The Little Thing Called My Life: Places I've Been: San Diego Zoo

I don't live two hours away from just any old I zoo, I live two hours from the World Famous San Diego Zoo! This place is by far worth the money and the 2 hour drive, for that matter.

How I know we're almost there!

So worth it we have season passes. Dual passes (2 adults, 1 household) will cost you $109, which is only a little more than the 1-day ticket ($44) and is good at BOTH the Zoo and Safari Park for a whole year!

Unlike other theme/amusement parks in So Cal, these season passes don't have any blackout dates. Repeat, NO blackout dates! If you have a 1-day ticket you can always pay the difference (~$54) and 'upgrade' to the season pass.

Doesn't get very crowded (like at Disneyland) but it does get a little busier on the weekends. The weather is always nice but during the summer it gets pretty hot!! Definitely recommend good walking shoes- you will walk your butt off. Learned my lesson the hard way when I tried wearing flip flops to be 'cool' - my feet were dirty and they still hated me two days later.

Also something I've learned from numerous trips- bring your own lunch or at least a few snacks. You can bring whatever you can fit in your back pack; no coolers. Also good to note, no straws (something to do with the animals). If we don't have a big breakfast before leaving we'll bring a few PB&J's with us for when we get there. Some of my favorites to bring are Clif Bars, apples and tangerines. Healthy and easy to carry around all day. Best and cheapest spot we found to eat at- Poppy's Patio by the Children's Zoo. Stuff like Hebrew Nat'l hot dogs, french fries, nachos, chili cheese fries- not so healthy but really hits the spot. In fact, now that I think about it I don't remember anyone checking our backpacks or anything- just ID's for our passes.

If you're really looking to save money bring your own water bottle and just keep refilling it at the fountains around the park. I usually just bring 2 water bottles, one for me and one for the fiance and it works out fine.

Call me cheesy but I like getting the animal souvenir cups. $10 with 99 cent refills is okay with me for a cool cup. At one point I remember the refills being free but hey what are you gonna do about it? Another good reason to bring my own snacks is so that I don't feel so bad when I do wanna spend some money.

One of my favorite things to spend money on at the zoo- beer! Yes, beer. Think about it... after you make the long, uphill trek to the very back of the park -and I mean very back- past the elephants, past the lions and all the way at the end of the Artic... cold refreshing beer! Might I also add that the prices at this particular spot are about 50 cents cheaper then the other beer spots, not much but every penny counts right?

Cheers!

All this and I haven't even said anything about the reason for going to the zoo- the animals! Take the guided bus tour to see about 75% of the zoo so you can get an idea of what you wanna go back and see up close. I've learned to take advantage of the express bus; you can hop on or off at 5 different stops throughout the zoo with pick ups every 15 minutes. Top of the bus, right hand side is where to sit for maximum viewing pleasure.

There's so many animals that I love I could never pick a #1 favorite, but I can tell you which are my must see and why.

Big Cats
Big cats are probably the closest to being #1 if any thing else so, Big Cat Trail is always a must. Actually it's more like a must see at least twice to be satisfied. The big cats are more nocturnal animals so go to see them as late as possible for the most action. Although last time we went early and had perfect timing. The keeper was feeding them breakfast and we just happen to be there right when he was and kinda followed him exhibit to exhibit until he was out of food.

*Note- Not all big cats are on Big Cat Trail but still a must see!