VALDOSTA – Wild Adventures Theme Park is offering 50 percent off single-day admission during the Days of Thanks food drive.
Release:
Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Ga., is offering 50 percent off single-day admission this weekend during its annual Thanksgiving food drive to support Second Harvest of South Georgia.
This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 24-26, guests who bring a non-perishable food donation of at least $10 to South Georgia Second Harvest will receive half-price admission to the park’s new holiday event, Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright.
“Each year our guests donate thousands of pounds of food items to benefit local families in need during the Thanksgiving Food Drive,” said John Viguet, vice president and general manager. “It is a blessing to see the spirit of gratitude extend beyond Thanksgiving and to witness the season of thanksgiving transform into a season of giving. This is an incredible opportunity to support Second Harvest of South Georgia, which is doing important and necessary work in our region.”
Guests can bring a donation of at least $10 worth of non-perishable food items to any ticketing location to receive 50% off single-day tickets to visit during Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright, pure a new Christmas celebration poised to claim the title of Georgia’s largest Christmas celebration, making Valdosta the “Christmas Capital of the South.”
The new event, Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright, runs through Dec. 31 and is the largest holiday event the park has ever hosted. The holiday represents a significant investment in creating a new annual tradition for families across the region.
“We’ve always celebrated Christmas at Wild Adventures, but we’ve never celebrated it like this,” Vige said. “We covered the park with millions of lights, amazing displays and unforgettable entertainment, including a spectacular musical show displayed on seven towering animated Christmas trees floating on the lake at the center of Wild Adventures.”
The Carol of the Animals lake show is the centerpiece of Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright and features images of some of the park’s most popular animal ambassadors sharing their favorite holiday tunes. The show starts every night at 6pm and continues every 30 minutes.
“When our guests arrive for this event, I truly believe they will be extremely happy and in awe of the lights, displays, decorations and entertainment that have been taken to the next level this year.”
In addition to the Carol of the Animals lake show, Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright features the following light displays and entertainment options to enjoy:
Holly Jolly Junction
This year, the beloved Christmas story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer isn’t just on TV. It comes to life like never before at Wild Adventures Theme Park. Holly Jolly Junction is an opportunity to experience Rudolph and his friends up close. Play reindeer games, decorate Clarice’s cookies, color the coloring wall and take a picture with Rudolph, Clarice and Bumble.
Wonder Walk
The new Wonder Walk transforms Wild Adventures’ Alapaha Trail, a boardwalk through an authentic Georgia wetland, into a dazzling journey through twinkling lights, laser light displays, illuminated hanging displays and upbeat Christmas music. Wonder Walk is also home to a theater presenting “A Very Puppet Christmas,” a humorous play featuring Ricky the raccoon and Luan the lemur who learn about the spirit of Christmas from Kringle McGinggle, one of Santa’s North Pole elves.
Gingerbread Village
The new Gingerbread Village features candy-covered structures decorated with gummies and icing to provide the best place to grab a seat and enjoy the Carol of the Animals lakeside show. Guests can also make their own s’mores over an open fire and enjoy live music from the Gingerbread Village stage. Throughout the day, the Gingerbread Village will be visited by the Gingerbread Man and Baker for special encounters and photo opportunities.
A tunnel of stars
The new Tunnel of Stars is a huge walk-through tunnel featuring state-of-the-art Christmas lights that spin and dance to create unique patterns and images. Nearby, guests can enjoy Christmas with Tiger Friends, a pop-up experience with beautiful holiday decorations and the opportunity to visit the park’s tigers enjoying enrichment activities.
Candy Cane Express
Hop aboard the Candy Cane Express and take a peppermint-scented journey to Candy Cane Town. At Candy Cane Express, guests will see flashing lights, amazing displays and animals from around the world, including giraffes, zebras, ostriches and more.
Santa’s stand
Santa has opened a new store at Wild Adventures. Santa’s Outpost allows children to share their Christmas wishes with Santa and take pictures of them while enjoying a beautiful view with animals from Asia and Africa. Mrs. Claus will also be on hand for story time and letter writing to Santa. Kids can get “lost” in Santa’s Snowstorm Party, featuring toe-tapping Christmas music and mountains of foam snow. At night, The Frosted Garden will illuminate Santa’s outpost with twinkling lights from the ground. Every night after 7pm, guests can head over to Santa’s Outpost to enjoy a complimentary hot chocolate to round off the night.
Moments of memory
In Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright, there are perfect places to take pictures with friends and loved ones. In the park’s Christmas Outpost area, guests can take pictures with giant golden giraffes and even ride in Santa’s sleigh. Near the Tunnel of Stars, a pair of glowing angel wings make for the ultimate soaring photo spot. At Santa’s Outpost, the whole family can pile into a larger snow globe for a memorable Christmas card. Memories are placed around every corner, making Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright a fun and unique place to get the best upload-worthy Christmas photos.
The magic of the Christmas parade and the lighting of the tree
As the sun sets, Wild Adventures ignites the Christmas spirit with The Magic of Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting. Children are the stars of this parade and are invited to join. Each night, one lucky child from the crowd will be chosen to join Santa’s elves on stage and press the switch to light up the five-story animated, musical Christmas tree.
The spirit of Christmas
Toy production is in full swing at the North Pole and final preparations are underway for Christmas. But before Santa can hitch up the sleigh and set off, he needs to make sure everyone’s holiday spirit is in tip-top shape. With the help of some of the North Pole’s finest elves, everyone’s holiday spirit will be put to the ultimate test. This one-of-a-kind Christmas show presented at the Lakeside Showplace is guaranteed to get you in the Christmas spirit.
The miracle of the Nativity of Christ
Miracle of Christmas at Wild Adventures is a captivating Christmas musical that tells the timeless story of Mary and Joseph’s journey. With stirring performances and radiant melodies, this musical extravaganza captures the true spirit of Christmas and invites audiences of all ages to experience the wonder and joy of the season.
Christmas Tasting Card
No Christmas celebration is complete without delicious holiday treats. Special Christmas menu items will be available throughout the park, including Pot Roast Sweet Potato Fries, Cherry BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders, Coffee S’mores, Apple Cinnamon Funnel Cake and more. Over 20 holiday items will be available. Guests can enjoy five Christmas food items and unlimited Coca-Cola fountain products for one low price with the purchase of a Christmas Tasting Card.
Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright also features other entertainment and shows throughout the park, including “Holiday Voices,” live musical performances of timeless carols, and “Holly Frostington’s Elf Training Academy,” a whimsical show that allows children in the audience to show off some of their holiday skills. Guests can also enjoy Zookeeper Talks to learn about red lemurs, pet farm animals at the Liberty Farms Petting Zoo and feed giraffes at the Giraffe Overlook.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright is the biggest holiday event we’ve ever put on in our 27-year history,” Vige said. “We aimed to create an unforgettable Christmas experience for families in our region and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to get into the Christmas spirit at this event.”
Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright is expected to draw visitors from across Georgia, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina, providing opportunities for traveling families to enjoy other holiday activities available in the Lowndes-Valdosta area.
“Valdosta and Lowndes County is a great Christmas destination,” said Adam Floyd, director of sales and marketing. “Throughout the community, from Valdosta State University to the massive Greater Valdosta Community Christmas Parade, Christmas shines bright in Valdosta.”
Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright runs selected days until December 31st. A complete calendar of operating days and hours is available at WildAdventures.com/Calendar.
“Of course, the best way to visit Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright is with a 2024 Season Pass,” Floyd said. “Passes for 2024 are now on sale and you can visit now for Christmas and return throughout next season. So you get this Christmas, next Christmas and everything in between.”
For more information about the Days of Thanks food drive, Wild Adventures Christmas Wild & Bright, the Christmas Tasting Card or Season Passes, visit WildAdventures.com.
Wild Adventures Theme Park is located halfway between Atlanta, Georgia and Orlando, Florida. off Interstate 75 and is home to more than 35 family and thrill rides, hundreds of exotic animals, dozens of concerts and special events each year, and Splash Island Waterpark, named one of the “Top 30 Water Parks” in the country by the U.S. News and World Report. Wild Adventures has been ranked as one of America’s Most Affordable Theme Parks by Travel + Leisure, one of the Top 10 Most Affordable Water and Theme Parks in the US by AOL.com, and Top Theme Park Deal in Georgia by Yahoo! Finance. In July, Wild Adventures was ranked the “#1 Theme Park in Georgia” by TripAdvisor.