I finally got to witness the magic of the Oregon Zoo’s annual holiday ZooLights this year, but it was certainly worth the wait (it’s been wowing visitors for more than 35 years), especially as I shared it with my three-year-old granddaughter. There is little that is more delightful than experiencing the wonders of the holiday season through the eyes of a child, especially one that is dear to you.

The Oregon Zoo was founded in 1888 (starting out as the Portland Zoo and then the Washington Park Zoo), the oldest American zoo west of the Mississippi. Situated on 64 forested acres in Portland’s West Hills, it houses 165 species and subspecies, including more than 20 endangered and threatened species. It earned fame in 1962 with the birth of Packy, the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years. It now features a number of naturalistic animal habitats and welcomes over 1.5 million visitors a year.

We purchased our timed-entry tickets online along with our tickets to ride the Zoo Train, a steam engine train built to celebrate Oregon’s centennial in 1959. Arriving about 15 minutes ahead of our 4:30 p.m. entry time (the first slot available each evening), son-in-law Josh, granddaughter June and I found the parking lot pleasingly quite empty. We moved into the entry plaza where we were greeted by the dazzling Twinkly Cone Tree, rising dozens of feet in the air,  its surface dancing with an ever-changing display of patterns and colors.  We were entertained by it and other lighted depictions of various creatures around the plaza before the gates opened and we made our way down a rainbow-lighted tunnel as the gray, slightly misty afternoon shifted to night.

June trotted ahead of us for most of the circuit around the zoo, singing snatches of Christmas songs (her preschool holiday show was the following evening) and exclaiming over the displays of lights. We saw a host of creatures realistic        and mythical,      all reproduced in lights (millions over the course of the zoo). There were large murals depicting various scenes    and even an iconic Portland sight, Mt. Hood,  glowing along the pathways. We walked under rainbow-hued arches  and along a Light Canyon,    and noted that the designers had even anticipated that there might be a few holiday marriage proposals made here, providing a suitable backdrop for such an occasion.    Everywhere trees and shrubs were draped in lights, and it really made for a brilliant sight.

Along the way visitors had the opportunity to buy drinks and snacks, including hot cocoa (and “naughty” cocoa for the grownups, amended with peppermint Schnapps or Fireball) and beer, pretzels, elephant ears, pizza, bratwurst, gourmet French fries, donuts, churros and popcorn. One can ride the zoo’s carousel, but we concluded our visit with a ride on the charming Zoo Train, its open carriages pulled by an authentic steam engine,  the whole thing outlined in more colorful lights.  The route follows a short circuit around some of the habitats, including the elephant enclosure where we were surprised to see one of the large Asian elephants outside in the chilly evening. I had to wonder what he and the other zoo inhabitants made of all these after-hours lights and sounds.

We made our way back to the entry plaza just over an hour after we had begun our exploration of the transformed zoo. One could linger as long as one wished, but we found that was just about the right amount of time for June, who only near the very end, on an uphill slope, requested that her daddy carry her on his shoulders . . . and she was still merrily singing “Deck the Halls” and “Jingle Bells.” It proved a delightful, colorful and jolly evening for each of us.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful, light-filled and happy holiday season!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor