Asian Lantern Festival: Into the Wild Review

I saw a picture on Instagram with this giant panda and knew I had to see it for myself. Then, I Googled Asian Lantern Festival Orlando and bought tickets directly from The Central Florida Zoo's website. This event began back in November of 2021 and continues on through January 16th, 2022.
I was excited for a number of reasons- number one being my love for panda bears! This was my first time at The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens as well. I used GoogleMaps to get here and found free parking with no problem.
There was no limit to how much time you could spend walking through the exhibit, but they had staggered showtimes for entry. We arrived a little after 8pm for our 8 o'clock ticket time- last entrance was 9:15 and the exhibit ended at 10pm.
There were over 30 hand crafted, life-size lanterns featuring animals from all over the world. The pandas, butterflies, gorillas, and giant wings were a few of my faves.
They had food and drink stands set up throughout the 3/4 mile trail. Plus, there were some cute gift shops with animal trinkets and souvenirs. I couldn't leave without some cute panda merchandise! I was highly impressed with the display of lights and would love to return to this event in the future.
Did anyone else get to check out this amazing festival this year?
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