Da Count and I love all the Halloween events and attractions going on in the months of September and October, but it seems that most of them are in the far suburbs. If you live in Chicago itself options are few but never fear, Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up is here! Located near the Salt Shed in the Elston Corridor / West Town neighborhood on the Near West Side of Chicago, it is close and easy to get to for all the urban folk. Free parking is available near the factories, but it fills up fast so try to get there early. Valet parking for $20 is offered if you don’t want to stress too much about where to put your car.
Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up is first and foremost a photo-op wonderland. The visuals are stunning! The main section at the beginning is an autumn themed experience with TONS of pumpkins and orange and yellow lighted props and scenery. It was definitely a place to get that fall feeling.
As we wandered throughout Jack’s, things began to get a bit spookier with scenes dead-icated to your favorite scary movies like Friday the 13th, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm St, Child’s Play, Beetlejuice and Scream.
To our massive delight we stumbled upon the scare zone with creepy tableaus including cemetery scenes and vampires hanging on the walls like bats. The horse drawn hearse was a nice touch. Da Count and I felt most at home here.
We also had the opportunity to enjoy some cocktails. Count enjoyed the Hocus Pocus, a magical concoction blending vodka with autumn inspired flavors of peach and cinnamon. I had the Fall in Love, a spellbinding libation of whipped vodka, cardamom and cranberry. Both were tasty but not too strong which is good because I was driving. *wink*
NO we didn’t let Junior have any! HAHA!!!
There were lots of activities to do besides posing for Insta-pix. There were pig races where you get to ride a mechanical pig, axe throwing and carnival games! Our luck wasn’t as good as the night before at Oktoberfest but we still had a great time.
There was also a Tomato Throw booth where you get to toss veggies at an obnoxious goofball who hurled clever insults at the crowd.
The highlight is a corn maze that you can get lost in and if you’re lucky, you will find the hidden bar for more refreshments!
We ended the night with a warm apple cider donut and took home a pumpkin.
There are many different ticket packages that are available at Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up where you can get various things included like drinks, games, donuts and pumpkins! Thanks to the folks at We Love Pop-Ups and Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up, we got to try everything. A hex-cellent time was had by all!!!
**FOUR FANGS UP**
Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up is located at Goose Island – Downtown Chicago, IL, 1265 West Le Moyne, Chicago, IL 60642
Open everyday from September 19th – November 1st, 2026
• Monday-Thursday: 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
• Friday: 4:00 PM – 11:00 PM
• Saturday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
• Sunday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Ticket prices vary, Click HERE for more information and to purchase.
