows

Last year the zoo started a fall evening event called Enchanted Hallows. We enjoyed it last year, so we decided to try it again. This year they were also advertising a Bigfoot encounter.

When we arrived it was not dark yet. We decided to start at the Bigfoot Encounter. They had a large glittery cut out of Bigfoot on display there. Marina wanted to go through the tropical exhibit, so we went in to look at the animals. While we were inside, Marina befriended a little boy.

When we left the building, we heard the sea lions barking. We couldn’t see them very well since there were no lights in the area. But they were really loud for a while. The giraffe house was also open, so we went in there for a while. We spent some time talking with one of the keepers. 

As we walked through the zoo, we saw their new 4D Movie Theater. A show was about to start, so we decided to see it. It was a shortened version of Smallfoot. That featured a lot of bumping around, pokes in the back and a few water sprays in our faces. It definitely kept us on our toes.

We followed the path to the elephants. We saw them inside their house and the fishing cat who was sitting inside a hollow log.

This year there was an interactive art walk near the carousel. Inside we found a giant owl. Marina sat on the chair inside and was able to move the wings and the eyes. We also saw bubbling water and a glowing crystal ball. Near the exit there were two realistic looking scarecrows that freaked Marina out and the Headless Horseman.

As we made our way out, we bought hot chocolate since we were a bit chilly. We went through the predators and saw the African Wild Dogs sleeping all snuggled together. Marina loved that.

When we completed the loop through the zoo, we walked to the car and went home.

Van Helsing's Daughters

Marina and I had been interested in seeing a play called Van Helsing’s Daughters. The only performance we could fit into our schedule was tonight – Halloween. I asked Marina if she wanted to go instead of trick or treating and she said yes. The website encouraged dressing in costume, so Marina picked out a Gothic looking costume to wear with her elf ears.

The show was at an inn, which is supposed to be haunted. When we arrived, we had a conversation with a man there. He was the owner of the inn and told us a story about the ghosts there. The show was on the third floor of the building. It was a beautiful room. We didn’t order dinner but I did buy a dessert for Marina. Marina chose a seat at a table where a couple was seated. The young woman was dressed in a mermaid costume, I’m sure that is why she chose to sit there.

Marina enjoyed her dessert when it was brought to her. All the people seated at our table were fun. Marina also spent time with the actress playing the Siren and the owner of the inn.

When the show began, Marina was very entertained by it. It was staged as a presentation of supernatural creatures by the immortal daughters of Abraham Van Helsing. The creature were brought out into the audience so we could get a closer look. At intermission we were invited to the garden where we were to meet “special guests.” We went outside and a few minutes later sever giant monsters came out. Marina was impressed.


After the performance ended, we took a few photos with the cast. Marina enjoyed herself and said it was worth missing trick or treating to go.

Another Boo at the Zoo

Boo at the Zoo has been a Halloween tradition for us since Marina was a baby. Today was the only day we could go this year, so despite the fact that we were at the zoo last night, we came back again this morning. When we arrived parking was already crazy. I found a spot but it was pretty far away from the zoo so we had a long walk before we got there.

The set up was different this year and the trick or treat stations were smaller and easier to miss. We didn’t see any character meet and greets this year either. When we reached our favorite restaurant Marina was ready to eat lunch. After I ordered we were lucky to find a table in the shade to sit at. We both enjoyed our lunch.

We looked at more animals after lunch. We walked along some of the bird paths we usually don’t follow and went through the Asian animals. All the elephant were outside and the tapir was running around it’s enclosure and making noises. Inside we saw five otters playing and chattering at each other. Marina was thrilled that the fisher cat was inside a log in its exhibit.

We went through the rest of the zoo and stopped at all the treat stations. On our way out we saw two lionesses in Predator Ridge, so we stopped to look at them for a while before making the long journey back to the car.

Enchanted Hollows

This year the Zoo has a new nighttime event for Halloween. Marina and I were interested in checking it out. She wore her Sayori costume, We arrived early and found that it wasn’t crowded at all.

The zoo was decorated with pumpkins, sculptures and some of the scary animals from zoo lights. We saw a few lions in their enclosure. We moved on to look at the hyenas when we heard an animal roaring. We went back to the lions and saw one standing on a log roaring. It was fun to see.
As we moved through the zoo, we stopped to speak with a volunteer who told us that many of the zoo animals are “crepuscular” meaning they are most active at dawn and twilight. We walked by the flamingos and saw them all sleeping very close to the fence. We’d never seen them that close before.


In Asian exhibit we went inside and saw three otters playing. After we finished watching them, Marina turned around and we saw one of the elusive fisher cats looking at us. It quickly turned around and hid again. One of the tigers was also very active and roaring, so we watched it for a while.

Marina wanted to go into the tropical exhibit. She was particularly interested in the snakes tonight. Once we made the walk through the entire zoo we were ready to go home.

Glowing Gardens

Marina and I have attended Glow at the Gardens every year since it started. She wanted to wear her costume Sayori from Doki Doki Literature Club today, so this afternoon we put a temporary maroon dye in her hair. She was very excited about that!

This year we were fortunate to have great weather. We had to wait in line to get into the botanic gardens, but it moved fairly quickly.

Once inside, we bought chai lattes to drink as we walked around. I was surprised at how much light there was at the start. We could see all the pumpkin carvings, but they weren’t glowing. It wasn’t until we were about halfway through that it was dark enough to really see the jack o’lanterns. So we decided to go through again to see everything in the dark.

As we were leaving, we saw performers wearing light up costumes which we watched for a while. After that we were ready to go home.

Halloween Villains

This evening we attended a Halloween event with Maleficent and her daughter Mal. Marina wanted to go and we invited Miss Judy to go with us because Maleficent is one of her favorite characters.

We ran into traffic but we still made it there a bit before the special guests arrived. Most of the girls there were really little, but this time Marina didn’t seem to mind.

After Maleficent and Mal greeted everyone, they sat down to tell stories. There was one little girl who was too scared to sit down and listen. So Marina moved over and sat with her. She was happy to participate then. During the stories Marina was happy to contribute her thoughts. She told a joke and started to tell a scary story. But Mal got too scared and had her stop.

After the stories, Maleficent and Mal each sang a song. Then they posed for photos with everyone. As usual, we went last. Then we spent a while talking with the actresses. We all enjoyed the event.

Glow and Snow at the Gardens

Marina and I have attended Glow at the Gardens from the first year it began. Our tickets were for this evening. The temperature dropped dramatically today and we had snow flurries. But that didn’t dampen our spirits. We both wore our Halloween costumes, but you couldn’t really see them under our heavy coats.

It took a while to get to the Botanic Gardens and when we arrived it was already busy. We found a parking sport not too far way and quickly went inside.

We stopped to buy chai lattes. We also saw a woman dressed like Glinda on stilts. We took pictures and then bundled up to go through the garden. This year there were more trick or treat stations and since this was the last night of the event, they encouraged to take as much candy as they wanted. Marina was actually fairly reserved in her selections.

The carved pumpkins were extraordinary as usual. We loved a pile of flame carved pumpkins with a smoke machine inside and horse created from pumpkins. Marina wasn’t as fond of the haunted forest which she thought was too creepy. She enjoyed the ghostly apparitions at one of the administrative buildings. Although, when a pair of giant eyes appeared she was obviously startled.

We went into the Memorial Building where Marina tried out the crafts. She made a wand, colored a vampire picture and decorated a cat mask. On our way out, we saw a room with music playing and acrobats performing. Marina started up a conversation with a woman using lighted hula hoops. We also talked to another woman dancing around in beautiful lighted wings.

We bundled up again and walked to the car. Fortunately it never got too cold and we enjoyed the evening.

Zoo Treats

One of our annual Halloween traditions is going to Boo at the Zoo. This year we decided to leave early in order to avoid the issues with parking we’ve had in the past. Marina decided to dress as Princess Zelda this year. I was Belle.

When we arrived there was plenty of parking and we got a great spot. We headed in and picked up a copy of the schedule. They had lots of character appearances during the day but we were actually early for them. So we made note of the times and started our trek into the zoo.

There weren’t as many trick or treat stations as in years past, and they were harder to find.  As we looked for them, we looked at the animals. It was a sunny day, but very windy. The animals didn’t seem to mind a bit, they were very active.

By the time we reached the carousel, Tinkerbell was there greeting people. Of course, Marina wanted to talk with her. Then we went into the Primate Panorama, which was set up with pirate decorations. Marina was thrilled to spot Captain Jack Sparrow. He remembered us from all our recent meetings and we had a nice talk with him.

We went through the primates and they were quite active. A golden checked gibbon seemed to be following Marina around its enclosure. She loved that!

We checked out a character meet and greet area which turned out to be filled with Star Wars characters. Of course, she wanted her photo taken with all of them. Next we went to Predator Ridge where we ran into one of Marina’s friends and her family. We talked with them for a little while before moving on.

We made our way through the zoo and got to all the trick or treat stations. We saw the sea lions and tigers. We also watched an elephant demonstration.

We had plenty of time to settle in for the Princess Sing Along. After a short wait, Snow White appeared. She sang songs and told a story before posing for pictures. She remembered us from previous events and spoke with us for a while.

We had been told Fawn would be near the carousel, so we went o see her. We found Zarina instead, but we were happy to get pictures with her. Then we went back to the Primate Panorama where Moana was meeting people. We waited our turn and then got photos with her.

We decided we were ready to go but on the way out we saw the Rockies mascot, Dinger. Of course, Marina wanted a photo with him as well. Once we did that, we went to our car.