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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

  • August 8, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by longwayfromhome from Boston, Massachusetts
San Diego Zoo

I love Zoos. Live for them. Being a Zoo fan, I've seen a lot of Zoos in my day but non of them were as impressive as the San Diego Zoo. Not only is this Zoo gigantic, the reason it's gigantic is that the Zoo gives each animal the living space it deserves. The animals are lively and exciting under these conditions and the San Diego weather is far from oppressive--which is great for the animals and the tourists eager to catch a glimpse of every single animal. I had a chance to see the Giant Pandas before they return back to China--there was a bit of a line but it moved very quickly.

My fiancee and I used our Go San Diego Cards to get into the park around noon--we got in quickly and the card also provided the Best Value Ticket. We had the chance to take the sky tram as well as take the Express Bus AND the Guided Bus Tour. At the end of the day we paid 5 dollars and paid to feed the giraffes and experience every individual should have the chance to try.

If it's around 75 degrees or so I recommend going at Noon instead of going at night--you have to park far away but you can eat before you go into the park and then again right after you leave. During the day you can spend your time in Balboa Park which surrounds the Zoo or the Gaslamp District which isn't that far away!

From journal Laid Back in Southern California

Editor Pick

San Diego Zoo

  • August 2, 2006
  • Rated 2 of 5 by Gracielou22 from Lewisbourough, Maryland
San Diego Zoo

Ever since I heard of its glory, I HAD to go to the San Diego Zoo. It was a must. My parents love to tell me how much I wanted to go there as a child, and now that I've been, I'm not sure why!

I visited the San Diego Zoo in mid-August of 2005. My friends and I hopped in our rental car and we all were so excited—none of us had been before. Upon entering the grounds, an amusement park-like atmosphere was all around us. balloons, big signs, and friendly employees greeted us at the gate. We were all ready to enjoy the trip.

Living near a large zoo, I guess my expectations were high, but the sad-looking animals and overcrowded walkways made the experience nearly unbearable. My local zoo (the National Zoo in Washington DC) had many of the same animals, all available for view for a minimal parking fee. Don't get me wrong, I'm still glad I went. The San Diego Zoo, however, did not stack up to my lofty expectations.

From journal SoCal Sojourn

San Diego Zoo

  • February 28, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by izrobertson from Ridgewood, New York
San Diego Zoo

There was a lot of construction when we went. The day we drove down to San Diego was beautiful. It's about 125 miles from Los Angeles, and took us about 2 hours. We took Route 1 for a large portion of the ride, then jumps on the highway. We stopped at the beach so that Gary could frolic in the sand. On the drive, you pass a military installation, and we caught a glimpse of their helicopters practicing some maneuvers. Coming from New York City, where we have the amazing Bronx Zoo, I wasn't impressed by the San Diego Zoo. Of course it was beautiful, and had a lot of animals, but it didn't feel different from any other zoo. The construction could have contributed to that feeling.

From journal Honeymoon, Part I - April 24 to 28, 2005

Editor Pick

San Diego Zoo

  • February 9, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by berky from Nepean, Ontario
San Diego Zoo

We were delighted to find on admission that Canadians receive a 25% discount on the “best value admission,” however, it is not advertised and one must ask. The best value includes a bus tour with guide, the express buses and aerial trams. Since the zoo is so large it is not a bad idea to have access to some of the on-site transportation as walking from area to area could eat up quite a bit of time and be exhausting for the elderly or little ones. The area has a fair number of hills, which can also be tiring especially if it were hot. Fortunately there are plenty of little snack shops and areas to rest under the shade.

The bus tour with the guide gave us a good overview of the entire park and helped us decide what “must-sees” were and what we could save for another visit. Even so, we spent a great deal of time looking at our map and somehow seeing some exhibits twice, while missing others altogether. There are several shows that take place at various times of the day as well as certain hours that animals are fed, so taking it all in can be challenging, and time is wasted doubling back. The shows are all entertaining and a good chance for a bit of a rest, but when they let out there is a huge crowd all heading for the same exhibits. On the day we went, there were armies of school children all wearing identical school uniforms—huge noisy mobs to contend with. Tel: (619)234 3153 Url: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/

From journal October--Marine Layer in the San Diego Area

Editor Pick

San Diego Zoo (The)

  • January 25, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by melissabowman from Stephenville, Texas
San Diego Zoo (The)

The San Diego Zoo was pretty unique. Comparing it to other zoos we have been to, it was not as great as I had heard people say it was. The atmosphere and the homes they made for the animals was great and much different than most zoos you go to, but I guess people talked it up so much to us that it still was not that impressive. We were a little disappointed by the lack of animals that we saw. It seemed like there were not that many out and the zoo was very hard to navigate, as you went back and forth.

What was neat was that they had the panda bears, but they really did not do anything--they just laid there. You don't really see panda bears at any other zoos. There were also a lot of pig- animals and deer-type animals. The most interesting animal was the giraffe.

There were lots of benches to sit and rest at, and also several little drink stops. It is gets very hot and there are not many shaded areas.

The zoo had this huge sand sculpture in the middle somewhere; it is all real sand, and it is huge.

The zoo provides a guided bus tour, Skyfari Aerial Tram, Balboa Park Miniature Railroad, and ENTCO Wild Earth Safari Ride. All of these can be added to the admission price.

I would recommend checking out the zoo, especially if you have kids, but I will not talk it up to anyone so you are not disappointed.

The zoos hours are:
Open daily and holidays from 9am-4pm

Admission is $22 for adults and $14.59 for children ages 3-11.

From journal Summer Vacation to Southern California

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