ZooLights at the Smithsonian's National Zoo Begins Nov. 23

Come see the Smithsonian's National Zoo in a whole new light during ZooLights—powered by Pepco! Beginning Nov. 23, Friends of the National Zoo invites guests to stroll through the Zoo under the glow of thousands of environmentally-friendly LED lights. ZooLights is 24 nights this year—the most in its six-year history. The Zoo will twinkle with lights beginning Nov. 23 and will continue Nov. 24—25, Nov. 30—Dec. 2, Dec. 7—9, and every night beginning Dec. 14—Jan. 1 (except Dec. 24, 25 and 31) from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Small Mammals House, Reptile Discovery Center, Great Apes House, Think Tank and Kids' Farm will also have their lights on and will be open for visitors during ZooLights.

There is still time to enter the annual Gin-GRR-Bread Habitat Contest. All entries will be on display each night of ZooLights. The theme for this year's contest is A Winter's Tale on American Trail. The winners of the contest will be announced Nov. 30 and each winner will receive a behind-the-scenes tour of American Trail for 10 people. Registration for the contest is open until Nov. 17 on the Zoo's website.

Admission to ZooLights is free. A flat-rate parking fee of $9 for FONZ members and $16 for nonmembers will apply. All proceeds from ZooLights concessions and parking sales will benefit animal care and conservation science at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. ZooLights is sponsored by Pepco, The Coca-Cola Company, Comcast, FAMILY Magazine, Giant Food, GEICO, NBC4, Open Top Sightseeing, SunTrust Bank, United Airlines, 97.1 WASH-FM and The Washington Post/KidsPost.

Follow FONZ on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates about events at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, and for special offers during ZooLights.

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