This was an amazing experience from start to finish. Well, outside of finding parking the entire fam enjoyed it! The creativity is on 100 even the temps was rather cold. We also enjoyed pizza. The bathrooms weren't that bad. I definitely will consider come back read more

The lanterns and lights are beautiful!!! They really make the experience worth it It did feel slightly disorganized in certain parts. Entry went very smoothly (although I was surprised they didn't have any security or bag checks). But the line to get tickets for the carousel, maze, and train was all one line with one cashier and snaked around so much that it really impacted the crowds just walking past. It was busy, but generally not overly so. However, they did sell out of tickets and weren't selling any at the entrance so make sure to buy them online ahead of time! The one big disappointment for me was the food. There were a lot of stalls open which helped with the lines, but they weren't staffed well enough to handle the influx of people, leading to longer wait times. The food was also really expensive, and didn't have the quality to match it. I got a plain hot chocolate for $8 and it tasted like it was just a swiss miss powder.... I think the lanterns and lights are worth the $9 entry fee, but plan on skipping the food/drinks or bringing your own. I wish I'd just brought an insulated tumbler with hot chocolate from home. read more

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ZooLights is a good experience for families and individuals. I remember when ZooLights was free and a casually put together lights exhibit. Now, there's more interest in it being a valuable family experience, thus the entry fee. The light displays are more elaborate and there are train rides, carousel rides, live entertainment, winter drinks, and food (all for purchase). There is also an adventure maze. With all that is offered this can easily be an all evening activity for families. The zoo's landscape is very hilly, even in the winter it can be a cardiovascular activity, so check the weather and layer accordingly. Parking is $30 per car and I recommend arriving early to get a good spot. There is no way around the parking fee unless you park on the street, but keep in mind street parking is limited on Connecticut Avenue during evening rush hour. Overall, a good experience to plan for. read more

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Came here with friends and we loved it!! I love how there different themes for each if the park sections and my favorite was the Sakura cherry blossoms at the end!! It wasn't too crowded when we went and we loved getting all the snacks along the way!! read more

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Wow, the zoo has upped their game this year! The light displays were amazing and totally worth the $6 entrance fee per person. Get your tix ahead of time--when we arrived, we were glad that we had reserved them as they were sold out. The paper lantern style scenes arranged according to the different habitats of the creatures (sea, grasslands, arctic, desert) was a cute idea. Everyone, including us adults, were super impressed. There was even "snow" in the arctic! My only complaint was the long lines for the food/drink vendors. read more

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Unfortunately, I left ZooLights underwhelmed. There was a decent attempt for this experience, but I think the execution could have been better. For two adults, I think it took us about 30 minutes to walk through the display of lights. I'm not too familiar with the zoo, but I think the lights display should have been organized in a loop. In its current format, it's more or less an in-and-out tour, so you see the same things going out as you go in. Yes, many trees were lit, but I didn't really have a festive experience during our visit. To be frank, I've seen better display of holiday lights in local neighborhoods. For instance, there really wasn't any music or things to remind you of the holidays (e.g. Santa, reindeer, snowmen, a menorah, etc.). Since the entry tickets were only $6, I was not too annoyed. However, I would have been very annoyed had I paid for parking, which was $30. Tip: If you have to drive to the zoo and do not have a lot of things to carry around (e.g., kids, strollers, bags, yourself, etc.), I highly recommend finding street parking nearby and walking to the zoo because the $30 parking definitely is not worth it. read more

ZooLights - Zoos Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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If you happen to be in DC during the Thanksgiving- Christmas holiday season you might want to check out Zoo Lights at the Smithsonian zoo. Like all museums in DC you need to plan ahead and book yourself some tickets. It is an easy stroll through the zoo with gorgeous displays of light up animals. Tickets for the event are well worth the few dollar per person. Pls note that you do not get admission to the zoo since this is in the evening. There are even beverage carts located throughout the walk so you can enjoy your festive walk with some holiday cheer. read more

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Traffic and parking SUCKS. Spent over an hour just trying to find the entrance to the parking spot as the directions they sent were INCORRECT. Then the disorganization of the parking lots were even worse. Seriously, would NEVER recommend this experience. Lights were not nice enough to deal with all the BS. Shame on you, whoever is in charge of organizing and executing the DC Zoo Lights. read more

The Zoolights are always a nice way to catch up with a friend while enjoying a good walk! Remember, you gotta come back up the hill too!! Along your path, you can buy refreshments-- hot chocolate was just what I needed! If you want booze, there is also an adult beverage truck! If you're going any time soon-- bring gloves and a hat!! It was chilly on Monday!!! :) read more

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I have a very sad kiddo tonight. We attended zoo lights at the national zoo from 2014-2019. It was amazing! Lots of music, games, slides, a train and best of all (for animal lovers like my kiddo) the indoor animal houses were open for visiting at night when many nocturnal animals were more active. This year was our first year back since covid and there was nothing. No slides, no crafts or games. They closed the carousel down prior to 8:45 (time posted). The event was supposed to go til 9pm but everything was closed by 8:30 and by 8:45 there were cops driving through the zoo with a megaphone telling people to head toward the exits. And worst of all, every animal house, exhibit and trail was closed down. You literally saw zero real animals. I am not saying this to rant. I am hoping to avoid another mom having a super sad kiddo by making people aware that zoo lights has changed and is not worth the hike if you don't live in the city. read more

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Was this THE best light display I've ever seen? No. There are certainly places where I wish there were more trees covered in lights, and flashier decor. You have to remember, though, that this is a FREE event in an otherwise very expensive city. I enjoyed the zoo-themed lights and would happily come again. I spent about 1-1.5 hours moseying about and think that's a reasonable amount of time to expect to spend. There are some boozy drinks available for purchase. I got the bourbon apple cider and it was lukewarm, $15, and not very strong. I wish I had held out for the boozy hot cocoa, which uses a salted caramel liquor and is located near the red panda lights display (before the ropes the monkeys climb during the day). read more

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A must see this holiday season. Took us over two hours to walk around and see all the displays. Food and booze is available for purchase. Fantastic picture ops. Get parking tickets online before you go. Family friendly. Dress warm. read more

Super cute experience! Came here with my 3 year old and parents (whom are senior citizens) and they had a blast! We entered through the back to which they had a workshop for kids with a mad scientists and a 360 Photo Booth?! Amazing. We spend a solid hour in there making Christmas cards and staying warm. We then headed to the Mary-go-round which never disappoints! It was $4 a person...an amazing price. The cocktail drinks they had were delicious. I got the spiked hot chocolate and my son got the regular. It was pretty tasty, however we also tried the hot chocolate from the non vendors and I do not recommend those. I recommend going to the vendors in front of the elephant exhibit. Food court food was the same, they didn't have any different food choices only drinks. But overall, you can never go wrong with pizza and a hotdog at the zoo! read more

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Very nice FREE event for kids and adults alike. You can spend a nice hour or two strolling through the park and enjoy the many light displays, sip on some hot beverages, and listen to some live music too! As of December 2022 they are doing timed entry tickets so reserve them in advance. If you don't want to pay for on-site parking then look for free street parking in the neighborhoods nearby. We found one within about 5 minutes and just a few minutes walk away. There are a few spots in the zoo with bright overhead lights you can use for selfie photos where you can see yourselves and the background lights. read more

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Unfortunately there are no animals at night, but that's probably for the best. Get tickets beforehand or you will be denied entry even though it's free. This is very fun for kids and for being free it's a pretty good time, but you are essentially walking the main road down and then back up to see the Christmas light animals. It's a good time, but don't expect anything more than that! There is live music that is different every day! I loved the supreme chord which was an Acapella group when we were there. That was loads of fun! read more

Finally made it to Zoolights! I've been wanting to check this place out every holiday season. I haven't been to the zoo in many many years! This event is free and is suitable for adults and children! The closest metro station is the Woodley Park station, but it's still a good 10 minute walk or so. Prior to coming to the event, I met up with a friend to do happy hour. I'd recommend getting a drink before or after the event - just to make it a bit more fun and also explore the Woodley Park area. I came on a Tuesday evening so it wasn't too crowded, but I'm sure on weekends it's packed. I really enjoyed the environmentally friendly LED light displays, the live music and holiday treats! After about 30 mintues, I felt I saw all I needed to see. I was able to snap some cool pictures and I enjoyed myself. I'll be back next year. read more

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Oh, it's a shame that so many people are criticizing this event. Yes, it is a small event, but it is pretty and it is free! And free is great, considering how expensive DC is. It might not be over the top, but it is pleasant and festive. Children seem to love it. So if you have kids, definitely bring them here. I personally love all the animal themed colorful lights. The animal exhibits are closed. You know, animals need their peace and quiet too. I recommend visting on a weekday. I went on an extremely cold Wednesday night; it was deserted. I heard it gets crowded during the weekends. Try to use public transportation or Uber because parking is not easy around this area. The only thing I did not like was the Gingerbread house. I was expecting a gingerbread house, instead there were just a few props around. There are multiple vendors. I wasn't interested in buying anything, but I am sure they sell at festival prices. There were some rides like a merry go round and a cute trolley. Rides are not free. 4 stars. It's a cute event where you just walk along the main path looking at the sparkly lights. read more

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Zoo lights used to be so much better! What happened to it this year? Not nearly as many lights set up throughout the park and it looks like they've taken out the big slide. In general, it's still great to be able to enjoy the zoo after hours. There's still enough lights and music to get into the holiday spirit, but in years past, it was always a much bigger setup. Pro-tip: Bring your own hot chocolate or grab a hot drink from Starbucks across the street before strolling through the zoo. Have fun!! read more

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I love ZooLights - it's free and a winter wonderland of dazzling lights! Hard not to give 5 stars. I spent an hour walking down the hill mesmerized by the rainbow sea of colors. The light and music synchronized display at the end (near the train) is my favorite and impresses me every time with different beats and lights. I was a bit disappointed with the Gingerbread Village, it's a cheap display and not worth the walk in the cold. Although I didn't go on the train ride, I haven't heard good things about it. The deliciously pungent smell of fried oreos and grilled cheese from the food vendors is alluring. I was tempted to spend $9 on a s'mores kit and roast marshmallows at the firepits. Next year - I'll bring my own kit :) Parking is a bit pricey at $25, so I recommend taking the metro or Uber. Although it can be a bit crowded with some elbow bumping, the lights are spectacular and worth checking out! Recommend going on the last day when the crowds die out on Jan 1st or the weekdays. read more

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Underwhelming as many recent reviewers described it as, Accurately sums it up. My siblings and I were SOOO disappointed after going tonight. This is the first year they've charged for it - it's gone from free to $6. Parking is still a steep $30, but there is abundant street parking in the area so I highly recommend exploring that option first. I don't know if they started charging because the pandas are gone so now they need a new source of revenue or what but I was anticipating more improvements & I was shocked with how little they had. Granted it was the first time I've gone since before the pandemic, but it sucked. It used to feel totally free, come & go as you please. No limit on amount of guests, now they sell out every night & it feels just as crowded tbh. Long lines for any photo ops. Maybe that's because there used to be more places to wander around so people were more spread out. But regardless we were able to see the whole thing in less than an hour. You can just walk to & from the main entrances, there are no options to go to exhibits, it's a straight line. They used to have some of the indoor homes open, with many activities. Heck, they used to have "tubing" on slides and fake snow. It used to be a real free winter wonderland & now there's just some lit up animals but don't expect to see any real ones. My recommendation is definitely to come during the day, for free, you'll be able to see the real animals (lol) and you can see the animal figures before they're lit, and you'll be more satisfied that way. That'd be worth $6, zoo lights is not. As you leave you'll hear everyone say "oh, that's it?" "I was expecting more.." "that was not worth the drive." "Well, we won't bother coming back next year." Etc etc. read more

The zoo at night is spectacular. During the day you can see the set up as well but at night it is magical. The shuttle does not run at either for pickup but the walk is what we enjoy as well. The animal exhibits are closed at night but you are here for the light. read more

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ZooLights at the National Zoo runs from late November until January 1st from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.This event is free and offers TONS of activities for visitors of any age, such as: a laser light show, a interactive light display, a holiday market, Gingerbread Village, train rides around the zoo, rides & games, fire pits for making s'mores, and holiday themed libations sold in the cafeteria. The only negative is that this event attracts big crowds, BUT it never really feels crowded. If you're commuting to ZooLights, I would suggest taking the metro (Woodley Park on the redline is the stop), or other forms of public transportation because parking around the zoo is scarce. read more

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Checked this out on Saturday night. This is a free event! They check your bags upon entry and then they also have maps to see what is available to see. Expect it to be pretty packed and it's a kid friendly event so lots of kids running around and wild strollers to dodge. Lots of pretty lights and the best ones are the lantern animals. It's a pretty small exhibit but it's free so you can't expect too much! Nice to get out and check out! read more

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Honestly, unless you came as a family with small children, then this place was quite a bore. The lights display for the most was mediocre for the most part. The lights on trees/poles were mostly antiquated mono-colored bulbs. There were some nice lights in formation of outlines of animals. The best/most impressive that I enjoyed were the lights that resembled falling snow. We bought the Groupon deal that included hot chocolate, cookies, souvenir gift, and access to the slide, carousel and train. But there was a ridiculous lines of people making the cookies and hot chocolate run out fast (a definite no, no, no!). Also the rides were all for children & toddlers, so in the end our goup of young adults without children decided it wasn't worth it. read more

ZooLights - Zoos Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This (mostly) free event is a huge hit with our kids and features live music performances, tasty winter treats (parents can add liquor to their cocoa or cider!!) and more than 500,000 environmentally friendly LED lights. There are two cool laser light shows set to music and we love watching all the little ones dancing and laughing to the lights and music. There are rides and slides for which you may purchase tickets -- or get A booklet of tickets free if you are a FONZ member (Patron circle level members even get free parking!) or if you are currently serving/ have served in the US Military (check out military night--it was 13 December this year!). Our kids especially love the snow tubing slide, the carousel and the train ride! This year there was a gingerbread village by the pachyderms that had lighted cookies, candies, and a gingerbread throne where you could take pictures. PS--it's more fun if you bring or buy something that lights up! We bought bracelets and lightsabers so as to recognize each other in the dark. read more

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Bottom Line: Festive but not spectacular. Zoo Lights at the National Zoo is a cool holiday time attraction because it's free and family friendly. ("Free" in finger quotes because I know it's really prepaid through federal taxes and some other supporters like Pepsi, FONZ, etc.). While walking the zoo is free, something that isn't free is the parking which I think is around $20. Other ways to contribute to the zoo include visiting the gift shops which remain open during the evening and the speciality vendors selling yummies like s'mores. Zoo Lights largely consists of lights in trees but there were also some animal shapes that were outlined in lights. The trees were beautiful and I can certainly appreciate how time consuming it is to wrap trees like that. The animal shapes were one dimensional and very underwhelming. Additionally, there was a light projection show sponsored by Pepsi that wasn't super interesting either. While I am glad I strolled through Zoo Lights I am also glad I didn't go out of my way to visit. My SO and I were staying in DC about 1.5 miles away and we thought it would be a festive way to expend some calories before eating a late dinner. While we did walk quite a bit I think we burned even more calories shivering! read more

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I have a hard time giving anything free a less than perfect rating, but I was just not that impressed by ZooLights. I parked in a neighborhood close by, so I didn't have to pay the $25 parking fee. Otherwise, it's best to take public transit or Uber. There are actually many opportunities to purchase things throughout the zoo, so the event encourages spending. There are a lot of food stands and food trucks, so keep that in mind because you will feel extremely hungry walking around smelling all the yummy treats. There are rides that you pay for, which are "sponsored" by various organizations. A lot of the lights are sponsored as well. I get that the animals are probably cold and don't want to be disturbed with all the loud music and people (maybe I'm projecting now lol) but I missed them and I'll definitely be back to see them again soon. This is a great event for kids and family! Plus, it's hard to beat free! read more

We really enjoyed this unique opportunity to drop by the zoo for a fun quirky activity put on by the zoo. At the welcome center they were selling warm beverages, and had an amusing display of handmade Lion themed shoebox sized gingerbread montages. Most were made by adults, and were actually pretty awesome. You'd be surprised how creative people are:-) The lights themselves were cool with the zoo main path being illuminated by a procession of lighted animal silhouettes. On our way out at closing, they started playing music and one of the larger light displays was synced with the music and the lights where dancing along with the beat. A little cheesy, but hey, it's the zoo! We even got to enter into some of the exhibit houses which were open to the public. The fun one was the monkey house which had some fun volunteers working who were enthusiastic to tell us about what was going on at the zoo, and to encourage us to check out the new lion cubs that were born this year, and should be shown to the public soon. This was a cool event, I'll be looking forword to it next year. BTW, it's FREE!!!! read more

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Came down to this event at the National Zoo with my wife, my two 9yr olds, and two of my sisters. We took the metro, and I recommend that if you're coming from Virginia, park at Pentagon City, and then take the yellow line to Gallery Place, switch to the Red Line to Shady Grove, and get off at Cleveland Park, NOT Woodley Park. This way, you walk downhill instead of uphill. I had no idea what to expect...but the zoo's trees had lights over them, all essentially animal themed. There was a carousel that the kids enjoyed, and some other rides near the end, which my kids liked as well, especially the rock wall. It was disappointing that there are no animals to see, whereas I understand in the past, this wasn't the case. There was a choir singing holiday music which was nice to see. You can get drinks at the main visitors entrance. There was quite a bit of walking, but it was an enjoyable evening. Not too cold and not too crowded. (Went on a Wednesday night). The gingerbread "village" was super lame. I expected a bit more of a Christmas market type environment, but the only stuff you could buy was zoo stuff that you can probably get anytime. All in all, it was an enjoyable evening, but if I had to pay to park and expected to see animals, then there would have been disappointment!! Otherwise, it was a great way to spend a mild evening in D.C. with my family. P.S. While the admission is FREE, the "rides" aren't. There's a GROUPON for ride tickets. That makes it worth it. read more

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It's really more of a hype than what it actually is. The trees are nicely lighted and they have some lights along the path. I went on a night that admission was free, and I'm glad I did because I wouldn't pay $20 for this. Its truly a rip off, there's no uniqueness in the lights and the "gingerbread" village is just a ginger bread house, chair and that's pretty much it. It was my first year going but I don't think I'll be back. It's really a bummer because they could get very creative with what they could do. read more

ZooLights - Trees along the path - Zoos Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Free? Yes. Crowded? Yes. The experience was great, even with the crowd. Lots of lights and animal light displays. They do have some small shops/food trucks open for coffee, hot chocolate, and some adult beverages too. read more

ZooLights - Zoos Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

If you're looking for Christmas, you will not find it here. A few lights but so not festive. All the exhibit buildings are closed, so we didn't see one live animal. I feel like I was robbed of $30 for the parking. I do not recommend this if you're looking to celebrate the holidays. read more

FREE EVENT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT This was my first visit to Zoolights. I took the big kids, and we all had a great time. I take my hat off to the organizers and set up crew! Various color lights were set to sounds of the season, and the smell of cider and funnel cakes filled the air. There are indoor warming stations, restrooms, concessions. I highly recommend catching this event before it closes. read more

ZooLights - Zoos Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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The tour can be completed in less than one hour. It was nothing of the other world. Just some Christmas lights decorating some trees, a boat to see snow man that has an extra cost of $5 per person and some decoration animals made of a fabric that looks cheap. read more

Was sadly not impressed. Lights are sparse and most not animated. No food trucks Saturday night which was a big disappointment. Special attractions are oriented more to small, small children - short train ride, short slide and the regular carousel. Train had issues and was not fully operational during the even time. Worth a trip to say we did it but I'd prefer Brookside garden or one of the drive through ones. They did have alcohol for sale during the event and fun cups for that. The light up necklaces were great fun for the kids, too and they seemed to have plenty of parking for those who don't want to metro. Tip- get beverages and snacks at the 711 across from the zoo entrance! read more

When my husband first proposed that we go to the Zoolights exhibit at the National Zoo last weekend, my first thought was "oh god, dementia has set in! And he's so young!". But after verifying that he did not have dementia from webMD, he was able to convince me that he was serious and that this would be fun. Fun? Zoolights? But isn't that...at night? In the dark? In the COLD? And I have to pay for this privilege at the tune of $12 per person?!? However, I did vow to stay with him through better and worse, and I supposed that this was one of those "worse" times that all couples must brave through together. Perversely, he ended up bored and disappointed, whereas I had a great time (once I got used to the frostbite and the arctic winds cutting through my body)!!! To start with, there are $2 off coupons at Giant. I recommend that you grab one, because Zoolights, while amusing, is about $10 worth of fun, not $12. Also, parking is FREE and I highly recommend driving. Having access to your car's heater afterwards is crucial to prevent the amputation of your extremities (yes, I hate the cold, can you tell?). Also keep in mind that this is the ZOO. This is the same organization that lost off of their prairie dogs due to a rat infestation (yes I'm still bitter). Please keep in mind that this is not exactly like the water show at the Bellagio or the Electric Light Parade at Disney. It's the Zoo. The seriously underfunded and overlooked National Zoo. Plus, Zoolights is sort of geared toward the 6 year-old crowd, not the jaded 36 year-old crowd. So, we started off at the top of the Zoo, by Parking Lot A. Yes, the lights are a little lame...if you're comparing it to the volcano show at the Mirage. However, taken in it's own context (and again, realizing that even with corporate sponsorship, this *IS* the zoo after all) it's very cute in a kitschy sort of way. Little kids are constantly in wonder over the lights, and if you will just harken (dear lord, did I just use "harken" in a sentence?) back to your own childhood, you will realize that it's all very magical in a "It's a Brady Brunch Christmas Special" sort of way. There were three key highlights for me: The first was the Small Mammal House, which was open, to my relief because I lost all feeling in my toes at this point. Once my glasses defogged and I could actually SEE, it was pretty cute and amazing how many of the animals were up and about. Considering that most of the Small Mammals were various rodents - which are nocturnal - it shouldn't be much of a surprise, was it was still very adorable. The Golden Tamarinds were also awake, and definitely hamming it up for the throngs of shivering tourists. They were grooming and racing around, which caused everyone to go "awwww" simultaneously. Not to be outdone, the sloth decided to be very unsloth like, and gently lumbered around the ceiling until all attention turned toward him. The second was the lights that they shone on the walkways in the shape of snowflakes and etc. Yes, it's a little lame, but it was also incredibly pretty - especially when they flashed the same lights on some of the walls, and the cool colored lights they flashed on the buildings (giving the reptile house a distinctively eerily appropriate Slytherin air about it). Finally, this is cruel, but I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED the poor volunteer in the penguin suit, in a giant snow globe, dancing to "Jingle Bell Rock" that is set on a continuous loop. The kids all loved it of course - but I could just smell...no, I could TASTE the misery of that poor guy in the penguin suit, and it fed my cold heartless soul like fresh baked cookies for Santa. The video of that poor guy, dancing to the same song again and again and again, for the amusement of rude 6 year-olds banging on his giant snow globe is now my screensaver. Yes, I know I'm going to Hell, but I'll be going to Hell with a chuckle in my heart. The dancing penguin guy in a snow globe is right past the Gorilla House - and just that sight alone is worth a $7 admission fee. Everything else makes up the other $3. Plus let's face it - what else is there to do in DC at night for only $10 per person? read more

ZooLights - Zoolights 2008! - Zoos Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The zoo Christmas lights look a lot prettier when you've had a couple of glasses of wine prior to your visit. My friend and I came here tonight about 20 minutes before closing time. There are not as many kids at this time of evening, and because we were going the opposite direction of everyone else -- it wasn't as crowded in certain areas. It took awhile to get the people out of the zoo. We still managed to have a full hour inside of the zoo even though they shut down at 9 o'clock. I was so happy there wasn't a horde of children running around and that we could enjoy it without being hassled by dodging runaway strollers and frustrated moms whose children were up way past their bedtime. During the duration of our visit, I think there was only a couple of sugar high kids on the loose. Everyone else had their children in check. Delight filled my heart as I looked at the Christmas lights. It definitely gave me and sense of the Christmas spirit. I love that it is free to come here. They did an exceptional job decorating the zoo and making it welcoming. I look forward to returning next year, and enjoying the experience once again. read more

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Do you wonder what to do in cold night of winter? Alone? Have a date? Need to plan something fun for kids? Just want to go out? Why not go to Zoolight and feel the festivity? This year, it's free. You might think it's not special and just lights around the trees but it's more than just lights. You will feel happiness and festivity as soon as you walk in. When you walk, see the lights and decorations. On the way back, Don't forget to look down as you walk along. You will see many different shapes of lights on the pavement. It's a decent walk, so don't worry about feeling too cold. You will feel warm inside and out. If needed, there is always hot cocoa! PS: If you can, try to go there on the day of 'Giant'. Groups of workers from different giant grocery stores are giving out something festive (e.g. Santa hat, ornaments) and singing Xmas songs on the walkway inside of the zoo. Very festive! read more

ZooLights - Light sponsored by Yelp - Zoos Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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ZooLights is amazing! For absolutely no cost at all, you get a magical show of Christmas lights at the National Zoo. It's open from 5-9pm daily during the holiday season (excluding Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve) and it's just a short walk away from both the Cleveland and Woodley Park metros. My bf and I loved the colorful arrangement of lights. Braving the fierce cold of December was completely worth it. I had previously visited ZooLights at the Portland zoo (last holiday season), and I daresay that the DC ZooLights beats even that. We had a wonderful time and even got to see a few animals. What was really cool was that the nocturnal animals (like the small mammals) were out in full force! It was really exciting :) Definitely check out ZooLights during this (or the next) holiday season! And make sure you go on a night when it's not raining. We were lucky and the weather was amazing the night we visited. As others have described it, it really was like walking through a fairy tale with my prince charming. read more

ZooLights: It's Wild; It's Free! That's their slogan. ZooLights is an annual holiday tradition at the National Zoo. They boast of more than 500,000 LED lights that transform the usually dark and closed zoo into a festive and bright light show that spans the length of the zoo street. Some exhibit buildings, such as the Small Mammal House, Great Ape House, and Reptile Center are open during ZooLights. However, there's a high likelihood that the animals will be asleep. I wandered through the Small Mammal and Great Ape House and found 90% of the animals to be asleep. In addition, ZooLights has a carousel ($3 per ride), zoo tubing near the Lion/Tiger Hill ($3 per ride), and the National Zoo Choo Choo train ($3 per ride). They even have a performing arts stage, free photo ops with the official ZooLights ambassador, Panda Claws, and a Gin-Grr-Bread contest (grand prize is an exclusive tour of the Giant Panda Habitat). And if you think you may go hungry, think again. There are vendors with hot chocolate, egg nog, mulled cider, kettle corn, cookies, etc. And all the Zoo restaurants are open and ready to serve their complete menus. Parking is pretty outrageous, but then again parking at the zoo has always been outrageous. $20 for non-FONZ members, $10 for FONZ members. Or you can find parking on the street. I went on a Sunday so parking on the street was free and ample at 7pm. If you're taking the Metro, they have a shuttle that runs every 20 minutes from Woodley Park metro station to the zoo. The night I went, the temperatures were in the mid-50s so it was actually a warm night to walk in the Zoo and enjoy the lights. I can't imagine feeling the same way when it's in the 30s, so if the weather is a little nicer, I would recommend going then. There were some pretty cool lights, although I've always preferred neighborhoods decked out in Christmas lights. There were some colorful and themed lights and one light display featured lights timed to music. This is definitely more of an event for kids, so if you have kids, this is a fun, free activity. It looks like from previous reviews that this event used to charge an admission fee, but it's now free. All you have to pay is for food, drinks, and parking if you choose to do so. However, my advice is to park on the street and eat at Hot N Juicy or another restaurant in the area. read more

ZooLights - ZooLights - Zoos Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia