2011 California Adventure

snowleopard

snowleopard

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15+ year member
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I need some advice from ZooChatters, so please keep reading and feel free to pass on details to me...

The Snowleopard family is tentatively planning another road trip, and those familiar with my past threads will know that my wife and I saw 30 zoos/aquariums in the summer of 2008 and then another 39 zoos/aquariums in the summer of 2010 with our daughter along for that ride. This time around there will be 4 of us, and as long as finances and time permits then we are potentially embarking for a trip south for 3 weeks in August to tour around 15 zoos/aquariums. If we do go in August then my daughter will be just shy of 2 years of age, and my son (born on May 11th) will be around 3 months of age. Even if we have the money set aside for a long California vacation then we will have to access our mental mindset as travelling on a road trip with 2 kids under the age of 2 could be mind-blowing.:)

The goal is to drive through Washington and Oregon and then spend approximately 3 weeks in California. In the past we've already visited the 3 monster "San Diegos" (Zoo, Safari Park & Seaworld) as well as Los Angeles Zoo (very disappointing), San Francisco Zoo (even worse) and Monterey Bay Aquarium (America's 3rd best aquarium). For someone who has visited around 120 different zoos and aquariums, and with 100 of them being in either Canada or the United States, I've not been to that many California institutions. It's time to rectify that fact!

7 zoos to tour on this trip that I've never visited: Santa Barbara, Oakland, Fresno Chaffee, Sacramento, Santa Ana, Living Desert and Happy Hollow.

4 aquariums to tour on this trip that I've never visited: Aquarium of the Bay, Aquarium of the Pacific, Birch Aquarium and Steinhart Aquarium (inside the California Academy of Sciences).

4 places to visit that I've already seen: San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego Seaworld (we might possibly skip this one) and Monterey Bay Aquarium (excellent but we've already been twice in the past 5 years).

So that leaves 7 new zoos, 4 new aquariums and definitely San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park on this trip for a total of 13 establishments. Monterey Bay and Seaworld are question marks for now, especially considering the fact that San Diego Zoo will take at least 2 full days to tour with young children.

After this trip I will have seen at least 18 out of the 24 AZA-accredited institutions in California, and here are the 6 that are currently not on my list. Are any worth touring?

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - we will definitely not visit this place
Safari West Wildlife Preserve - crossed off the list
Sequoia Park Zoo - small and out of the way
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium - too specific and tiny and we might not have time to see every little zoo/aquarium in the state:)
CuriOdyssey - a definite possibility
Charles Paddock Zoo - a definite possibility

What I need to know are the approximate times that it would take to tour the 7 zoos that I've never seen, the 4 aquariums that I've never seen, or any of the 6 institutions that are possibilities. Almost all of those places can probably be seen in 3-4 hours or less...is that accurate? Any other suggestions? I'm open to ideas. Thanks!
 
You could easily combine the Santa Ana Zoo with the Orange County Zoo on the same day if you like. It's a very small zoo, but decent for what it is. They actually have a pretty good black bear exhibit.

From their website:

The Orange County Zoo is located inside beautiful Irvine Park in the city of Orange. The Zoo is nestled among the majestic 477 acre wilderness park.

The Zoo's focus is on animals and plants native to the southwestern United States. Animals on exhibit include black bears, mountain lions, bald eagle, island foxes, ocelot, red-tailed hawk, great horned owls, porcupine, coyotes, turkey vultures, coati and more. The zoo also features a barnyard with domestic goats, cheviot sheep, jacob sheep, pot-bellied pigs, doves and pheasants.

Orange County Zoo - Admission Fee:
$2.00 per person ages 3 years and over; Ages 2 years and under are free

Entry Fee for Irvine Regional Park:
$3.00 per vehicle weekdays & $5.00 per vehicle weekends (Major Holidays: $7.00 to $10.00 per entry as posted)
 
If you are going to Chaffee (Fresno), I would suggest combining it with Project Survival Cat Haven, which is in the foothills above Fresno and is just a few miles from the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park. If time permits, a day in the adjoining Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks is well worth it.

Project Survival: wildlife conservation, wildlife foundation, wildlife adoption

If you want to just tick off cat species, I would also recommend Exotic Feline Breeding Compound. Just do not expect much in the way of enclosures or visitor amenities. (This one will take one hour max).

:: The Cat House ::

The other possibility (and the only one of the three I have not been to) is California Living Museum in Bakersfield. You could probably do it and Feline Breeding Compound on the same day.

KCSOS : CALM : California Living Museum Home Page
 
Of the zoos you haven't visited, I would suggest the Living Desert as by far the best of the bunch, followed by Oakland.

Fresno and Sacramento are not worth going out of your way (i.e. inland) to see, although in the future the Chaffee zoo seems like it could be transformed into an excellent zoo (they have major funding and a creative director).

Safari West is actually a pretty good experience, although pricey. The best way to do it is to stay overnight in one of their safari tents.

Curiodyssey is a very pedestrian "junior museum" with a fancy new name.

Of the aquariums, Long Beach and Steinhart should be your top priorities.
 
Blackduiker

The Living Desert is high on my list, just be prepared for extreme heat during that time of the year. Especially since you'll have two little ones on board(congratulations on your newborn son). We're talking desert temperatures that can easily reach well beyond 110 degrees! A winter visit would be your best bet.

Santa Barbara Zoo is another standout. Set right on the Pacific Ocean, its not called "the world's most beautiful zoo" for nothing. I believe you and your family will find the Santa Barbara area quite pleasant, and the zoo can be done in 3-4 hours. Exhibit highlights include California Condors, Bald Eagles, Penguins, Giraffes, Lions and Reptiles.

Aquarium of the Pacific is nice, and will take 2-3 hours tops, even with little ones in tow.

I'd bypass the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium; comes nowhere close to the much superior Aquarium of the Pacific nearby, though admission is free.

And you might find the Sacramento Zoo of some interest, especially their feline and primate collections. If you're driving through Sacramento, this 14 acre zoo will only take about 2 1/2 hours to see, surrounded by a nice park for a family picnic.

On a personal note, I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to see the Santa Ana Zoo or the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound, which is way out in the Mojave Desert. Another heat scorcher for that time of year.
 
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The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is a really good educational aquarium. They have excellent displays on local sea life, including live sharks (leopard, horned), octopus, and jellies. It is not that far from the Aquarium of the Pacific. The best thing is that you can go tidepooling literally out of the back door of it and see many of the creatures like sea hares in the wild.

Coyote Point Museum in San Mateo is a very nice native species zoo. It is in the vicinity of the Oakland Zoo. Small, but interesting collection of native California animals including Channel Island fox and banana slugs.

Skipping Six Flags is probably a good idea.

Don't miss Oakland, Santa Barbara, or the Living Desert. Agree with the recommendation that Sacramento is worth a visit if you are in the vicinity, It will not have any blockbuster exhibits that you like, and it does have some older grotto exhibits, but also a very good reptile house, great sifaka exhibit, and yellow-billed magpies (one of the only endemic birds in California). I am biased as it is the zoo I grew up going to.

If you like natural history museums the George Page Museum at the La Brea Tarpits is a world class exhibit of the Pleisitocene megafauna that roamed through LA 10,000 years ago. They have a glass walled exhibit of 300 dire wolf skulls.
 
Steinhart Aquarium is another stop I would highly recommend. Quite an impressive place and collection. I've visited there twice; 1980 and 2002. They have remodeled extensively since my last visit.
 
Blackduiker said:
Steinhart Aquarium is another stop I would highly recommend. Quite an impressive place and collection. I've visited there twice; 1980 and 2002. They have remodeled extensively since my last visit.
Click to expand...

The original Aquarium, as well as the associated museums and research facilities, were completely demolished and re-built in a very different form. The current collection is not as extensive as the old aquarium, but there are some innovative and interesting exhibits. Well worth another visit.
 
Thanks for all of the advice my fellow ZooChatters! The goal is to take the I-5 down the center of California, veer off to the coast at San Francisco, follow highway 101 along the coastline and then eventually cut inland and head north back to the I-5. I've listed 10 zoos and 5 aquariums on my itinerary but like any road trip that total could easily increase if Monterey Bay, Seaworld or any other establishment interests us in spending another night down south. I'm definitely going to pencil in Cabrillo Marine Aquarium simply because according to mapquest.com it is only an 18-minute drive from Aquarium of the Pacific and thus ticking off both establishments in the same day should be easy even with two little ones along for the adventure.

I'm extremely suspicious of non-AZA accredited institutions, and so places like Orange County Zoo, Project Survival Cat Haven and Exotic Feline Breeding Compound don't really interest me. The bare-bones cat cages at EFBC are enough to scare off anyone who has already more then likely seen every species that is there. However, CALM (California Living Museum) does not have AZA accreditation and yet that place intrigues me and I'm open to the idea of a visit as long as my time frame allows one.

Possible Itinerary:

DAY 1: Drive south – 5 hours
DAY 2: Drive south – 5 hours
DAY 3: Drive south – 4 hours (stopping for some light shopping during the first 3 days)
DAY 4: California Academy of Sciences (Steinhart Aquarium)
DAY 5: Aquarium of the Bay + Fisherman’s Wharf + drive 30 minutes
DAY 6: Oakland Zoo + drive 1 hour
DAY 7: Happy Hollow Park & Zoo + drive 3 hours
DAY 8: Charles Paddock Zoo + drive 2 hours
DAY 9: Santa Barbara Zoo + drive 2 hours
DAY 10: Aquarium of the Pacific + drive 20 minutes + Cabrillo Marine Aquarium + drive 30 minutes
DAY 11: Santa Ana Zoo + drive 1.5 hours
DAY 12: San Diego Zoo (Part I)
DAY 13: San Diego Zoo (Part II)
DAY 14: Birch Aquarium + drive 45 minutes
DAY 15: San Diego Zoo Safari Park + drive 2 hours
DAY 16: The Living Desert Zoo + drive 1 hour
DAY 17: Joshua Tree National Park (our 3rd visit in 6 summers!) + drive north 6 hours
DAY 18: Fresno Chaffee Zoo + drive north 3 hours
DAY 19: Sacramento Zoo + drive north 4 hours
DAY 20: Drive north – 5 hours
DAY 21: Drive north – 5 hours
 
snowleopard said:
I'm extremely suspicious of non-AZA accredited institutions, and so places like Orange County Zoo, Project Survival Cat Haven and Exotic Feline Breeding Compound don't really interest me. The bare-bones cat cages at EFBC are enough to scare off anyone who has already more then likely seen every species that is there. However, CALM (California Living Museum) does not have AZA accreditation and yet that place intrigues me and I'm open to the idea of a visit as long as my time frame allows one.
Click to expand...

It looks like you have quite an itinerary mapped out and many enjoyable things to see.

Your suspicions about non-AZA accredited institutions are probably well-founded. However I will defend the Orange County Zoo. It is a very nice facility featuring native species, mostly animals that were injured in the wild or "problem" animals that would otherwise be destroyed. They have AZA-quality exhibits. There are several zoos like this in California: Merced, Folsom, the CALM in Bakersfield that have mostly native species. Not sure why they are not AZA accredited, as the facilities are all very good. Maybe some other folks can share their opinion on this.

The Cabrillo aquarium is very much oriented towards a local education mission, so very unslick compared to Aquarium of the Pacific, but hopefully you will find it worthwhile for what it is.

I hope that you have a great trip and look forward to your excellent reporting.

Have you ever considered writing your own book? Essentially you have already done it...
 
If you have any interest in seeing an elephant seal rookery, there is one at Piedras Blancas not too far from the Charles Paddock Zoo (it will add about an hour drive time, as you would need to back track on the 1). The males will start showing up in June to molt for a few months, and will practice their fighting, (and sleep a lot). I found it fairly enjoyable.

FES Home
 
perceptron said:
If you have any interest in seeing an elephant seal rookery, there is one at Piedras Blancas not too far from the Charles Paddock Zoo (it will add about an hour drive time, as you would need to back track on the 1). The males will start showing up in June to molt for a few months, and will practice their fighting, (and sleep a lot). I found it fairly enjoyable.

FES Home
Click to expand...

I heartily second this suggestion. The huge gathering of enormous pinnipeds is among the most impressive animal viewing spectacles I've ever seen, just 100 feet away from Highway 1. And you'll very likely never see elephant seals in any zoo, and certainly not sparring, bellowing and jockeying for position as is so easily viewed at Piedras Blancas.
It is a far more memorable experience than the Charles Paddock Zoo.
 
You've got quite the itinerary laid out!

I would definitely agree neither Sick Flags nor SeaWorld is worth wasting time/money on, certainly not with the other places you've got on tap.

I visited Santa Ana Zoo in 2010. I really liked the aviary -- very peaceful, great photo ops, and pretty nice staff. I did, however, have some issues with the way they'd trained their raptor handlers for the multi-species show, mainly in terms of improper safety procedures (not tying off, in at least one case not even knowing what a Falconer's knot was, let alone how to do one). If you happen to run into Tish Flynn during your visit (she's their Director of Education), please give her my regards.

The only other thing I'd add is -- Your trip window is very close to mine for my annual Bay Area run. In my case, I plan to travel south on Sep. 3rd, from WA to Berkeley (or San Jose, depending on what a friend of mine is doing). I certainly plan to visit the Oakland Zoo during the week or so I'll be in the area (probably the 5th or 6th).

Is there any chance we could coordinate our schedules enough to meet up?

Happy travels, no matter what.
 
snowleopard said:
Thanks for all of the advice my fellow ZooChatters! The goal is to take the I-5 down the center of California, veer off to the coast at San Francisco, follow highway 101 along the coastline and then eventually cut inland and head north back to the I-5. I've listed 10 zoos and 5 aquariums on my itinerary but like any road trip that total could easily increase if Monterey Bay, Seaworld or any other establishment interests us in spending another night down south. I'm definitely going to pencil in Cabrillo Marine Aquarium simply because according to mapquest.com it is only an 18-minute drive from Aquarium of the Pacific and thus ticking off both establishments in the same day should be easy even with two little ones along for the adventure.

I'm extremely suspicious of non-AZA accredited institutions, and so places like Orange County Zoo, Project Survival Cat Haven and Exotic Feline Breeding Compound don't really interest me. The bare-bones cat cages at EFBC are enough to scare off anyone who has already more then likely seen every species that is there. However, CALM (California Living Museum) does not have AZA accreditation and yet that place intrigues me and I'm open to the idea of a visit as long as my time frame allows one.

Possible Itinerary:

DAY 1: Drive south – 5 hours
DAY 2: Drive south – 5 hours
DAY 3: Drive south – 4 hours (stopping for some light shopping during the first 3 days)
DAY 4: California Academy of Sciences (Steinhart Aquarium)
DAY 5: Aquarium of the Bay + Fisherman’s Wharf + drive 30 minutes
DAY 6: Oakland Zoo + drive 1 hour
DAY 7: Happy Hollow Park & Zoo + drive 3 hours
DAY 8: Charles Paddock Zoo + drive 2 hours
DAY 9: Santa Barbara Zoo + drive 2 hours
DAY 10: Aquarium of the Pacific + drive 20 minutes + Cabrillo Marine Aquarium + drive 30 minutes
DAY 11: Santa Ana Zoo + drive 1.5 hours
DAY 12: San Diego Zoo (Part I)
DAY 13: San Diego Zoo (Part II)
DAY 14: Birch Aquarium + drive 45 minutes
DAY 15: San Diego Zoo Safari Park + drive 2 hours
DAY 16: The Living Desert Zoo + drive 1 hour
DAY 17: Joshua Tree National Park (our 3rd visit in 6 summers!) + drive north 6 hours
DAY 18: Fresno Chaffee Zoo + drive north 3 hours
DAY 19: Sacramento Zoo + drive north 4 hours
DAY 20: Drive north – 5 hours
DAY 21: Drive north – 5 hours
Click to expand...

Your itinerary appears near-perfect to me, knowing where you have and haven't visited in the past! The route and timing is very reasonable for negotiating without exhaustion, your last trip worried me with some of the ambitious distances! On Day 4, I would suggest a short stroll to the Japanese Tea Garden (where the fortune cookie was invented) or the Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park, both of which are inexpensive and worthwhile sights next to the California Academy of Sciences if the family finishes that museum early. For your San Francisco/Oakland stay, I would suggest staying the extra night in San Francisco instead of Oakland, and just checking out of your hotel in the morning to drive to Oakland Zoo and then from there down to San Jose later that day. Cost of the hotel will of course be a factor in the possibility of that. Day 8 may find you completely bored with the Charles Paddock Zoo within an hour, so the earlier suggestions of a detour to San Simeon/Piedras Blancas for elephant seal viewing and nice coastal driving is a good one. You will not need to backtrack the route, you can follow Highway 1 from San Simeon down to San Luis Obispo where it will reconnect to Highway 101 down to Santa Barbara. In Santa Barbara, State Street is the main street and is a great casual walking and shopping experience surrounded by many Spanish Revival and Mission style buildings that really evoke Old California. It is just a few minutes from the zoo. Day 10, I would take time enjoying strolling Rainbow Harbor where the aquarium is located in Long Beach ( a small pleasure basin in the larger Long Beach Harbor) rather than loading up early to get over to Cabrillo, even though it is very close; or at least come back to Rainbow Harbor after Cabrillo. Day 14: consider Carlsbad SeaLife Aquarium on the same property as Legoland California. However, Birch is certainly the better option if you do only one that day due to its local scientific focus. San Diego Zoo Safari Park is a two-day zoo for me, but I know you have been there before.

Don't sweat missing SeaWorld San Diego this time, a big chunk of it is a construction zone for a rollercoaster right now, which will further constrict the crowd flow; and the Forbidden Reef exhibit is demolished, to be replaced by a more modern ray exhibit that will probably be impressive and will open along with the rollercoaster next year. As for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, I probably would suggest skipping it, as it is not very good in the animal exhibitry and it is crowded with screaming thrill rides. The animal shows are more of a focus here and they are numerous, but I don't think you are a show fan, right? If you have any glimmer of ever seeing it though, I would say to go now. It looks like the future of this park will increasingly diminish the animal exhibits and increase the rides...since my last visit, they have just added yet another towering scream machine.

I hope this helps fine-tune your itinerary, but it needs little fine-tuning!
 
I also recommend the elephant seal viewing. The drive coming south on 1 to get there is amazing as well as you go through Big Sur.
 
Here we go again, the snowleopard family and the cast of zoochat hit the road, looking forward to your updates, reports and photos, have a great trip.
 
Great responses from one and all, and since my past road trips have been fluid I expect to see alterations to my itinerary as progress in the golden state commences. The Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery has been added to my list of possibilities for this trip, although that separate list is becoming so long that I might need to spend all year in California! I once saw two elephant seals while whale watching off of the coast of Vancouver Island, but that surely will not compare to the sights to be seen at the rookery.

@DavidBrown: with the 30 reviews on the summer 2008 thread, the 4 reviews on the Florida thread (December 2008) and the staggering 39 reviews in 46 days on the summer 2010 thread I've contributed 73 reviews to this site! As long as I have the time then I'll probably chart my progress and post another 15 or so reviews throughout August and I could compile it all into a book! Sadly it would not be a wise decision as only a fraction of the world would read it and I've blasted so many zoo exhibits for being outdated that I'd probably be blacklisted from every zoological attraction in North America.:)

@kc7gr: the goal is to leave British Columbia and start heading south in the first week of August, although late July is also an option depending on how things pan out this summer. By the time you leave on your own trip I'll be heading home because I'm a high school teacher and so by the first few days of September I'll be prepping for my next year of teaching.

@geomorph: I really appreciate your detailed response, as well as your 45 or so reviews on this site as several California institutions have already been extensively reviewed by you. I'm especially intrigued by the SeaLife Aquarium at Carlsbad as I realize that it is a separate paid attraction next to Legoland, but I didn't see it on the AZA accreditation list and so is it accredited? You are right in that there is FAR less driving this time around, as in 2008 we visited 40 U.S. States and 9 Canadian Provinces, in 2010 we visited 34 U.S. States and Juarez, Mexico, for 2 hours, and this time around it will be just 3 U.S. States and everything that we'll see will be in California. With 2 very young kids it makes sense to save money, time and possible exhaustion by concentrating on conquering just about all there is to see and do animal-wise in one U.S. state. It is amazing that with all the numerous zoos and aquariums that I've seen in the past few years that California has been somewhat neglected, as I've seen many more zoos in U.S. states that are much further away!
 
snowleopard said:
I'm especially intrigued by the SeaLife Aquarium at Carlsbad as I realize that it is a separate paid attraction next to Legoland, but I didn't see it on the AZA accreditation list and so is it accredited?
Click to expand...

Just speculating, but I'm guessing that this aquarium is new enough that it has not been running long enough to be evaluated by the AZA accreditation process. It took a few years for the Aquarium of the Pacific to be accredited.
 
Arizona Docent said:
You do realize that Safari West (which you have dropped from your itinerary) is AZA accredited?
Click to expand...

If this road trip goes as planned then I'll have seen 20 out of the 24 AZA-accredited facilities in California, and I'm toying with the idea of adding SeaLife Carlsbad to my itinerary and that place will definitely be accredited in the future. While many European ZooChatters mock the SeaLifes I'm curious to see one for myself.

Here are the 4 accredited establishments that I'll skip:

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - by all accounts complete junk
Safari West Wildlife Preserve - not this time
Sequoia Park Zoo - too small and far out of the way
CuriOdyssey - still a possibility and I might see it in August

California will be conquered!
 
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