2011 California Adventure

I'd still lobby for a visit to Safari West, certainly a far better experience than the Charles Paddock Zoo and a few others on this itinerary. It is a unique experience set in one of the most beautiful regions of California.

Sea Life facilities probably have no interest or intent to become AZA-accredited. Many aquariums in general question the value of accreditation, as the benefits are far more clear for zoos with mammal/bird collections involving SSPs.
 
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Blackduiker

Snowleopard, on May 29th my wife and I drove the almost 100 miles from our home to Bakersfield to visit one of the facilities on your itinerary; CALM, aka California Living Museum. I won't discourage you from visiting, but don't expect anything like the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. I uploaded photos last night that should give you some idea of what to expect.

And with your family on board, including the 2 little ones, be prepared to bring your own meals because there is nothing available for sale there, saving a few snacks and drink dispensers. With very little dining to choose from nearby, for they are located virtually in the middle of nowhere. Even the much anticipated "Cats of California" habitat, high on your agenda, is a bit disappointing. Though probably the best they have to offer, as well as the small but charming reptile house.
 
I began this thread approximately 5 weeks ago and after a little tinkering here and there I've established an itinerary that is not set in stone but will probably be 90% accurate of what will occur. One major change for the "California Adventure" road trip is the fact that I've decided to add TWO days at San Diego Seaworld. If we purchase the 5-day pass for the 3 parks then it is $130 per adult and so we might as well make full use of it and spend 5 full days in the region as entrance is unlimited for the time frame of the ticket. That would then equal just over $25 each per day, with both kids being free. Two days at San Diego Zoo, two days at San Diego Seaworld and then one day at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. If we bang off Seaworld in one day then maybe we'll add a third day at the zoo or a second day at the safari park as those places are glorious and we will already have the 5-day pass. In reality it will be 6 days in the region as Birch Aquarium is located in San Diego, and that city is a mecca for captive wildlife enthusiasts.

Why add Seaworld besides the cost factor with the 5-day pass? Two reasons: first of all since my wife's father is currently visiting us from Melbourne, Australia, we've been taking our 21 month-old daughter and 6 week-old son to all sorts of local attractions. There is a place in Vancouver called Playland that is basically a theme park with all types of rides and events for folks of all ages. My daughter had the time of her life there as she rode a large slide over 30 times, went on a mini-rollercoaster, loved the small petting farm, and went on the kiddie train a few times as well. Perhaps she'll be a theme park fan. Arrrgghhh! I'll have to embrace that idea as if she's having fun then I'm a happy father and thus Seaworld is now on the itinerary.

The second reason for adding Seaworld is that I forgot just how enormous it is! We visited in 2006 but at that time the beluga whale, polar bear and penguin areas were all closed for renovation and this summer a new sea turtle exhibit opens. Seaworld has fantastic shows, plus loads of orcas, dolphins, sea otters, seals, sea lions, walruses, over 60 sea turtles in the new exhibit, 3 separate aquariums in the park, tons of rides, a 2-acre Sesame Street themed kiddie area, beluga whales, polar bears, a whopping 320 penguins, touch tanks with bat rays, a shark tunnel, and all sorts of other goodies. The Seaworld parks might not be true aquariums in the traditional sense but they are certainly packed with a tremendous number of creatures. Who wouldn't want to go?

My wife and I are both teachers (elementary kids for her and secondary students for me) and so we have the entire summer off of work. We plan to tentatively leave in the latter half of July. After this trip we will have visited 20 out of the 24 AZA-accredited establishments in the state of California, and we'll have soaked up a lot of sunshine along the way.

Itinerary:

DAY 1: Drive south – 5 hours
DAY 2: Drive south – 5 hours
DAY 3: Drive south – 5 hours
DAY 4: California Academy of Sciences (Steinhart Aquarium)
DAY 5: Aquarium of the Bay + drive 30 minutes + CuriOdyssey
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
DAY 11: Santa Ana Zoo + drive 1.5 hours
DAY 12: Birch Aquarium
DAY 13: San Diego SeaWorld (Part I)
DAY 14: San Diego SeaWorld (Part II)
DAY 15: San Diego Zoo (Part I)
DAY 16: San Diego Zoo (Part II) + drive 45 minutes
DAY 17: San Diego Zoo Safari Park + drive 2 hours
DAY 18: The Living Desert Zoo + drive 1 hour
DAY 19: Joshua Tree National Park + drive north 6 hours
DAY 20: Fresno Chaffee Zoo + drive north 3 hours
DAY 21: Sacramento Zoo + drive north 4 hours
DAY 22: Drive north – 5 hours
DAY 23: Drive north – 5 hours

Zoo/Aquarium Attractions:

1- Steinhart Aquarium (California Academy of Sciences)
2- Aquarium of the Bay
3- CuriOdyssey
4- Oakland Zoo
5- Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
6- Charles Paddock Zoo
7- Santa Barbara Zoo
8- Aquarium of the Pacific
9- Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
10- Santa Ana Zoo
11- Birch Aquarium
12- San Diego SeaWorld (two days)
13- San Diego Zoo (two days)
14- San Diego Zoo Safari Park
15- The Living Desert Zoo
16- Fresno Chaffee Zoo
17- Sacramento Zoo
 
Don't forget, the San Diego Zoo is open until 9pm (actually 9:30pm for the front part) in summer. (I think Sea World is also open late with fireworks). Night zoo is glorious, so make sure at least one of those two days you plan to stay that late, perhaps arriving later in the day (around lunch time?).
 
Arizona Docent said:
Don't forget, the San Diego Zoo is open until 9pm (actually 9:30pm for the front part) in summer. (I think Sea World is also open late with fireworks). Night zoo is glorious, so make sure at least one of those two days you plan to stay that late, perhaps arriving later in the day (around lunch time?).
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I most definitely agree. I love Nighttime Zoo. Sea World is open until 10:00 pm on week nights and 11:00 pm on the weekends through Aug. 27th.
 
Thanks for spending a few days down in San Diego snowleopard, we appreciate your tourist dollars. =) Also, if you get a chance, could you get some shots of the new Jaguar exhibit at the Living Desert Zoo?
 
Blackduiker

Otter Lord said:
Thanks for spending a few days down in San Diego snowleopard, we appreciate your tourist dollars. =) Also, if you get a chance, could you get some shots of the new Jaguar exhibit at the Living Desert Zoo?
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With The Living Desert Zoo on his agenda, and snowleopard being ZooChat's most prolific photographer, I'm sure he will provide us with every photo angle possible of the new Jaguar habitat. :D
 
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