Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has once again been named the best zoo to see holiday lights, according to a new poll.
This is the eighth year in a row that voters in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Poll voted the Cincinnati Zoo’s PNC Festival of Lights No. 1 in the category “Best Zoo Lights.” The annual Cincinnati tradition features over 5 million LED lights, plus holiday-themed fun like rides on the “Polar Express” train, the Wild Lights show on Swan Lake, the chance to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, s’mores, hot chocolate and more.
“Eight years in a row is a big deal!” Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard said in a press release. “People really love our holiday events, especially the PNC Festival of Lights. We continue to make improvements each year, including adding more lights in more areas of the Zoo. This year, we hung more than 5 million LED lights!”
The zoo says its new Elephant Trek and Bear Ridge habitats also allow visitors to spread out, offering extra space on busy nights. This year, the zoo also added 26 new animal lanterns, including a giant peacock, black bear, poison dart frogs, cheetahs, snow leopard and more, plus more photo-op areas and an expanded light tunnel for the train. Santa is available for visits and photos in Santa’s Village starting at 4 p.m. every day. Sensory-friendly Santa visits and social narratives are also available.
You can download the zoo’s mobile app to help you plan your visit and navigate the park. You can also turn on notifications to be alerted when certain activities are about to start. Also, keep in mind that most of the animals go inside at 5 p.m. before the lights come on, so you’ll need to get to the zoo earlier to see them. Indoor habitats like World of the Insect, Night Hunters, Manatee Springs, Reptile House, Gorilla World, Dragons, Jungle Trails West and Discovery Forest will be open during the Festival of Lights, however.
You can also buy tickets for the Festival of Lights online ahead of time to save money.
Second place in the poll went to Electric Safari at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, and Lights Before Christmas at the Toledo Zoo was third. See the full results of the poll here.
Cincinnati Zoo, 3400 Vine St., Avondale. For more information on the Festival of Lights and other zoo happenings, visit cincinnatizoo.org.
