Amy's Balancing Act
You Are Reading
Holiday Traditions: Zoo Lights
0
Family Holidays

Holiday Traditions: Zoo Lights

Happy Friday y’all! Exciting news…I slept in! I stayed in bed until 7:45am and I’m quite proud of myself. This rarely happens anymore thanks to a special little someone. She may be that smiling face in the picture above. Since JP works from home on Fridays, I’m letting him tend to her early morning “I’m awake and don’t want to sleep” sessions. Let’s just say, we’re looking forward to the sleep regression being over. Whenever that may be.
Anywho, last night, we went to the Houston Zoo Lights! It was such a blast and a great way to get into the holiday spirit. I’m actually a member of the Houston Zoo and last night was the last discount night, so tickets were only $10 for us. In case you’re wondering on discount nights members are $10 and non-members are $15. On regular nights, members are $15 and non-members $20! It’s really not a bad price for 1.5-2 hours of holiday entertainment!

We took some tips from online forums and got their right at 6:00pm when Zoo Lights starts. We were able to get parking in the Zoo lot with ease. We also purchased our tickets online before hand which saved us another 15-20 minutes!

The lights themselves are awesome. There is a distinct path that you follow around the park with different areas set up like “under the sea” or “the watering hole”.

 Chloe was such a good girl! It was actually quite chilly compared to the usual 70 degree evenings we’ve been having, so Chloe was all bundled up. She was completely mesmerized by the lights and just stared at everything as we walked around.

I love watching the awe in her eyes! It was the same when we went to the Disney Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights a few weeks ago.

We also got to see a few of the animals! The giraffes were in their home. Look in the middle and you can see the baby! They also had part of the elephant area open to see the gorgeous giants. I just love the zoo.

It was a great date night and our first family Christmas tradition! We tried going to the Zoo Lights last year and failed pretty miserably. {See my tips below to avoid this!} I’m so glad we went this year and I can’t wait to take Chloe every year as she gets older. I know that it will become more challenging to get her around, but she’ll enjoy it more and more as she gets older!

Interested in going to Houston Zoo Lights? Here are some tips and tricks to making your trip much easier!

  • If you can, go on a value/discount night. Here’s the calendar. Monday-Thursday nights excluding Christmas week are value nights!
  • Buy your tickets online before you go. There was a line even right when they opened. This line was much longer by the time we got there! Buy your tickets here.
  • Get there when it opens. 6:00pm! We arrived at 6:05 and the parking lot was getting pretty full already.
  • You can bring your own food and drinks! Save money by bringing dinner and having a picnic at the zoo. There are plenty of seating areas to use.
  • The food and drink stands are also open. During the lights, they sell hot chocolate, apple cider and coffee. You can also add a little splash of Bailey’s, Jameson or Peppermint Schnopps if you’re wanting an extra something 🙂
  • They sell tons of light up toys and necklaces. If you know your kids will want to get one, bring glow sticks/necklaces from the dollar store to save money and not go crazy.
These are just a few things I gathered from our first Zoo Lights trip that I’ll be sure to remember in the future! 
Have a wonderful weekend before Christmas!
What holiday traditions do you have with your family?
Have you ever been to lights at the zoo?

post signature

Sharing is caring!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *