When Tim and I were newlyweds, we had the opportunity to take a tour of the San Diego Zoo thanks to his Aunt Robyn. That was 14 years ago, and I have been to quite a few zoos since then, but no zoo has even come close to being as awesome as the San Diego Zoo. So as we planned our winter vacation to southern California, we knew that seeing the San Diego Zoo with kids would be a must, as experiences like that are only heightened with little ones around.Earlier this week we picked up our tickets provided by the zoo and had an absolutely marvelous time! I want to show you a little peek at some of the gems inside the park, as well as some tips based on our experience.

1. Spend time studying the map before you go

The San Diego Zoo is HUGE (100 acres!) and there isn’t one simple loop to walk on to catch it all. You are going to have to do some degree of backtracking, but you can limit just how much of that you do by making a basic plan of action ahead of time. We had no plan, and so we criss-crossed the zoo a lot and wore ourselves out a bit sooner than I had hoped. I think we could have stayed longer with a better plan. Learn from our mistake!

2. Take advantage of the free rides

Included with your admission ticket are complimentary rides on a 35 minute double-decker bus tour as well as an aeriel tram. Both options are located very near the entry to the park. We started with the bus tour and got to see a great number of animals from the comfort of our seats. I think another strategy that would work well is to start your day in the park by taking the tram, which takes you from the bottom of the park over to the top of the park, and then walking back down from there. Either way, save your legs a bit of work! And the tram ride gives you some pretty incredible views, too.

3. Lots of hills!

The San Diego Zoo is a very hilly place, and even if you take the tram ride up and walk down, you won’t completely avoid some steep climbs. Fortunately, the zoo map designates a degree of difficulty for each path, which is especially nice to see if you have multiple generations touring the park together, or if someone in your party simply can’t navigate a steep climb for any number of reasons.  I don’t want to give the wrong impression here, as it’s not like mountain climbing or anything, but if you will be pushing a stroller, I thought you’d appreciate the heads up. 😉

4. Lots of shade!

One of the things I learned on our bus tour is that the San Diego Zoo is also considered a botanical garden, and it has over 1,000 species of plants (some endangered!) growing on the premises. That means that you get to benefit from tremendous amounts of shade, as well as lots of beautiful scenery, in addition to one of the most amazing collections of creatures on earth.

5. Lots of (touchable) statues!

I believe I heard that there are over 100 life-size statues of animals throughout the park, and they are designed to be admired AND touched (or even climbed on). This makes for lots of fun little breaks for kids all over the park, as they cannot resist climbing on the back of a gorilla, polar bear or hippo. It also makes for many cute photo ops!

6. Don’t miss the aviaries

As I was looking over the park map on site and trying to figure out what to see and what to skip, I wasn’t feeling much of a need to go through the aviaries. I’ve seen colorful birds before, so no big deal, right? WRONG! Don’t miss this fun walk-through attraction. My crew wanted to do it, so I agreed to go. The above shot was taken without using zoom. Does that give you a sense for just how “up close and personal” you can get with these beautiful birds? Totally worth seeing!

7. Shh! Quiet around the pandas

When we went through the panda exhibit (which requires folks to take only a few pictures before moving on due to its popularity) I noticed that the keeper on sight was almost whispering. I believe someone in the audience coughed and then the panda quickly moved to try to hide from folks. It turns out that pandas are easily startled by loud noises. I don’t fault the person for coughing because that’s just life, but it definitely made it harder for me to get a really good view of one of the pandas. So do all your loud noise making before entering the exhibit to help increase your odds of getting a good shot!

8. Have your camera ready at all times

You never know when a sleeping animal might decide to wake up and move around a bit. That’s what happened with this polar bear, who had been snoozing on a log for quite some time that morning. We saw him sleeping when we drove by on the bus tour, and he seemed to be doing the same when we came back by on foot. But then, just like that, he was up and moving! You never know who is going to feel like strutting when you walk past their homes, so just be ready. Bring a back up battery for your phone if you are taking photos that way.

9. Backstage Pass The zoo offers a backstage pass opportunity to up to 40 people each day. You get to touch a number of animals and you get to take a photo while standing near a cheetah (but no touching that one!). Tim and I mulled over doing this, but for us, it was quite pricey (it costs $115 per person if you purchase it on site and $105 if you reserve your spot online in advance…and this is on top of your zoo admission price for the day). Our oldest is borderline obsessed with cheetahs, but upon hearing that the zoo cannot guarantee the appearance of any animal and when considering the fact that our oldest might very well be too nervous to pet the animals that can be petted, we decided to pass. Also note, you have to be at least 5 to participate, so if you have a preschooler or younger in your crew, someone will have to sit out and go do something else with that child.

But here’s the fun part. We happened to be in the area where the backstage pass was happening (it’s right across from the cheetah exhibit) and there are a few spots in the foliage where you can peek through. We had the best luck ever, as we were walking past while the cheetah was out with her best buddy, a dog. It was NOT as cool as if we were watching it up close, but it was the next best thing, and it didn’t cost anything at all.

10. Stuffed animal fan? Don’t miss the kid shop

There are scores of little shops all around the zoo, but if you are looking for a super cool stuffed animal (or a lovey, as we call it) then you need to go to the kid store that is close to the entrance of the zoo. Go into the back section and there you will find the absolute best collection of zoo animal plushes you have ever seen in your life. Stuffed animals were my favorite as a child, so I’m a total pushover when my girls ask for new stuffed animals. I knew I’d be treating them to something, and I was SO excited by the number of options they had in the $8.99-$14.99 range. It was a bit of a challenge for me to not get a lovey for myself, but I resisted. Definitely don’t miss this spot before you leave.

The San Diego Zoo was a wonderful experience. I hope some of my tips will help you have a great time there with your kids! And if you can’t visit just yet, be sure to follow them on Instagram. They have a fantastic account, and you can see some amazing shots of the wildlife at the zoo from the comfort of your own home!