Trip Cost $14.00
NOTE -- IMPORTANT CHANGES:
Be sure to have your GVR card with you for each and every field trip. Without it, you won't be allowed to go on the trip. No refunds will be granted for failure to comply with this requirement. To protect GVR and club member benefits, GVR has implemented a new process that requires each field trip participant to come into the club and scan his/her GVR card to confirm eligibility. We no longer have the option of typing in your name or GVR number – only the physical GVR card will do.
We will no longer meet in the parking lot. We will meet in the GVR Photography Club where you will scan your GVR card confirming your eligibility to go on the trip. We’ll also review important/late-breaking information, pair up drivers and riders, provide driving directions, and give participants a chance to visit the restrooms prior to departure. Again, be sure to have your GVR card with you.
Step into a dazzling world of light and color, while enjoying a flurry of holiday merriment that will put you in the spirit of the season. Savor a cup of hot cocoa and a sweet treat as you stroll through an illuminated forest filled with festive displays and mesmerizing animal sculptures. Whisper your wishes to jolly St. Nick at his North Pole station, visit with other favorite holiday characters, revel in the quiet beauty of falling snow, and enjoy lively nightly entertainment at this beloved, must-see Tucson tradition. New this year, don’t miss a towering 33-ft showcase tree that will change colors to music – the perfect backdrop for your holiday photos. The Zoo is also returning favorites such as interactive light elements, a giant gingerbread house, walk-through, kaleidoscopic light tunnels, and an engaging light show timed to popular holiday tunes. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want, or at least until the Zoo closes at 8:30 PM. Please note most of the animals will be sleeping in their night houses and out of public view.
We’ll meet at the Photography Club at 2:45 PM for carpooling, departing at 3:15 PM. We’ll be outdoors into the evening, so please dress accordingly. Comfortable shoes are a must, and bottled water is suggested. Please wear your GVR Photography Club or Camera Club badge, if available. For those carpooling, $5.00 is an appropriate contribution to the driver.
Participants are invited to a no-host dinner at the Polish Cottage Restaurant located at 4520 East Broadway Boulevard in Tucson. We’ll depart the restaurant around 5:30 PM for the Zoo. For those opting out of dinner, we’ll provide meet-up information.
Free parking is provided for Zoo guests. We’ll assemble outside the admission gate for a group photo and identify a place and time for drivers and riders to rally later for their return to Green Valley.
Hand-held cameras and smartphones are welcome, but Go-Pros, selfie sticks and other equipment that could potentially be stuck into animal habitats or over guardrails are not allowed.
The tour involves extensive walking and standing. Club members with mobility issues may find this tour challenging.
Additional information about ZooLights! is available here.
Tom Parker will be our trip leader. Contact Tom at 618-304-1456 or tparker324@aol.com with any questions. He will be disseminating more information to registered participants via e-mail as we get closer to the event.
If you need to cancel, please contact the Field Trip Co-Chair Lynn Rozema at 719-351-5193 or email lrozema51@gmail.com. We may have people on the wait list to take your place.
GVR requires that every person participating in Photography Club Field Trips must sign a waiver prior to departure absolving GVR of any liability. You may sign the waiver any time at the Club or the morning of the field trip.
NOTICE:
Last date to cancel for a refund is December 6, 2025.
All participants need to be responsible for an assessment of their mobility and health issues relating to field trips. Some trips may not be appropriate, but you must make that determination. However, the trip leader may deny participation in a specific field trip to anyone deemed not suitably prepared or able to walk with the group.
In order to participate in this event, you must be a member of the GVR Photography Club and GVR.
The GVR Photography Club is located in the Recreation Village of Santa Rita Springs.