The Enchanted Forest brings life-size puppets and animal ambassadors to Mead's Quarry Saturday, ten dollars a person
Ijams Nature Center's family Halloween: a costumed walk through the woods where the critters are puppets, the owls are real and the candy is in bags to take home. Timed entry from three.
- When
- Sat Oct 24 · 3 – 8 PM · timed entry, arrive at the time on the ticket
- Where
- Mead's Quarry at Ijams Nature Center · 3526 Island Home Ave
- Cost
- $10 a person · $30 for up to four · $40 for up to six · under 2 free · buy online
- Wear
- A costume
- On the trail
- Ijams animal ambassadors · life-size puppets of native critters by Cattywampus Puppet Council · Halloween crafts · self-carving pumpkins · candy and goodies to take home
- That morning
- Storytime at the Playscape, 10 – noon, is fairy tales, free, as a warm-up
- Weather
- Sunny and 73, 50s by the last entry
The forest comes to life at Mead's Quarry on Saturday, October 24, which is how Ijams Nature Center describes its Enchanted Forest: come in costume and walk the woods meeting the park's animal ambassadors and, for one night only, magical life-size puppets of native critters, with candy and goodies to take home. The park's weekend post adds Halloween crafts and self-carving pumpkins. Cattywampus Puppet Council, the Knoxville puppet troupe, built the critters and lends the hands.
Timed entry
Tickets are sold by entry time, on the half hour from three, and the park asks that you arrive at the time on your ticket. An individual ticket is ten dollars, a group of up to four is thirty, a group of up to six is forty, and children under two are free. The event runs until eight, so the late slots are the dark ones, which is the point.
The practical part
Mead's Quarry is the Island Home Avenue entrance, not the visitor center. Saturday is sunny and 73 and drops into the 50s by the last entries, so a layer under the costume. Earlier that day the free Saturday storytime at the Nature Playscape, ten to noon, is on fairy tales, which the park's own listing calls the warm-up for the forest.
