Out in the corner of Fallout 76’s West Virginia map, right on a small stretch of Highway 66, is a most unusual sight. Well, could be that it’s not all that unusual for this time of year, but considering that it’s a year-round “attraction” in the game, it stands out a bit more than most. That sight is the Pumpkin House!

The history of this spoopy locale is a simple one. In 1978, the house started out as a small attraction with only a few carved pumpkins during a local celebration called Autumn Fest. As the house grew in popularity with tourists over the years, so too did the number of carved pumpkins. Over the course of a century, the number of pumpkins on display grew to a whopping 300! At some point during that time, the carving process was automated, as the owners handed off that duty to a Mr. Handy robot that was appropriately named “Jack O’Lantern.”

Despite the onset of a nuclear apocalypse in late October 2077, Jack O’Lantern dutifully followed his programming and continued to carve pumpkins. When players reach the Pumpkin House, either by accident or, perhaps, during a quest that involves photographing landmarks, the house and property are absolutely brimming with carved pumpkins of all sorts! It’s a delightful yet strangely eerie thing to behold, one that become even more peculiar upon talking to Jack O’Lantern himself. Doing so will trigger a quest for the player to find more pumpkins for Jack, for his only lot in life to carve pumpkins! Sadly, Jack isn’t thrilled at carving more pumpkin, and yet, it is the only thing he is programmed to do (besides greet onlookers). And so, carve he must. Adding somewhat to the futility of it all is that the quest is repeatable, so conceivably, payers could come back to Jack each and every day to bring him more pumpkins. Poor Jack’s toil!

Adding to the odd charm of the Pumpkin House is the fact that it’s based on a real-life location, as is a regular occurrence in the Fallout games. The Kenova Pumpkin House in Kenova, West Virginia, is the perfect place to get your jack o’lantern fix! Just like the game said, it started in 1978 with only a few jack o’lanterns on display. Today, the house boasts 3,000 pumpkins! It must be an amazing spectacle, one that would no doubt put Mr. Jack O’Lantern to shame. (But let’s not tell him that.)

And so, for a spoopy good time in Fallout 76, one could head to a number of places, but no place is quite as spoopy as the Pumpkin House!

In-line image taken by author during PS4 gameplay of Fallout 76 © Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Game Studios Austin (2018-2021).