'ZOOMINATIONS' DAZZLES AT TAMPA ZOO

Photo slideshow by Cruising Squared

TAMPA -- It's called "Zoominations -- A Chinese Lantern Festival of Lights," which had its official opening at Tampa's Lowery Park Zoo on Saturday. Scores of Chinese artisans from the Sichuan Province have spent months constructing this 26-acre fantasyland of light and magic. The result is dazzling, as visitors experience the ancient art of Chinese lantern making, as well as food, onsite artisans and acrobats.

Persons attending the Friday night preview party were greeted with giant lighted temples, multi-colored walkways, dragons, dinosaurs and neon-colored plants and animals, including of course pandas and tigers.

The exhibit will be at the Zoo through May 31. Don't miss it. You may not have another chance unless you journey to China. You can find out more by visiting the zoo's website or the event's Facebook page. -- Gerry and Pam

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'ZOOMINATIONS' COMING TO TAMPA ZOO

If you find yourself in the Tampa vicinity this spring, you don't want to miss the chance to experience Zoominations -- A Chinese Lantern Festival of Lights, coming Feb. 28 to May 31 to the Lowry Park Zoo.

Sixty highly-skilled craftsmen from the village of Zigong in China’s Sichuan province will travel to Florida to custom build larger-than-life lantern structures out of steel covered with silk that will light up the Zoo.

The exhibition will feature 30 scenes, including replicas of the Beijing Temple of Heaven (China’s largest existing masterpiece) and large-scale dragons, pandas, and zoo animals. Zoominations will also feature performances by Chinese acrobats and an authentic artisan market with unique handmade crafts.

If the video above is any indication of what to expect, cell phone cameras will be working overtime. --Gerry