The city of San Diego may be found at Southern California's coast; inland it border with Tijuana, Mexico. A balmy climate, white beaches, and many tourist attractions make it a prime destination for many a vacation bound family. Of course, San Diego could very easily be considered the family vacation capitol of all of Southern California, especially since it is far enough away from the empty glitz and rambunctious nightlife of Los Angeles to be a metropolis in its own right.
San Diego is home to the world-famous San Diego Zoo - which is considered by many to be one of the world's largest and well kept zoos. If your travel plans take you to this fair city, you would miss out greatly if you were not to put it on your itinerary. Be sure to leave yourself plenty of time, since this is not the kind of zoo you can visit and walk through in a couple of hours.
As a matter of fact, did you know that the San Diego Zoo takes up more than one hundred acres of space? It is true! The sheer size of the zoo, coupled with the many animal species on display, make it an all-day event that will keep every member of the family entertained.
With support of the city of San Diego, its zoo has found worldwide renown due to its firm belief in exhibiting animals in pens and landscapes that closely mimic the animals' natural habitats rather than cages or obviously manmade enclosures constructed of concrete and steel. Of course, the balmy climate of San Diego lends itself to the open-air enclosures that the zoo so greatly values.
So what can you expect to see when you visit the zoo? Well, if you plan to make it a full day event, you will be rewarded with spectacular nighttime attractions which will keep the zoo open to visitors until 9:00 in the evening. Considering that a good many of the animals are actually nocturnal, you will not want to miss out on the chance to watch them wake up and move around and do all the things you were not able to see while watching them snooze during the day. In addition to the animal exhibits that you may visit, the overall atmosphere of the zoo takes on a rather festive air when the lights come on, and suddenly the whole area seems to become a big outdoor party.
Adding to this wonderful atmosphere is the zoo's idea to invite musicians and other performers to come and regale visitors. In a non-intrusive manner the famous Bayou Brothers Band has been retained for the summer of 2006 to showcase their traditional and old fashioned version of southern blues. Yet, don't think that this is a sit-down occasion only! Far from it, they are expecting the kids to get up and get moving with hula hoops, and various other implements.
Speaking of entertainment for children, the children's zoo portion once again will host educational and entertaining performers who will allow the kids to get closer to the wildlife - all under safe and experienced supervision that is!
Because of the many stages and amphitheatres that have been cleverly incorporated into the zoo's design many shows can go on simultaneously without encroaching on each other or the quiet zoo enjoyment of visitors who do not wish to participate. So go ahead and put the zoo on your agenda - you will be glad you did!