Tracy Aviary is one of our favorite places in the Salt Lake Valley. Though we normally enjoy the bird show at the Aviary, this Christmas (2022) the aviary has added a light show. Tracy Aviary has partnered with Light Walk SLC to create a fun light display. The show runs from Thanksgiving through Christmas and allows you to walk through the grounds while checking out the all the beautiful Christmas lights.
As you enter Tracy Aviary, go to the front desk. You can get tickets at the desk and spend as much time as you want in the small giftshop. When you exit the gift shop, head to the left. We found this way to be the best, so that we didn’t miss anything. The walking is all outside, and you can’t really see the birds, but there are a lot of cute displays, as well as some great spots to take photos.
You will first walk through some small light tunnels as you head toward the large gingerbread house. One of the buildings had been made to look just like a gingerbread house decorated with candy. It is adorable. There are also some large ornaments and stars that make for great Christmas card photos.
Right by the stars you will find Santa! You can visit with Santa and take photos for free. He is at Light Walk SLC each night beginning at 6:00 pm.
After you visit with Santa, follow that path from the gingerbread house up to the bright lights ahead. Soon you will come to a place that feels like a rainforest of lights. There are long streamers of lights that hang down over your head. This is another great place for some family photos.
Continue walking past the large It’s a Wonderful Life sign over to our favorite display: the light tunnel. The Light Walk SLC tunnel is very long and very bright. Instead of being in a circular arch, this arch is more pointed and gorgeous. We managed to find it empty, so we took some fun photos in the tunnel.
After you walk through the light tunnel, you will pass some rainbow lights and enter the large light maze. Our boys enjoyed getting lost among the different colors of lights. But we soon found our way out of the light maze and found a small market with a few shops.
Farther along, we treated ourselves to some hot chocolate and cookies at the snack shack. This helped us stay warm as we walked around the lake. Thanks to the soft Christmas lights, we could make out the mallards, the hooded mergansers, and the canvas backs, so we bird lovers had a great time. This was a great experience for us!
This was the route we took through the lights, but obviously you can enjoy the lights in any direction. The aviary is stroller and wheel-friendly. Visit Light Walk SLC for current prices and hours. They do have a deal where if you bring in a food bank donation, you can save $5 off your tickets. This deal works Monday-Thursday. Read more about the deal here. If you are looking for other holiday ideas, use our huge list on our Christmas Activities in Utah post.
