We took a winter weekend trip to Ohio this year, and we were able to see lights at two different zoos! Below are our thoughts on each.
Indianapolis Zoo
We arrived pretty late at the Indianapolis Zoo on a Friday night, but the crowds had dispersed and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. They keep the zoo pretty much open, which was nice, as we got to see the walrus pretty active.
This zoo does a really nice job with their lights. There is a Santa village set up when you walk in, which also has great photo opportunities. The lights tunnel is probably the highlight, as you can stroll down a tunnel of lights over head.
I would say our main takeaway from the Indianapolis Zoo’s Christmas lights was that they did a lot with a small amount of space. It’s not an endless amount of lights, but it’s jam-packed, and that impressed me.
Click here to see a Photo Gallery of lights from the Indianapolis Zoo.
Columbus Zoo
On Saturday we spent most of the afternoon/evening at the Columbus Zoo. The weather was poor, so again we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Like Indianapolis, they leave most of the zoo open, such as the indoor elephant area with their newborn baby elephant.
The highlight at Columbus is their lights show in the middle of the zoo. Set to music on a timer, lights flicker on an off to the melody showcasing different colors and pictures of trees, animals, and other designs. This rivals light shows that we’ve seen at non-zoo venues, and is pretty awesome.
Columbus Zoo is one of the largest zoos we’ve visited, so the fact that they have lights in almost every exhibit area is pretty impressive. As you stroll through the zoo, you’ll see lights at almost every turn. Columbus Zoo doesn’t get a ton of recognition for their lights, and maybe that’s because they’re more of an “outstanding by volume” approach rather than one that will wow you right away. But I would still put their light show up there as one of the best.
Click here to see a Photo Gallery of lights from the Columbus Zoo.
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