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San Diego Zoo

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IWW639
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4 out of 5
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52
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Editor Pick

San Diego Zoo II (Attractions, Exhibits, and Dinin

  • March 2, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by thestickman23 from Saddle Brook, New Jersey
San Diego Zoo II (Attractions, Exhibits, and Dinin

The San Diego Zoo is jammed packed with informative exhibits and fun attractions for people of all ages. Like I said in my first essay though, be prepared to walk (unless you purchased the Express Bus pass). I highly recommend wearing rubber soled shoes because some of the exhibits are located on steep hills. You wouldn’t believe how many people wear high heels and dress shoes to the park. Don’t make the same mistake! Due to the immense size of the zoo and the limited space for me to write this essay I will tell you about my favorite attractions in the park.

Giant Panda Research Station - This is probably the most popular exhibit in the entire San Diego Zoo. Lines can be as long as a ½ hour or more to see these majestic animals. I have been to the zoo twice and the first time I went the pandas were all sleeping, but the second time one of the large males was eating bamboo right in front of the crowd. It was amazing to see how easily they rip off the bark of the bamboo to get to the meaty inside. Not many zoos have a panda exhibit, so I highly recommend visiting this area.

Polar Bear Plunge - What is a polar bear doing in sunny San Diego? At this exhibit the polar bears seem to be even happier than they would be in their natural habitat. Wouldn’t you if you were waited on hand and foot by the caring zoo staff? Walk down to the underwater viewing for a super close look at these graceful predators. I can swear you that they swim up to the glass to check out the guests.

Gorilla Trails - This exhibit is also one of the more popular attractions in the zoo. I recommend trying to squeeze your way up to the glass, so you can view how social these gorillas really are. Some of the gorillas like to sleep and play right next to the glass. I saw a couple grooming each other, along with a very playful baby gorilla trying  to play with his sleeping mother. The exhibit held at least ten gorillas in all; I could truly spend the whole day here observing these interesting animals.

Albert’s Restaurant - Tired of walking and want to be waited on in a comfortable dining area? Located in the Treehouse complex outside of the Gorilla Trails is Arthur’s. Arthur’s is a full service restaurant that features salads, meats, fresh fish and pastas, where you can sit either inside in a comfortable dining room or outside like us, on their open-air deck. Believe it or not the food is not bad. I had the fresh fish sandwich, if I am not mistaken the fish that day was grouper. The grouper was flaky and moist and the accompanying spicy herb mayo meshed well with the subtle flavor the fish.

From journal La Jolla (the Jewel)

Editor Pick

San Diego Zoo I (Location, Admission and Hours)

  • March 2, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by thestickman23 from Saddle Brook, New Jersey
San Diego Zoo I (Location, Admission and Hours)

When visiting the San Diego area for the first time, it is essential to make an appearance at the San Diego Zoo . The zoo is situated in Balboa Park and is about a 15 – 20 minute ride from La Jolla. There are a couple of different admission passes you can purchase to get into the Zoo. The most complete pass is the "Best Value Admission", around $33 for adults and $22 for children. This is the pass that my wife and I chose because you get unlimited use of the guided bus tour, express bus and the skyfari aerial tram. You can also choose to purchase the "Admission Only" pass at $22.75 for adults and $15.50 for children (3-11).

Let me explain why you should purchase the "Best Value Admission". First, you will save money in advance if you decide to go on any of these attractions when already in the park. Secondly, the San Diego Zoo is a lot of walking. The guided bus tour is a great way to browse the park and get a narrated tour of many of the popular attractions. The express bus is great because this bus will take you to different areas of the Zoo. The express bus has designated stops and the bus usually stops at these areas every 15 minutes or so. Lastly, the skyfari aerial tram will take you from the top of the park to the bottom, and it is also a great way to get a bird’s eye view of the Zoo (great photo opportunities).

The hours of operation at the San Diego Zoo vary by season, but the Zoo is open everyday of the week, including major holidays. The usual park hours are between 9am and 4pm – 7pm. Believe it or not the parking area for the Zoo is FREE!!! Yes, FREE!!! There is plenty of parking outside the zoo, we arrived when the park was opening and got a great spot right by the front gates.

My favorite attractions and dining options are listed on my second San Diego Zoo review.

From journal La Jolla (the Jewel)

San Diego Zoo

  • February 3, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by jgalal from Fairfield, California

The zoo was great but it is larger than you think. Make sure you invest in the bus ticket. We did not and we certainly got our exercise. We went in thinking it was a zoo and why need to spend extra money to have a bus tour you around and let you out at different spots? Well for one thing the polar bear plunge is up a huge and steep hill. Fine for healthy young adults but not for small kids or pushing a stroller. There are more animals and exhibits here than you would imagine. The best were the panda bears. There was a small wait to see them but it was really very short. I once waited much longer to see the pandas that were visiting at the San Francisco zoo. We even got to see a baby.

This was also a good place to buy souvenirs in San Diego. The gift shop was well priced and had lots of stuff for the kids. They even had a picture maker kiosk and were able to make prints off my camera right there. The zoo also had a small kiddy train that the kids enjoyed. The zoo sits in the middle of Balboa park which is home to many more places you can visit if you have the time. There are many museums in the area. We initially did not know if we would have time to visit the zoo during the length of our trip but we made the time and it was worth it. Especially for kids or anyone with an interest in animals.

From journal Trip to San Diego

San Deigo Zoo

  • August 21, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by shwijo from Redlands, California
It's a fun experience for people of all ages. The only downside to going is the fact there are many hills to walk up and down. The animals are usually active during the day.

From journal Stay Classy San Diego

San Diego Zoo

  • August 20, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by christinezoo from West Jordan, Utah
San Diego Zoo

It is a zoo with a wide variety of animals. When we went they had some rare panda bears. The best thing to do is to buy the pass that includes a gondola ride over the zoo and unlimited use of the tour bus. There are double-decker buses that take you through the zoo. If you have kids, it is great when they get tired of walking.

From journal San Diego, California

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