I found that, a half hour after sunset, I could no longer see clearly into the animal enclosures. The zoo is large enough that at some point you’ll want to know when you can stop walking.Īnother pro tip: go at sunset, when it’s light enough to see the animals - of course there are no nighttime flood lights, as this might disturb the creatures - but dark enough to enjoy the lights. Also, knowing where you are and how much more walking to expect will set expectations. So you’ll want to walk them both without making the wrong turn and getting lost. The zoo is basically two big loops, where you could spend 90 minutes easily, or more if you have young kids. Magically, you’ll also find lighted dinosaurs, lighted birds floating on lily pads in the pond, and a huge undersea landscape with coral and jellyfish. There were no special effects where the lights blinked, except for one peacock display where the lights flickered in a set pattern. My favorite of these was a giant diorama of huge, towering Asian fungi and mushrooms. There were also more abstract displays, such as a giant snake archway, elephants made of white ceramic plates and cups (which I’m guessing can squirt water, but were turned off), and rows of lighted flowers on their own. And there were a very few - perhaps a dozen - with a basic animatronic motion, such as an elephant whose trunk lifted up and down. There’s a “garden” of lighted oversized flowers with oversized insects: grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies, and wasps, and a chameleon shooting out its tongue to catch a fly.Ī few have sound effects, such as the whale with fish in an ocean setting, with sound effects of waves and the whale clearing its blowhole. For example the lighted penguins came in a display with lighted ice around them. Many of the animals are set into dioramas. It’s wonderful to commune with nature: the animals, the trees and pond, and the lighted displays. And each type of animal is shown a dozen times in lights. There are so many of them! You’ll see oversized lighted peacocks, zebras, cheetahs, elephants, monkeys, hippos, parrots, lizards including Komodo dragons, kangaroos, frogs, giant dragonflies, camels, moose, bison, deer, alligators, seals, giraffes, and more. Some were simply animals and others had a multicolored, floral, Asian art appearance. Each is a metal frame, covered with a weatherproof cloth and lit from within. The light displays are beautiful, and extensive! You’ll see perhaps 300 large lighted objects, the “lanterns”, mostly animals, but also some floral or abstract displays. Pro tip: the event runs Wednesday to Sunday, so go on an off day. On a night that threatens rain but doesn’t rain there won’t be any crowding - the event is rain or shine - and if it’s windy, that’s even more virus safe. Of course it’s delightful to go on a clear night when there are a ton of stars. It’s a natural environment, not a cement one, so you’ll see plenty of trees, there’s a lovely pond to stroll past, and a food plaza. The zoo is 40 acres, and although the indoor attractions are closed because of the virus, the rest of the campus is available for strolling. I even heard a peacock cawing, looked up, and found that it was high up in a pine tree! I did spend some time searching visually for animals that weren’t there - perhaps the zoo could hang up signs on the enclosures where the animals would definitely be absent, asleep for the night. You’ll also see Watusi cattle, a sea lion, alpaca, flamingos, red crowned cranes, bald eagles, and more. Something like 10% of the animals were on display.Įveryone’s favorites are the African elephants, on display in a large enclosure with water and a waterfall. But at the Asian Lantern Spectacular, now in May or especially in June, you’ll see plenty. Zoo animals, which are displayed during the daytime, are chosen to be diurnal, and they mostly don’t like the cold. The lanterns event is similar to a previous event we’ve reviewed there, their October Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular (4.5 stars), but you’ll see more animals because the weather is warmer, and the entire zoo is open, so there’s more to see. Another creative nighttime event has come to the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island! Running now through July 4, the Asian Lantern Spectacular is an excuse to walk through the entire zoo at night, seeing “lantern” themed lit artwork, animals, and more.
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