EASTON, Pa. — Standing outside Easton City Hall on Friday morning, it was tricky to tell who was more excited about the chance to see wild animals in 3D — the kids or the adults.
With dozens of people eagerly awaiting the grand opening of Hologram Zoo Lehigh Valley, the anticipation was palpable.
Individuals and families looked forward to scenes of digital animals from across the globe reaching out to touch them.
The attraction features a 62-foot tunnel with digital displays, two animal enclosures and a sky roof, all of which allow visitors with 3D glasses to see the spectacle of wild fauna at play.
“We’re really grateful for the space. This was definitely our choice destination, for sure, and we're just excited to be a part of the historic downtown."Hologram Zoo Lehigh Valley's Manpreet Patel
The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through the end of August.
From September through April, the attraction will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Sporting huge smiles and surprised expressions, visitors were delighted to see gigantic giraffes reach out their long necks to inspect curious onlookers, and watch as a school of fish swam overhead on the skyroof.
Building a daytime economy
Easton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Caitlin Hamlin kicked off the event, congratulating Harshal and Manpreet Patel, the backers of the project, on the opening and welcoming to their new permanent home in Easton.
“As some of you may know, the Hologram Zoo Lehigh Valley is the first of its kind in the northeastern United States, with only one other in the country," Hamlin said.
"So we're truly making history here today, which I think is pretty cool.”
Hamlin even cracked a joke about the city needing a little more history.
Hamlin said there will be plenty of opportunities for visitors to “walk with the elephants, come face-to-face with a T-Rex and explore the natural habitats that these animals lived in.”
She thanked the rest of the chamber for helping make the zoo happen, along with officials from the city, the Easton Business Association and the Easton Main Street Initiative.
State Rep. Bob Freeman, Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. and a representative from Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure’s office also were on hand to congratulate the Patels and celebrate the opening.
“What I'm really looking forward to is bringing more people into Easton, and I think that the really important thing is our daytime economy needed something," Panto said.
"We have a great nighttime economy, but we don't have a good daytime economy. It's getting better, and the Hologram Zoo who make it even better than that."
'Animals just popping out at you'
Manpreet Patel spoke just before the official ribbon cutting, commending city officials and other parties who made the project a reality.
“None of this would have been possible without the sacrifices that our friends and family members have made," she told the crowd.
"And I also just want to thank all of you for coming out here and supporting us.”
As people passed through the spectacles in small groups separated by a timer, the Patels watched while the public got its first taste of a holographic zoo.
Manpreet Patel said she began manifesting the project last June, and made it a priority to bring it to fruition by July 2025.
“We’re really grateful for the space," she said. "This was definitely our choice destination, for sure, and we're just excited to be a part of the historic downtown.
"The city has been very supportive and helpful so we weren't lost in the process. I could say we were guided pretty well.
“And overall, I'm very pleased with the people that we're working with, the space that we have, and then all the support that we're getting from the community."
She said numerous people already had taken a test run through the zoo, “from the very young to the elderly, and they have all been very thrilled and excited.”
The Patel’s 6 1/2-year-old son, Suhir, said he really enjoyed seeing the lions at the Hologram Zoo, and that he intended to help his parents with the attraction in the future — especially if he gets to pick the programming.
“I like the animals just popping out at you,” he said.
Mother and son Megan and Eli Lago described their first run through the zoo as “really cool,” with mom preferring the giraffes while Eli enjoyed the fish feature.
“It was a pretty neat experience — it was like, right in front of you,” Megan Lago said.
