One of metro Detroit’s most beloved holiday season attractions is now nationally famous.

On Friday, the Detroit Zoo’s Wild Lights was ranked by the voting public as #9 on USA Today’s list of America’s 10 Best Zoo Lights.

“We just found out this week,” said Zoo senior director of guest experience Emily O’Hara, “and we were thrilled to know that, while our metro Detroit audience knows Wild Lights and has loved it for over a decade now, we’re seeing it on the national stage now.”

Wild Lights includes over 5 million LED lights in festive design arrangements perfect for visitors of any age looking to get in the seasonal spirit. Between 120,000 and 140,000 holiday revelers tour through the exhibition annually, and to date this year, more than 20,000 have already enjoyed the festivities.

The entire undertaking is handled by a team of just 13 Zoo staff.

“We usually start the last week of July, and we install until opening, which is the week before Thanksgiving,” said O’Hara. “We start uninstalling the day after we close in January, and we’re usually uninstalling into the beginning of April.

Along with the return of Santa Claus for photo ops, this year adds new elements such as glow swings and a glow teeter-totters in the glow play area. Also, an enchanted trail with an interactive sound and light wall is new this year.

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“We try to add more and more interactive components each year,” O’Hara said, “because we really see guests gravitating to those area. In addition, we have tons of photo ops, like a giant teddy bear. We have a holiday train. We also have a plan that you can climb into and get your photo taken, alongside all of our animal sculptures; being the Detroit Zoo, we really want to emphasize connecting guests to animals as they’re thinking about their holiday season, as well.

“And the footprint for Wild Lights changes every year, so even if you’ve visited Wild Lights in the past, it’s going to be a new experience this year. We encourage past visitors to come back.”

For those hesitant about venturing out into the cold, O’Hara offered reassurance.

“I know folks are coming across winter as a surprise,” she said. “The cold settling into our bones – we’re never ready for it after summer warmth, but I do want to reassure folks that as they’re coming through Wild Lights, we have warming stations. We have the lodge, which is a cool place to hang out, with live music and hot chocolate. Also, in our Ford Education Center, you can see a showing of ‘Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ in 4D, and we have an art exhibition going on in there where you can thaw out and look at photography mostly from Africa.”

Most of all, O’Hara said, the Zoo is grateful to its fans who boosted it into USA Today’s top ten.

“We want to say thank you,” she said. “We really pride ourselves on our relationship with the community and what we’re able to bring to this region, and we are so thankful that the community has rallied around us to show that again on the national stage. Detroit is here, and we have amazing, wonderful things to offer. We’re so excited to be a part of this area.”

Wild Lights runs through Jan. 5 at the Detroit Zoo, 8450 W. Ten Mile Rd., Royal Oak. Tickets and information are available at detroitzoo.org/wild-lights. General admission packages range from $17 to $25, based on the time and day of visit. Guests can take their visit to the next level by purchasing additional ticket packages, including the Picnic Package, which includes an endless food buffet and exclusive access to Table 28.

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.