Zoo Lights

Zoo Lights at the Hogle Zoo is worth a visit during the winter holiday. It is only $ 7 for adults and $ 5 for children age 3 – 12 and seniors (65+). Parking is free.
If you plan on visiting the zoo lights for the next holiday season, be sure to check out Hogle Zoo’s discount page to save any additional money (
). Luckily on the day we came (Saturday, Dec 19), the radio station, 97.9 had their listener appreciation night. On their website was a $ 3 off admission coupon (
). All we had to do was show our coupon at the admission window (didn’t even have to print it out, which was really helpful for us since we were on vacation and did not have a printer) and saved $ 6 for the both of us (only $ 8 for the both of us on this cold evening).
Anyways, when we arrived around 6 pm, the parking lot was nearly full. But we were lucky to find a parking spot just as a family was leaving. But if you are unable to find a spot in this lot, you can park across the street in their overflow lot.
After we paid for our admission, we were well on our way to view all of the beautiful lights (by the way, there are restrooms by the front entrance and throughout the park). I am such a sucker for Christmas lights and really enjoyed all of the sights here. Some of the light displays move and some are quite animated. Some are also just stationary as well (just view my photos).
This place reminded me of the Zoo Lights in Arizona that I went to some years back with my husband (
). There are a lot of animal themed lights (we are at the zoo after all). Some are really cute and creative. And plenty of photo opportunities throughout.
By the way, on our visit, Santa was available for children (and adults) to line up and take photos with him (and Mrs. Clause) and sit on his lap and tell him what you would like for the upcoming holiday. Figured that is worth mentioning in case you have little ones that are interesting in visiting Santa.
A very small handful of animals were out and about on our visit. We saw a few of the tigers and one bird. The rest of the animals were either hibernating or not open for us to walk to and look at.
There is food sold during this event, including a make your own s’mores type of treat where you can actually try to roast your marshmallow over a fire. Looked like fun but we ate before we came.
This event probably took us about 1.5 hours to walk through and look at everything.
I highly recommend that you check out this place next December and also make sure to dress warmly because it was pretty cold on the day we visited.

Zoo Lights really deserves to be reviewed separately from the zoo itself – the experience is different than just visiting the zoo! We visited Zoo Lights on a whim during our recent holiday visit to SLC, and we were so glad that we did… what a fun and festive place!
For those not familiar with this event, during the holidays Hogle Zoo opens at night, and the entire zoo is bedazzled with light displays. The admission when we went was $ 7 for adults and $ 5 for kids, which was really a bargain for the amount of fun we had. Not only did we get to see all the wonderful lights, but Kid loved making s’mores, crafting a jellyfish ornament, touring the reptile house, riding the carousel, and, of course, visiting Santa!
Although most of the animals are sleeping during this time, you can still get glimpses of them snoozing (the crowds and lights do not seem to bother them at all), and some nocturnal animals are ready to be admired. The Beastro snack bar is open if you need some vittles or hot drinks, although the prices in there are a bit steep.
Overall, we had a great time at Zoo Lights, well worth the price of admission!