Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular and Rasa Indian Restaurant, RI

Jack’O’Lantern Spectacular, Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, RI has an exceptional talent for light and music art installations- the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is our Halloween version. It takes place on the nature trails at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI, every night of the week in October beginning at dusk.

It will leave you in awe that one can do such things with pumpkins. It will make you smile at the beauty of the animals. You will get nostalgic with the memories of the people we lost this year, happy to reminisce with old movies and actors, scared in horror section and joyful with the Lego Movie and childhood areas.

Because this is such a great event, there can be a huge crowd and waits, but I have some suggestions to help you get around that.  First of all, there is free parking, but for $10 you can park close to the entrance and exit.  Secondly, buy your tickets online here, and that will prevent you from having to wait in one line. They are not date specific, but are weekend or weekday specific.  But the biggest and best suggestion I have it to go on a weekday (tickets are cheaper anyway) after 8 o’clock.  You will still have a lot of crowds walking through the pumpkins but won’t have to wait in hours-long lines to get in.

There are fall snacks, dessert, and hot drinks, even pumpkin spiced beer available at the beginning and end of the trail.  We had some hot cider and donuts, which were good, but the hot chocolate wasn’t worth drinking. The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is a fall activity we return to year after year. This year on the way out, we noticed illuminated swan boat rides on the park’s lake and ziplines, so that will go on our adventure list for next year.

Rasa Indian Restaurant, East Greenwich, Rhode Island

Before the zoo, the whole family went to Rasa Restaurant on quaint Main Street in East Greenwich, RI.  I think this is one of the best Indian restaurants in Rhode Island.  The seating is a bit tight, but the food is excellent, the staff very attentive and accommodating.  The host out front is amiable, referring to many patrons by name.  You can tell that it is well managed and run.  Our favorite dishes are naan, samosas, lamb saag, green shrimp curry, and chicken or vegetable korma. This is a place we always return to.