San Diego Zoo

Ah, yes! The world famous San Diego Zoo! Unlike other so cal attractions (ahem, USC marching band), this is a real WORLD FAMOUS zoo. So I must give this place a rating of:

A

Out of all the zoos in the entire world, you must visit this one! Then purchase a pass to their sister park the wild animal park.

As far as zoos go, they've got everything. They got reptiles, monkeys, rhinos, giraffes, and even gigantic elephants. They also got a botanical gardens and several rare animals to check out. I love the panda exhibit. When we visited, one of the pandas was sleeping in a tree like a lazy person. It reminded me of a lazy red-head I know!

The Elephant Odyssey is new. It took them a couple of years to finish the place, but you can tell all the hard work that they have done. The elephant pen is huge! Theming is great, although you get see the speakers where they emit the bugs sounds. There was also a lion and a cheetah. For further pictures, you'll have to check out my facebook page. The zoo animals are on Day 2 of our trip.

Food was mediocre and pricey. To make up for it, the tram was excellent. There is this forty minutes double-decker bus tour that goes around the park. We had a special pass that paid for it, otherwise it's extra. However, it is well worth the price (whatever that may be). They take you pretty close the exhibits, plus if you're tired, it's a great place to simply relax and take in the scenery. The only other "ride" at the park is the skyfaria which is pretty much like the old Disneyland Skyway. It takes you over the park (and yes it's normally extra $$$) but the view from above is amazing! The ride really shows you how large the entire park is.

I must warn you, there is plenty of walking here, and none of the pathways are completely flat. For you sore soles, there are a couple of shows to check out. I didn't have time to see them, but they didn't look that exciting. There was a sealion show (Seaworld rip-off!) and a bird show (Universal rip-off). Even these shows are knock-offs of more popular shows at other theme parks, the real reason you came to the zoo isn't to visit these shows, but to see the animals in their natural habitat.

There are plenty of other museums to check out in the Balboa Park area of San Diego, but definitely check out the zoo if you have the time. Parking is free and the admission is negligible for such a memorable visit!