Tag: lights

Chinese Lantern Festival

Several years ago, the Chinese Lantern Festival came to Fair Park in Dallas. It was a traveling exhibit that was here only for a short period of time. The advertising looked interesting; so, we decided to go. I had never seen anything quite like it before. I can’t imagine how many hours it took to put this exhibit together. Everywhere we looked, there were more and more beautiful lights.

As we walked into the doorway, we were greeted by a large family of Panda Bears. There were all kinds of family members, Dads, Moms, babies, and extended family members. They were located in a bamboo forest.

Next was a colorful dragon that seemed to go on forever and ever.

As we rounded the corner, we came to another set of exhibits. Among them was this blinking circular image of two peacocks. It took several tries to get a picture of it fully lit.

A little further down the path, we felt like we were in the middle of the ocean, along with fish, jellyfish, and mermaids.

In the center of the exhibit, there was a lagoon. All of the lights surrounded the lagoon making it doubly bright because of the reflections in the water. Here are pictures of a few of our favorites.

Near the middle of the far side of the lagoon, there was a display that had numerous ants playing different musical instruments.

That evening was very magical. So many bright, colorful lights lit up an otherwise dimly lit part of the city. We want to thank all the people who spent hours working on setting this display up in order to bring a little joy to our lives.

The Dallas Zoo

One of our favorite places to take the grandkids is the Dallas Zoo. It is always entertaining and fun because even if you’ve seen the animals before, they seem to always be doing something different. The zoo has a carousel which is a favorite with all the kids, young and old alike. Near the entrance, there are usually parrots sitting on some perches. Their bright colors start the day off right.

Then as you go passed the carousel, you arrive at the lemur area on your left. There are several different species of lemurs.

From there, you have to decide whether to go to the area with the larger animals, like elephants, giraffes, etc. or to the original area with the birds, monkeys, etc.

The last time we went, they were having a dinosaur exhibit in the older area. There is also a building that houses snakes, crocodiles, frogs and other reptiles. In the center court, there is a train ride for the smaller children. This area also has a stage where they host a show about different birds, a petting zoo and many other animals.


You enter the newer area by going through a tunnel that goes under a street to see the larger animals. These animals include gorillas, chimpanzies, elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, lions, etc. The last time we were there a female gorilla had had a baby. It was one of the first days that they were able to be seen outside. Another time, there was a baby elephant.

This area has recently opened a rhino area. There is also a monorail that gives you an overview of many of the areas of the zoo. However, the last several times that we have been, the monorail was not working. I don’t know the reason it was closed; or if or when it will reopen.

Another interesting attraction is the ability to feed the giraffes. You are able to get really upclose and personal with them. The following picture does not depict this encounter, just a giraffe.

Many evenings the zoo has special programs. I have only attended one of these, and it was around Christmas. They were supposed to have one million lights, and I believe that they did.

We have spent many enjoyable days at the zoo. It is a wonderful place for families to go for an outing.