A Magical Holiday Tradition: GloWild and Glimmer at the KC Zoo

Happy holidays, friends!

Last week, we continued our "exploring KC" December tradition with a Christmas outing to GloWild at the Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium. This annual fundraiser (now in it's fourth year), transforms the zoo into a nighttime wonderland—with over a mile-long journey of dazzling, lighted sculptures. 

🎅Festive Fun Around Every Corner

Visitors can meet Santa, decorate cookies with Mrs. Claus, ride the Endangered Species Carousel, enjoy live music from local choirs, and savor seasonal treats and beverages. While the animals rest after dark, the KC Zoo Railroad becomes a whimsical ride through a lighted Whoville, complete with the Grinch as conductor. This year’s theme, Time Traveler, takes guests on a journey through nineteenth-century Paris, America’s centennial celebration, and even a sci-fi-inspired future—plus a few delightful surprises along the way. Each display is a masterpiece, crafted by more than 150 artisans using 34 tons of steel and 89,000 feet of fabric.

🎄New This Year: Glimmer

This year, GloWild introduced Glimmer, an adults-only holiday pop-up bar. I couldn’t resist snagging add-on tickets (over a month ago) to experience the festive décor, themed cocktails, and tasty appetizers. The posh private igloos were stunning, and since this unique bar and experience sold out pretty much every night, I felt lucky to get us in!

🌟An Unforgettable Night

Despite the very high winds and extremely chilly weather, we braved the elements—and it turned out to be perfect. With gusts over 40 mph, the zoo was nearly empty, giving us the rare chance to explore without crowds. I captured some incredible photos of GloWild and Glimmer, making the evening even more magical.

📸Come Along for the Journey

From glowing sculptures to cozy igloos, this holiday adventure was unforgettable. Join me as I share the sights, sounds, and sparkle of GloWild—because the season is all about creating memories that shine.

🤶Christmas Is Almost Here

With Christmas just a couple of days away, the excitement is building! The lights, music, and cozy traditions make this season so special, and I’m soaking up every magical moment. Whether it’s watching a holiday movie or braving the winter chill for dazzling displays, these experiences remind us why this time of year feels so warm and bright.

⛄More Holiday Cheer Ahead

The celebrations aren’t over yet—there are still plenty of festive sights and surprises to share! Stay tuned for more holiday adventures, sparkling lights, and joyful memories as I count down to Christmas Day. Wishing you peace, laughter, and a little extra sparkle as we wrap up this wonderful season together.

✨ What about you? 

I’d love to hear your favorite holiday traditions or festive outings! Drop a comment below and share how you’re making this season merry and bright.

Luminary Walk at Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

Greetings friends! I am back today with one of those festive December posts I told you about towards the end of November. If you are new here, I mentioned that my husband has been in management for UPS for over 25 years; therefore, we don't really do to much to celebrate the holidays (you can read more about this here). With our families far away and not being able to travel due to his work schedule, Christmastime tends to be a bit lonely for me. To brighten up the season, I decided this year I would schedule something every Saturday to get me (us) out of the house and enjoy the beauty of Kansas City at Christmas time (Saturday is his one night off a week between Thanksgiving and New Years). This past Saturday, we had tickets to the Luminary Walk at Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. This is a huge event...and this year marks it's 25th anniversary. The weather was beautiful in the 40s and it was sold out for the night with thousands of attendees. With the amount of traffic, parking is at a premium, so they park people at a local school and bus attendees over to the event. We had tickets for 6:00 PM, so we went to an early dinner at our favorite Mexican food restaurant before attending. When we arrived, we picked up a hot chocolate for me and a hot cider for my husband...then we spent about an hour and a half walking the illuminated pathways. There were wonderful musical performances throughout, a quiet candlelit woodland walk, a bright and colorful children's walk, a gnome village, thousands of twinkling lights and candles, holiday trains were running in the train garden, fire pits were lit along the way, and seasonal food and beverages were offered throughout...plus a visit from Santa. While it was quite busy, the spacious grounds and paths helped to spread out the crowds and we enjoyed a leisurely, magical stroll throughout the property. As promised, here are the photos I took along the way...and yes, the luminaries that line the walking paths are actual lit candles in small glass enclosures...

Our next outing will be with our neighbors - one couple has rented a bus to drive us around Kansas City to see the Christmas lights. We are all wearing ugly Christmas sweaters and one of our stops is a lit up local winery, so it should be a fun night!

I hope you are enjoying this holiday season and taking a little time to see the beauty that surrounds you...