Last week my son and I were invited to visit ZooLights at Stone Zoo, in Stoneham. He is a big animal lover and we have actually been to Stone Zoo many times. It was fun to see the Zoo lit up for the holidays with twinkle lights and fun, animal lanterns.
We booked tickets for 4:30 pm, and were able to experience the first part of the Zoo at dusk, but finished in the dark. The earlier tickets are perfect for families with small kids! You can make an evening out of it by visiting the snack stands near the monkeys, or the larger food area near Yukon Village.
The Meerkats were our favorite lantern, but I also loved the Giraffes and he was excited to see the Arctic Fox (that very closely resembles Ninetails from Pokemon).
It is worth noting that some areas of the Zoo are closed at night, so we weren’t able to visit all of my son’s favorite real animal exhibits, but we did see the very active bears, a baby sloth with mom, and the snow leopards.
Zoo Lights at the Stone Zoo opened in November and runs nightly through Sunday, January 9, 2022. (Closed Christmas.) Tickets must be purchased for a specific time between 4 and 9:30 pm. Unlike many local holiday events, there are currently plenty of tickets left to purchase (especially for holiday break). Tickets are $13.95 for Non-Members or a 4-pack for $50; $12.95 for Members or a 4-pack for $45. Guests under age 2 are free. Get your tickets at zoonewengland.org/engage/zoolights.