Lights of the World vs. ZooLights: Which is best for your family?

We know kids love to look at holiday lights. The Phoenix area abounds with light displays and events that fit the oooh-and-ahhhh factor for families wanting some sparkle.

But, is Lights of the World, billed at the world's largest Chinese Lantern Festival, at Chandler's Rawhide the best choice for your family?

This one-time, traveling display will be gone on Jan. 29, whereas the perennial kid favorite, Phoenix Zoo's ZooLights, returns every year.

My 10-year-old daughter and I attended Lights of the World on Sunday, Dec. 4. We also have a couple years of ZooLights under our belts. The lantern event spans 22 acres and showcases more than 70 massive Chinese lantern displays, Asian folk art and a carnival. We deemed the two-hour trip worth the time and money.

The prices are comparable to ZooLights, although Lights of the World is more expensive: $24.99 for adults; $14.99 for kids ages 3-12; and up to age 3 get in free. Plus, it costs $10 to park at Rawhide. (It's $12.95 to $19.95 general admission for adults and kids, depending on the night, free for ages 2 and younger at ZooLights.)

We set out to answer five key questions for Phoenix families who are trying to choose between the displays.

1. Does someone you love dig dinosaurs?

Dinosaur Park is an exhibit within the Lights of the World attraction. Visitors enter under a 26-foot-tall Dinotopia gate and are greeted by an 8-foot-tall interactive dinosaur that can put a stamp on your hand. . My daughter had to pound the claw of this animatronic dinosaur to get it to work, and the writing was smeared — but it worked for the woman in front of us.

Inside, giant dinosaurs are every color graze and roam or look realistic and move and roar. One dinosaur crunches a car between his jaws; two others clash their horns. There's also a photo op for kids inside a hatching dinosaur egg.

2. Could you use a side of culture with your Christmas?

The World of Lights display, sponsored by the U.S.-China Culture and Educational Foundation, showcases cultures and civilizations around the world, including Egypt, Europe, Africa, the Netherlands, Asia and even the Gila River Indian Community — all in brilliant color.

You can check out:

• The Secrets of Egypt, a 26-foot tall monument of pyramids and statues.
• African tribal masks that stand 20 feet high.
• A 26-foot tall leaning Tower of Pisa.
• The underwater world of the Isles of Oceania, with floating sea horses and swimming dolphins.

A significant portion of the displays also are dedicated to the American icons of Christmas, including a 13-foot-tall gingerbread house alight, a 66-foot-tall lighted Christmas tree, and Santa Claus near a little chugging train ready to pose with children — for a price.

MORE HOLIDAY FUN: 30 places to see Santa | Video: Mesa Temple Lights | Free kid-friendly fun in December

3. Are you amazed at feats of human balance and strength?

The highlight for us was attending the acrobatics show. The shows includes all sorts of bendy and ohmygosh-how-did-they-do-that contortions and tricks. The 30-minute show might have started off a little slow — not that we weren't impressed with balancing another human on your head —  but it ended with a crowd-cheering finale that involved jump roping on a dual-spinning wheel high atop the crowd. My daughter squealed that the performers almost fell, with no net below. I couldn't tell if that was true or part of the act, but it was heart-stopping anyway.

The shows are 7 and 8:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, and 6, 7:30 and 9 p.m. Fridays-Sundays.

4. Are crowds part of the fun or a pain?

Our trip on Sunday evening was easy in, easy out. We parked next to the ticket gate and at times felt like we had the giant park to ourselves, especially when crowds thinned after 8 p.m. Even if there was a heavy crowd, the journey among the displays leaves a lot of room for the stroller and wagon maneuvering.

Among the things for kids specifically: 40 hopscotch lanterns that allow kids to skip from one lantern to the next as they light up and make sounds. No one had to wait a turn when we were there.

Toward the back of the venue is a carnival with more than 30 rides and games. We didn't hit the carnival until after 9 p.m., and almost no one, anyway. A lot of the rides sat empty. We passed on the carnival, but if you enjoy being spun, jerked and dropped during the holidays, then this might be the place for you.

Rides cost between three and five coupons, and you can get a book of 20 for $20. An armband pass for $25 lasts until close. The coupons also are good for any carnival food, like candy apples.

5. Do you like Chinese food?

As far as event eats,  there's Asian food like fried rice, deep fried dumplings, Teriyaki chicken, BBQ pork buns, wonton chips and boba tea. You can also find popular fair food like giant corn dogs and deep-fried Oreos. Hot chocolate is sold just about everywhere, and that's a good thing as the evening temperature dips.

Vendors sell Asian crafts like sugar-painting art, weaving of palm fiber, Chinese folk art embroidery and calligraphy. One positive for parents; You're not bombarded to buy something every few feet. You can look at glow toys, electronics and stuffed animals at specific attractions, but families are not funneled through obligatory gift shops.

Some more things to know before you go:

• Bring $10 cash to park. Debit and credit cards aren't accepted.
• Portable toilets are what is available. It stinks for little ones, but there are no restrooms.
• Crowds weren't a problem, but if they were, seating would have been limited.

Final verdict

We could barely savor one ginormous light display before our eyes cut to another one we wanted to explore. I'm glad we tried out something new, instead of ZooLights this year.

My daughter had this to say: "I would give it an eight out of 10. Or maybe a nine. It wasn't as good as ZooLights, because who doesn't want to be at the zoo? But it was awesome, even though I didn't eat a churro."

If you go

When: 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday, 3-11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. through Jan. 29. 

Where: Rawhide, 5700 W. North Loop Rd., Chandler.

Admission: $24.99 for adults; $14.99 for kids ages 3-12; and up to age 3 get in free.

Details: lightsoftheworldus.com.

Reach the reporter at sonja.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow at twitter.com/sonjahaller.

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