Holiday Fun School at Zoo Lights

It has been a couple years since we took the boys to ZooLights so when the opportunity presented itself this year, I decided to incorporate some school time in the event.  

Since Daddy was on a business trip we brought along a friend that is fairly new to Oregon and had never experienced the ZooLights. She also offered to drive which was a blessing for this mama that doesn't like to drive on the freeways.

We arrived just early enough to view the Cascade Trail as it was closing (Rick gave us a nice tour as he was locking things up). The boys got to explore the trail and see a couple of bald eagles along the trail. 

 We explored several other areas of the zoo not related to the lights although as the evening wore on the animals were nestled all snug in their beds, either way the boys had fun and were taking notes along the way to talk about the animals later.

 While Mommy doesn't have the fanciest camera (hint hint Santa) We got some fun shots. We popped out my the petting zoo and took a picture of the boys on the tractor seats as we continued our journey exploring the animals and lights in art. A favorite for Cameron has always been the snake, I think I have a picture of the snake everything year we have ever gone to Zoo Lights. It is a fun tradition to add to the event, see how many of the same light displays are up each year you.
The boys also tried to guess how many lights they saw the next day. (Note to Mom, check with the zoo and see if they know)
One thing we didn't get to do this time was the model trains, but that was ok as the space was being used as a waiting and watching area for the arrival of a new baby elephant to the Zoo, she was born later in the week that we had been there.
Nathan and I also got to ride the thrill ride. He picked out a fun 3D snowy adventure. It was a lot more fun that I expected and Nathan loved it.

 We finished off the evening with a train ride. We ended up loading first which meant we got the read car facing backwards.  We loved the ride and the boys kept watching for the other train and the different lights. They even noticed the train tracks we had walked across when we were looking at the lights.
If you would like to check out ZooLights before you head out I am sharing some fun links below. I hope if you are local you will take this opportunity to check out ZooLights through the end of December.

 ZooLights Special Offers

ZooLights FAQs

disclaimer: I was given 4 tickets to ZooLights and the activities in exchange for sharing my experiences with my readers.