DAY TRIP San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the world, with more than 4,000 animals on display. Its rich history dates back to the 1920s when a tract of land was initially set aside for the zoo’s formation.

The zoo is arranged in sections that feature species from different types of habitats. Exhibits range from gorillas living in an African rain forest to an Arctic tundra filled with polar bears. In addition to animals, the zoo also maintains an arboretum where it grows rare plants.

Nearby is the San Diego Wild Animal Park, which is a venue for viewing animals in a more expansive, natural surrounding. This park requires an extra ticket.

The zoo also runs the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Species, an institute which works to preserve and breed endangered species, among other tasks. The first two giant pandas born on U.S. soil were born at the zoo in 1999 and 2003, and the zoo currently has the largest population of giant pandas outside of mainland China.

LOCATION

The San Diego Zoo is located on Zoo Drive in Balboa Park, just north of downtown San Diego along Park Boulevard.

It takes about an hour and a half to get there from the Newport-Mesa area. Start out on CA-5 Freeway south and merge onto CA-805 Freeway south after about 50 miles. Then take Hwy. 163 south, exiting onto Washington Street. Turn left onto Ninth Avenue, left onto University Avenue, right onto Park Boulevard, and right onto Zoo Drive.

Park in the lot, but make sure to take a moment and survey the surroundings and memorize the number and animal demarcating the section in which you parked. The lot is enormous, and looking for a car after a day at the park can quickly turn into a nightmare.

ADMISSION

General admission for adults costs $24.50, and for kids it costs $16.50. The zoo spans more than 100 acres, but transportation around the grounds is available via buses and an aerial tram for an extra fee of $9.50 for adults and $7.50 for kids.

Parking at the zoo is free.

HOURS

The zoo is open every day of the week. Until Saturday it is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. From March 15 to March 30 it is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and for the rest of the spring, until June 26, it is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The park grounds do not close until an hour or two after the published times.

GUIDED BUS TOUR

A 35-minute guided tour of the zoo covers 75% of the grounds in a double-decker bus. Tickets for the bus can be purchased at the front gate and also include unlimited use of the express buses, which stop at five different locations throughout the park and allow passengers to disembark. These buses come every 20 minutes.

CURRENT FEATURED EXHIBITS

Nostalgic “Lion King” fans might enjoy the two 9-year-old spotted hyenas on display in the Bear Canyon exhibit. Hyenas are some of the fiercest predators in Africa, with powerful jaws capable of crushing bones, so petting the animals is strictly forbidden even for the zoo keepers.

A pair of grizzly bear brothers is also on display not far away. They are at their most entertaining when wrestling or hunting for the fish the zoo keeper hides in their habitat.

— Alan Blank