How to Enjoy a Trip to the San Diego Zoo

Beginning as a small collection of the 1915 Pan-Cal Expo's castaway wildlife and flora, the San Diego Zoo has grown over the past 100 years into a collection of more than 4,000 animals and 800 different species.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Sign up for the weekly San Diego Zoo newsletter online and get to know the zoo intimately before your trip. Recorded videos and live cameras allow an online visitor to watch their favorite animals and learn about their daily activities. Meeting that animal face-to-face at the zoo adds to the joy of the trip for young and old.

2. Spend a long lunch sitting in the treetops at the Gorilla Tropics Tree House. Open-air seating is available for the ultimate gorilla-watching experience.

3. Check the schedule and take the family to one of the special animal shows at the San Diego Zoo. Attend both shows and see the sea lions and the predator-and-prey combination.

4. Climb aboard any one of the available forms of transportation at the San Diego Zoo for an easy trip around Balboa Park. Take a guided bus tour on the double-decker buses, grab the express bus, relax on the mini-railroad or get adventurous on an African safari ride.

5. Surprise a son or daughter with a summer-night sleepover for them and some friends at the San Diego Zoo. They will experience the nocturnal activity of the monkeys, reptiles, gorillas and other animals that many visitors never get to see.

6. Attend any one of the special events held at the San Diego Zoo. Enjoy a soothing concert on zoo grounds, learn more about a favorite animal during awareness week or begin a family tradition by visiting the San Diego Zoo on a special holiday.

7. Send the animal lover in the house to the zoo's summer camp for kids from kindergarten through seventh grade. If summer is not a good time, classes are available during winter and spring months as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy a 3-for-1 Pass and see the San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal Park and Sea World.
• Plan enough travel time if visiting the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park in one day. They are 35 miles apart, but many visitors think they are on the same grounds.