My Favorite Zoo: The San Diego Zoo
Written: May 01 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pandas and Koala bears!
Cons: Pricey admission and extras
The Bottom Line: A great variety of animals in a world famous setting, what more can a zoo-goes ask for?
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| BeastieGirl's Full Review: San Diego Zoo |
When planning a family vacation to Southern California recently, I had only one special event request- to take almost two-year-old Little Girl to the San Diego Zoo. I had gone countless times as a young child , so not only did I want to share a bit of my own personal experiences with her, but there’s no better place to see exotic animals all in one place. Although I believe there are some definite improvements that could be made, The San Diego Zoo is still one of the most beloved zoos of all time.
Getting There, Parking and Admission
There are some signs directing you towards the zoo from the major freeways, but overall, I thought the signage could have be better- bring a map or get directions before you go! The good news is, once you get there, parking is free! There is no parking lot tram, or anyone really directing traffic, so if you park far away from the zoo entrance, you’ll just have to hoof it (excuse the pun).
Once you get to the entrance, you’ll find ticket boots with a number of multi-park, multi-day passes. We were there only for the zoo and for one day, so we bought a one-day ticket for $22 each. Children under 3 are free, so we scored again! You can also purchase an admission ticket plus a bus tour for only $10 more, which I would definitely advise if you a) don’t want to walk too much and b) want to see a lot in a short amount of time.
We wanted to take our time and get closer to the animals than on the bus, however, we did not realize that the bus has several stops that you can get off and on again at your convenience. So if you want to spend more time checking out the elephants, you can get off the bus you are on and get back on any other bus that comes by. Of course, I thought saving $10 per person was better- oh well, hind sight is 20/20.
Our favorite exhibits
Little girl has been in a monkey craze lately, ever since we purchased the Jack Johnson Curious George soundtrack. She went apes (oh my gosh, I can’t stop with the stupid puns!) over the monkeys, although the Orangutans scared her a little bit, because they were so big and had such long fur! The monkeys had large areas to climb and swing from and there were great views from all different angles.
The elephants were a big hit- we saw some zookeepers cleaning out the area and hiding treats for them in large “Kong”-type toys. We had a great time watching the elephants maneuver their trunks so well.
Of course, nothing tops the Panda Bears! I remember when the first two pandas were brought over “on loan” from China in 1987. The lines were over an hour long to see them- thank goodness we didn’t have to wait on this most recent trip!! We saw the baby cub born at the San Diego Zoo, playing high in the bamboo. Two other Pandas sleeping peacefully was still fun to watch. The viewing area was great, since there were several zookeepers to keep the crowd moving and quiet (signs were also up asking for quiet since the Pandas sleep most of the time).
Little Girl’s favorite exhibit seemed to be the Koala Bears. There were several eucalyptus trees with Koalas sleeping in them, as well as trees behind plexiglass with even more Koalas for a little bit closer viewing.
Other exhibits
Of course, there were many other animal exhibits, such as the polar bears, giraffes, panthers, bears, and camels to view. While some exhibits seemed quite small, they were all clean and the animals appeared well cared for. What I missed from all the exhibits were detailed information signs about the animals, their natural habitats and interesting details. They did all have the animal names and where they stood in the possibility of becoming extinct.
Gift Shops and Propaganda
The gift shops were everywhere- outside every major exhibit. The Panda and Koala Bear exhibits seemed to be the most ridiculous- blatant marketing towards young children. T-shirts, stuffed animals, mouse pads and ball caps were just a few of the items to be found (at high prices) next to all the major exhibits. We didn’t end up buying anything from the zoo, with the exception of those “Make Your Own Penny” presses- all of $.51. I think I felt too inundated with merchandise, so that it was such an obvious “tourist trap”, I just could not participate.
Food and snacks
There were several different stops for food throughout the park- none of them very high quality and all overpriced. But you have to expect this a little. The San Diego Zoo is world famous. The best way for them to make money is to jack up the prices of soda pop and serve sub-par food- who cares? There is some variety of food, but not a lot- hot dogs, popcorn, Mexican food and ice-cream. We carried a back pack into the park with snacks for Little Girl and no one said anything, so if you want to avoid paying the high prices, I did not see any signs saying this wasn’t ok. We did buy some sodas at $4.00 each, however refills were only $1, so all in all, it seemed like an OK deal.
What else to do?
The San Diego Zoo has a skyway, the Skyfari Aerial Tram, to transport guests from one end of the zoo to the other. If you have purchased the $32 admission ticket, you can also access the skyway. If not, you will have to pay for a ticket for $3 per person. This is a great way to see the layout of the zoo, as well as catch a glimpse of Balboa Park. There is also a petting zoo area, for the curious youngsters, although we actually did not have time to get there (since we only did the walking tour, you see).
Touring the zoo with children in strollers
The zoo has strollers that can be rented, as well as wheelchairs- but if you do not opt for the bus tour, beware! There are lots of hills throughout the park- some very steep- so steep there are moving walkways to bring you uphill. Although everything is wheelchair and stroller accessible, that does not mean it will be easy! Another thing that I noticed was that the views of many exhibits were not all that visible for children in strollers. Luckily we brought our own stroller which actually converts into a backpack, so Little Girl had a perfect view of everything. Had we not brought this stroller, we would have been doing a lot of lifting and carrying on shoulders!
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed all the animal exhibits, especially the rare Pandas. The San Diego Zoo may be considered over-rated by some, but their research has really made a lot of progress, including the first ever panda to be born in captivity in North America. Except for a gathering around the hippos, the crowds were very minimal and as huge as the zoo feels, we were able to see a lot in one day. The facilities could be updated a little to make the cost of admission not seem so steep, but after seeing some of the rarest animals on the planet, it’s a price I’m willing to pay.
Recommended:
Yes
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