6 US zoos that shine with holiday lights

With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s time to start planning festive activities to celebrate. One great option? Swinging by a zoo with an over-the-top holiday light show, where you can enjoy the grounds after dark. Not only are you in for a fun night, but you are simultaneously supporting animal care, education, and wildlife conservation. Talk about the holiday spirit.

If you need some inspiration to kickstart your planning, here are six of the best holiday light shows at zoos around the United States:

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is incredible to see year-round, but even better during the holidays. From seeing the inflatable animal lanterns to taking photos with Santa Claus, there is much to do during the zoo’s Electric Safari event. Plus, visitors can interact with animals, including giraffe feedings, unlike many other zoo light shows on this list.

The event occurs from December 9 through January 1, 2023, except for Christmas Eve. FYI: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members receive free admission but must make a reservation in advance.

The Bronx Zoo is a fan-favorite amongst residents of New York's five boroughs and beyond, especially during the holiday season. Every year the zoo transforms into a winter wonderland complete with a twinkling light tunnel, ice carving demonstrations, holiday train rides, and over 360 larger-than-life lanterns to represent 90 different animal and plant species.

Tickets for the Bronx Zoo’s Holiday Lights are offered from November 18, 2022, through January 8, 2023. If you are making your way to The Bronx, you may also want to check out the spectacular Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Gardens or grab a bite to eat in the borough’s famous Little Italy.

As one of the most famous zoos worldwide, it is no surprise that the San Diego Zoo offers an immersive holiday light show, Aurora, named after the breathtaking northern lights. Many other activities are provided at the zoo’s Jungle Bells event, such as elvish acrobats, holiday carolers and troubadours, a Christmas tree lighting experience, and daily reindeer games.

The San Diego Zoo’s Jungle Bells event occurs from December 9, 2022, through January 1, 2023, apart from Christmas Eve. Admission is included with all day passes and membership tickets.

The Philadelphia Zoo is a fascinating urban zoo, showcasing elevated walkways where visitors can catch big cats, meerkats, and primates exploring outside their enclosure. It gets a big upgrade during the holidays with the LumiNature light show, encompassing a million LED holiday lights in all their sparkly splendor across 14 nature-themed zones.

In addition to the light show, you can sip on hot cocoa and watch entertaining live performances throughout the event. The Philadelphia Zoo’s LumiNature tickets are on sale now for November 17, 2022, through January 7, 2023.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the second oldest zoo in the United States, has presented a fabulous holiday light show for the past 40 years. Over four million LED lights shine brightly throughout the zoo grounds, including massive animal-shaped lanterns, a Polar Express light tunnel, the whimsical Fiona’s Fairyland, and a nightly Wild Lights Show on Swan Lake.

Families may also meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, among other festive characters, at Santa’s Village, and around the zoo. Admission to the Cincinnati Zoo’s PNC Festival of The Lights is available from November 18, 2022, through January 8, 2022, with activities beginning after 4 p.m. each afternoon.

Last but certainly not least is the shimmering holiday light show at the St. Louis Zoo. Wild Lights features several light displays, including a wild animal-themed holiday maze, a 40-foot walk-through Christmas tree, and various twinkling larger-than-life ornaments. While most animal exhibits are closed during the event, visitors can still meet penguins and puffins.

The Saint Louis Zoo’s Wild Lights occurs most evenings from November 25, 2022, through December 30, 2022, with a sensory-friendly show on December 12, 2022. Breakfasts and dinners with Santa are also hosted at the zoo throughout December.