Our Christmas trip to Palm Desert was mainly to spend time with family and relax. With the mild California climate and temperatures in the low 70s, we quickly forgot the hustle and bustle often accompanying the holidays. But isn’t that the true purpose of a vacation?
Holiday decorations popped up every so often, reminding us of the season. Since we didn’t want to miss out on all the holiday events, we booked tickets to WildLights at the Living Desert.
Although the Living Desert is open during the daytime hours, my friend suggested WildLights because it only runs at night for a limited time. It is also one of the few times the zoo stays open after dark. The dates were November 26-December 30 this year, so we purchased tickets for a fun evening wandering about the holiday light display.
Living Desert Zoo & Gardens
The Living Desert began in 1970 mainly as a nature preserve. Over time, the facility added a few small animals, gardens, and other facilities – all while keeping its mission of desert conservation intact. Today, the zoo boasts over 140 animal species from three continents, hiking trails, a model train exhibit, and 52 garden areas.
WildLights
You must purchase tickets ahead of time as WildLights sells out quickly. Once you enter the zoo, you can stay as long as you’d like. The Living Desert sells food, beverages, and cocktails. A firepit section allows you to roast s’mores.
Beginning in the early 1990s, WildLights has earned numerous awards, including USA Today’s Top Five Zoo Lights in North America. It’s no wonder as it boasts over three million lights set to Christmas music. Even Santa poses for pictures in his sled in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Living Desert Model Train
After entering, we soon approached an intricate model train set. The Bighorn Railroad debuted during WildNights in the late 1990s. Due to its popularity, it soon became a permanent exhibit.
You could sit for hours and watch the G-scale model train traverse over 3,300 feet of track. Encompassing 18 interconnected lines and eight loops, the Bighorn Railway boasts a 202-foot train trestle – the largest in the world.
The scenery along the train’s path includes the Santa Barbara Mission, California mining towns, Route 66, the Grand Canyon, and Mount Rushmore. If you look closely, you’ll find some random characters, including Darth Vader.
Volunteers lovingly maintain the railroad and recently underwent a $200,000 campaign to update it. Soon, the train will incorporate more desert towns and Joshua Tree National Park.
Australian Adventures
The zoo encompasses three main areas – Australian Adventures, Wild Americas, and African Safari. We toured the zoo counterclockwise, hitting the Australian section first.
Twinkling blue and white icicles led the way through Australian Adventures. Large, lit-up bighorn sheep, kangaroo, and other outback creatures stood along the path. Although we couldn’t see them, we passed by emus, bearded dragons, wallabies, and skinks.
Wild Americas
Because I wasn’t looking at the map, I don’t know when we transitioned to Wild Americas. However, blinking lights on the butterfly tree made it look like dozens of butterflies were flitting around.
The paths meandered around many of the gardens, including the Yucca Garden, Upper Colorado Garden, a Honeybee Garden, and an Aviary. We walked along a Toyland-themed path with large gingerbread people and a life-size gingerbread house.
Near the Hoover Discovery Center, red and white columns resembled candy canes. Soon, a large carousel appeared. Kids “rode” giraffes, zebras, cougars, and other hand-painted endangered animals while the ride spun around.
African Safari
Up until this point, we had forgotten we were visiting a zoo. However, we started seeing some animals up close after the Tunnel of Lights, where the lights changed colors in sync with the holiday music.
We gazed at these Cape porcupines with spiky quills. Surprisingly, they’re considered rodents – ew! I also learned that the quills “shoot out” into the flesh just by brushing against them. That’s why they turn around and wave their tails at predators.
Giraffes, zebras, and rhinos grazed the savannah areas. I think we saw a springbok or a gazelle run off across the field. By this time, we’d completed the loop to the entrance. All in all, we spent about 90 minutes at WildLights.
WildLights Conclusion
This was a fun light display since we got to walk around and see zoo animals. I’d love to return to Living Desert during the day to see more of the animals and all of the desert gardens. Living Desert also offers three hiking trails near Bighorn Mountain.
For more information about the Living Desert and WildLights, visit the website here.