EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
Travel
|
||||
|
San Diego’s animals embraceable – and endangered One of the many young visitors on a recent San Diego Zoo visit wants to be a wildlife anthropologist when he grows up. He may have to hurry. Zoos, particularly one of America’s best in San Diego, show in detail the vulnerability facing numerous species in their natural habitat. In fact, “vulnerability” is one of the key words. Almost to a one during a recent visit that included my wide-minded, 8-year-old son, every animal’s description included the word “vulnerable,” which is pretty bad, or “endangered,” which is worse. Overpopulation, hunting, loss of natural land, and agricultural encroachment into forested areas are among the main threats worldwide. These facts don’t take away from the true enjoyment of the San Diego Zoo – one of Southern California’s must-see visits. It just brings home the reality of mother earth. How to visit the zoo While it is difficult to take in the entire zoo on a single day, there are ways to navigate the surprisingly hilly terrain to make your family want to come back the next day. Remember, this is among the largest of all zoos, caring for more than 4,000 animals representing 800 different species. To plan your trip, print out a copy of the map from the zoo’s website and plot your course beforehand. Also, if you take the tram around, remember to plan to ride it to the exhibits uphill, so you can relax and walk to others downhill. We began our day by heading straight for the pandas. There is always a line, and an admonition to keep quiet, but visitors are moved quickly in and out of the panda area. Don’t despair. Even the longest line should only hold you up for a few minutes. It is worth the wait, because unless you plan a trip to China, missing these beautiful creatures is like missing ice cream. One of the world’s most embraceable animals (don’t try this is real life) brings out the smiles and the cameras. In Cat Canyon, we lucked out during a visit to a black jaguar’s cage. An employee brought lunch – “it’s rib day” – and that made the cat very happy. While in this area, also visit the snow leopard and the lynx. Another key trip is a wander down the Tiger River area en route to the Ituri forest, the latter of which mimics the rainforest in central Africa. Besides the Malaysian tigers, we happened upon two hippos, posing underwater and poking their nostrils up for air every couple of minutes. Don’t know who looked more relaxed – these two or the rhino we visited a couple of hours later. Among other highlights during our 6-hour visit: a pair of lionesses and their neighbor, the otter, and a huge Alaskan Peninsula Brown Bear named “Sparky.” Use the required lunch break to rest your feet. A good choice for families with littlechildren in hand is the Treehouse Café. It also is fairly centrally located. The Children’s Zoo, near the entrance, is well worth the visit for children ages 12 and under. And, it is near the Skyfari Aerial Tram. Take the tram to the far side of the zoo and get a picture-perfect view of the entire zoo as well as glimpses of other parts of Balboa Park. There are a number of shows each day and a special daily handout will give you clues. We wrapped the day at the Hunte Amphitheater for “The Wild Ones” show. Here we met a friendly emu, a beautiful Arctic wolf, and a cranky, and rare, clouded leopard. We took the aerial tram back to near the zoo’s entrance, and called it a day.m IF YOU GO: The San Diego Zoo is located on Zoo Drive in Balboa Park, just north of downtown San Diego along Park Avenue. The zoo opens daily at 9 a.m.; closing depends on the season. Admission ranges from $22-$32 for adults; $14.50-$19.75 for children ages 3-11. For price breakdowns, including a two-park ticket that includes nearby Wild Animal Park, go to: sandiegozoo.org/zoo/hours.html Members have unlimited admission to the zoo as well as the Wild Animal Park. Information: sandiegozoo.org or 619.231.0251. WHERE TO STAY: Every couple of years we take the family to the Hotel del Coronado, only about 15 minutes from the San Diego Zoo and downtown San Diego. For couples and for families, the hotel is a grand staging area for the entire San Diego area. Or, it is the perfect resort for those who don’t want to move much over a couple of days. Besides the history of the place, the hotel has one of California’s nicest beaches, nearby restaurants that are reasonably priced (on Orange Avenue within easy walking distance, you can grab bagels and coffee to take back to the room at Bruegger’s, go to Villa Nueva Pastry Café, 956 Orange Ave., for omelets, or to Costa Azul Coronado, 1031 Orange Ave., for a fine Mexican dinner.) The hotel has fresh coffee and an ice cream parlor on the premises, a summer kids camp, plus its famous Sunday brunch. A new spa area was being built while we visited in April, the result of which will expand those opportunities. While at the hotel, use the pool, walk the walk on the beach, and let the kids play in the sand dunes. Information: hoteldel.com or 800.hoteldel |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This ArticleSEARCH THE SITE
