Saturday, December 13, 2014

The Lights Before Christmas @ Toledo Zoo

A video posted by @geekdad248 on

We recently took a road trip to meet up with some family friends and enjoy the Toledo Zoo's "The Lights Before Christmas" event.  It really was a festive time as we strolled through the place all aglow which impressed both the kids and the adults in our group.  The zoo really does an impressive job decking out the place for the holidays.  What is nice about this particular display is that the zoo focuses on decorating its existing natural scenery with lights rather than have a large number of designer displays being the focal point of the event.  Of course they have a few animal themed displays that catch people's attention too.

 
 
 
 


Some of the highlights of "The Lights Before Christmas" were a dancing light display that was set to energetic holiday tunes, an ice slide, and checking out the zoo's Big Tree which was named by Travelocity as one of the top holiday trees in the nation.  The Big Tree is a Norway spruce located at the zoo that is more then 70 years old and has grown to be more than 85 feet tall.  Seeing the Big Tree decorated is a site to behold.



While my favorite part of the evening was the dancing light show, my kids highlight of the night was the runs they took down the ice slide.  The ice slide looked somewhat tame from afar but once you got on it you really flew down it.

 

My kids also had a great time taking a spin on the carousel while we were there.  My son wanted to ride the "King of the Beasts" and it was nice they had a few lions lined up together on the carousel so my daughter could ride one too next to her brother.



My wife's favorite thing about the night was this pink and purple lighted tree which she just raved about throughout the night.  She also appreciated that we got to see the zoo's polar bears in their display while we were there.


The rates to attend the event are $13 for adults (age 12-59), $10 for Seniors (age 60+), $10 for children (ages 2 - 11) and children under 2 are FREE.  If you purchase tickets in advance online you can save $1 per ticket.  In addition parking costs $7.  Toledo Zoo Members receive FREE unlimited visits to "The Lights Before Christmas" Monday through Thursday and one FREE weekend visit (Friday through Sunday).

We had a great time at "The Lights Before Christmas" and if you live within driving distance of Toledo I would absolutely recommend a family road trip to enjoy it.  Because my kids had such a blast during our visit, the Toledo Zoo's "The Lights Before Christmas" gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval.



For more information, visit www.toledozoo.org 

4 comments:

  1. Looks really cool! I might have to check it out for a day trip this coming year!

    Sarah Muennix

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  2. Looks like fun! I haven't been to the Toledo Zoo for ages.

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  3. I love the Toledo Zoo! We try to go every year!

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  4. Looks like fun! I love the giraffe one!

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