The Wild Center’s Wild Lights is Back: Bigger & Brighter

The Wild Center is excited to announce the return of Wild Lights presented by Merrill L. Thomas, Inc. This seasonal experience transforms The Wild Center’s 115-acre campus into a winter wonderland, with a variety of activities, displays, lights, and dates added this year due to popular demand. Wild Lights will run on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. (an extra hour from previous years) beginning Fri., Nov. 25 with tickets on sale now.

Back for its third year, this family-friendly event is quickly becoming a winter tradition in the North Country. Once the sun goes down, Wild Lights sets The Wild Center ablaze with thousands of twinkling lights, nearly double the amount of last year, turning the surrounding area into an illuminated paradise. Visitors can enjoy:

NEW this year: a light tunnel across Rainbow Bridge
Forest Music: the looped trail with over 130 trees wrapped in colorful lights and a new musical composition from Whatever Penny titled Taiga, creating a magical three-dimensional winter soundscape
Wild Walk: the award-winning elevated and accessible platform which has been strung with tens of thousands of lights and also features new photo-worthy winter installations
Stickwork: stroll through Patrick Dougherty’s “Hopscotch,” outlined in glowing lights

Also new this year, guests can head inside The Wild Center to warm up with hot drinks, tasty food and interactive light-up pieces, such as an oversized Lite Brite. The Wild Supply Co. will be open for shopping, as well as the Living River Trail where guests can watch the North American River Otters play.

With more lights and activities come additional Wild Lights dates. The 2022-2023 season is as follows:

Fridays and Saturdays from Nov. 25 to Feb. 25
Open nightly during Holiday Week – Dec. 16 to 24 and Dec. 26 to 31
Open nightly during World University Games Week – Jan. 13 to 21
Open nightly during President’s Week – Feb. 17 to 25

In addition, The Wild Center will host three special events featuring local breweries. Friday Nights Lights and Flights will take place on Dec. 30, Jan. 20 and Feb. 24. for guests 21 years and older.

Admission to Wild Lights is to be purchased separately from regular day-time Wild Center admission. Opening day, Nov. 25, will be “Member Day”, where all members of The Wild Center can enter for free. From Nov. 26 to Feb. 25, member pricing is $5 for adults & free for children under 18, and non-member pricing is $10 for adults $10, $5 for youth, and free for children 4 and under. Tickets and information are available at: wildcenter.org/wildlights.

Organizations interested in renting the Wild Lights experience for a party or private event may contact Mitchell Jensen at mjensen@wildcenter.org or 518-359-7800 x1-144.

Wild Lights is presented by Merrill L. Thomas, Inc. and is made possible by Adirondack Frontier, Adirondack Health, Long Run Wealth Advisors, Mike Foote Insurance, Adirondack Regional Federal Credit Union and Shaneen’s Adirondack Inn by Weekender Hotels.

Wild Lights is part of a new community-wide winter celebration called Tupper Lights. The Tupper Lake event celebrates the season by extending the glow of Wild Lights into the downtown areas of Tupper Lake. Local shops and restaurants are offering special hours and deals through December. Included in Tupper Lights is Park Street Stroll on Fri., Dec. 16.

The Wild Center invites visitors to discover the story of the Adirondacks, and to explore new ways that people and nature can thrive in the same place. Located in Tupper Lake, NY the center uses science-based experiences, exhibits and program to open new ways to look into the relationship that people have with nature and to promote environmental best practices. A 54,000-square-foot facility, The Wild Center features indoor and outdoor space, live animals, hands-on experiences, and its popular Wild Walk, an elevated trail across the Adirondack treetops. The Center is open 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.