7 Tips for Visiting the San Diego Zoo

Planning a trip to the San Diego Zoo?

The world-famous San Diego Zoo is one of the top attractions for families in the San Diego area. It is conveniently located near downtown San Diego and offers visitors the chance to see exotic animals that are not commonly found in other zoos.

Our family recently made a return visit to the San Diego Zoo. Here are our top tips for planning a visit.

Avoid paying full price

There are lots of ways to save money when you visit the San Diego Zoo. Here are my go-to bargains.

• Get Away Today – This family-owned agency bundles my hotel and tickets for the lowest possible price. They also sell individual tickets to the San Diego Zoo and other popular Southern California parks for less than the official sites. Read to the end of this post to get a $25 coupon code.
• CityPASS – Save big at the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego, LEGOLAND California and Disneyland when you build your own ticket bundle at Southern California CityPASS
• Go San Diego Card – Save up to 55% when you buy a number of days or a number of attractions and choose from 35+ attractions with the Go San Diego Card.
• Visit in October – The San Diego Zoo and many other San Diego attractions have offer kids (ages 3-11) free admission with a paying adult during the month of October. This deal may not include all the amenities (like the tram) that are included in the regular ticket. Visit this post for more information.
• Check with your hotel – If you've already booked a hotel in San Diego, chances are that you can purchase discounted tickets from the front desk.

Pack a picnic

This isn't absolutely essential, since the San Diego Zoo has a variety of restaurants to choose from. However, it drives me crazy when I buy a pricey kids meal and then my child eats less than half of it. The San Diego Zoo allows you to bring in your own food, so save yourself some cash and fill a backpack with cheese slices, crackers, baby carrots, grapes, bottled water, cookies and trail mix, or something equally easy that your family will actually eat.

Arrive early

This is a good rule of thumb for nearly all attractions. When you arrive early at the San Diego Zoo, you get to enjoy popular exhibits without the crowds. Morning is a good time to visit favorite animals such as koalas, bears, lions and tigers because they are often more active in the morning.

Don't put off the pandas

Beat the crowds by visiting the pandas soon after the zoo opens. The panda exhibit is not as large as other popular exhibits, because there are only a few pandas. It is the only habitat at the San Diego Zoo that is built for lines. A member of the zoo staff is on hand at all times to talk about the pandas, and presumably, to keep the line moving. Panda crowds were not a problem on the October weekday we were there, but they could be a problem during weekends and school breaks.

Prioritize

The San Diego Zoo is large and few families will have the time or energy to see every animal exhibit, plus take the guided bus tour and see the shows. Early on, do a quick review of the zoo map and show schedule to make sure you see all of your priority exhibits.

Our top exhibits included koalas, pandas, elephants, polar bears, monkeys, gorillas, hippos, giraffes, lions and tigers. One full day was enough time to see all of these, and many interesting exhibits in between. We also rode the aerial tram one way and took the guided bus tour. We spent little time in the Children's Zoo and did not see any shows.

Pay attention to the plants

The San Diego Zoo is not just a home for exotic animals, but for exotic plants as well. It is a botanical garden with many beautiful flowers and unique varieties. The zoo grows its own bamboo for the pandas, as well as food for other animals throughout the zoo.

Save the bus tour for the afternoon

The guided bus tour is included with regular admission, so be sure to save time for it during your visit. It is a 35-minute narrated tour on a brightly painted open air, double-decker bus. There are a couple of good strategies for the bus tour:

1. Take the tour early in the day. Beat the crowds and get an overview of the zoo, so you know what to go back and see up close.
2. Take the tour in the afternoon. The best time to ride the bus is when your feet are tired.

I prefer #2. Early in the day when the family is fresh and crowds are lighter is the best time to walk around the zoo and see priority exhibits up close. The downside of this plan is that you might spend longer in the bus line. Buses load continuously all day, so you probably won't have to wait long. This is a good time to spend some of the money you saved by packing a lunch on a cold soda or treat.

The San Diego Zoo is one of our favorite attractions in San Diego. We also enjoyed the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which is located about 30 miles away. The Safari Park has some of the same animals as the San Diego Zoo, but offers some unusual zoo experiences as well. If your family loves zoos, you may want to enjoy both on the same trip.

Good to Know

Where: 2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park, just north of downtown San Diego

When: Year-round

How much: Tickets start at $56 for adults. Kids ages 0-2 get in free. See current prices and options at https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/tickets.

How long: One full day

Amenities: free parking, restaurants, stroller/wheelchair rental, lockers, backstage tours and special experiences are also available for an additional cost

Website: www.sandiegozoo.org

How else can I help?

Want to save money on your hotel and tickets? We recommend booking your San Diego trip with Get Away Today. Find a cheaper vacation package? They’ll beat the price by $10. Learn more about our partnership with Get Away Today here.

Save $25 on any San Diego vacation package of 2 nights or more that includes 2 tickets (San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, etc) when you use the coupon code SDFamily.

Allison

Hi there! I am the founder of Tips for Family Trips. I am a married mom of two children, ages 14 and 17, living near Salt Lake City, Utah. We took our first child on a two-week road trip when she was four weeks old and we have been traveling as a family ever since. We love to get out of the house to see and do fun things, both far away and in our own neighborhood.