California Dreamin' - July Road Trip

snowleopard

snowleopard

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Premium Member
I've been planning a 7th "Snowleopard Road Trip" for two long years and I will temporarily leave my wife and 4 kids on July 1st to head south into the United States on yet another zoo-themed journey. On past drives I've crossed America either alone or with family members, covering vast distances and states on a quest to tour as many zoos and aquariums as possible. This time around I'm going to spend 18 days and visit 48 zoos that are all in the state of California. In fact, every establishment that I tour will be located somewhere from San Francisco down to San Diego and the outlying areas. As I did with Texas in 2015, when I made it a point to tour practically every zoo in the state, I'm setting out to conquer California in the same fashion. I've been through the state on numerous occasions and when I return to Canada on July 18th my goal is to have visited in my lifetime approximately 65 out of the 70 zoos in California and be at 375 total zoos/aquariums.

Of the 48 zoos on this trip, all but 6 will be brand-new to me as I'm deliberately seeing the small facilities that I missed on previous journeys. However, I want to re-visit 6 for varying reasons. San Francisco Zoo (last visit was in 2006), Los Angeles Zoo (last visit was in 2008 and there have been loads of changes since then), Fresno Chaffee Zoo (Sea Lion Cove and African Adventure have opened since my 2011 tour), Oakland Zoo (it just fits with my schedule) and of course San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park as they are both world-class institutions.

I have tentative plans to meet up with at least 3 ZooChatters and if anyone is interested then I'm more than willing to meet up with any zoo enthusiast. Although I'll be touring loads of small zoos and aquariums, I will be at San Diego Zoo on July 10th, San Diego Zoo Safari Park on July 11th and Los Angeles Zoo on July 13th.

Here are my 6 previous road trip threads:

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip (81 zoos in 24 days):

http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-2015-road-trip-415923/

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip (65 zoos in 20 days):

http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-2014-road-trip-373143/

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip (50 zoos in 50 days):

http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-2012-road-trip-278110/

Snowleopard's 2011 Road Trip (24 zoos in 32 days):

http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-2011-road-trip-223080/

Snowleopard's 2010 Road Trip (39 zoos in 46 days):

http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-2010-road-trip-160988/

Snowleopard's 2008 Road Trip (30 zoos):

http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-epic-road-trip-20316/
 
Yet another exciting SL roadtrip. Cannot wait to follow you on your extensive reviews :D.
GraysonDP said:
I'm assuming Charles Paddock is not making the cut this time.
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Honest question, what's worse? Charles Paddock or Natural Bridge ;).
Also will you be writing a review of Natural Bridge soon?
 
pachyderm pro said:
Yet another exciting SL roadtrip. Cannot wait to follow you on your extensive reviews :D.

Honest question, what's worse? Charles Paddock or Natural Bridge ;).
Also will you be writing a review of Natural Bridge soon?
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I have never been to Charles Paddock but it sounds atrocious. However, I would say Charles Paddock is a really bad AZA zoo (its accreditation is questionable) but Natural Bridge is a whole other level- it's a roadside zoo and an awful one. It's a disgrace to zoological exhibitry to epic proportions. And yes a review is coming up and it will be very "flattering." One part of the last sentence was a joke.
 
GraysonDP said:
I have never been to Charles Paddock but it sounds atrocious. However, I would say Charles Paddock is a really bad AZA zoo (its accreditation is questionable) but Natural Bridge is a whole other level- it's a roadside zoo and an awful one. It's a disgrace to zoological exhibitry to epic proportions. And yes a review is coming up and it will be very "flattering." One part of the last sentence was a joke.
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Charles Paddock is a small zoo with some bad enclosures and some good enclosures. It is not a really bad zoo.
 
@snowleopard: I still won't know for a while, but hopefully I will 1) be in SoCal over the summer and 2) be free on those dates. If both of those work out, I would love to join you and other ZooChatters in Los Angeles at least.
 
Looking forward to this, your road trip reports are always a delight to read. So only 6 out of 48 zoos will be repeats. As I used your previous reports to plan my own California road trip in 2014 I am scratching my head wondering how there can be 42 other zoos in California that you are yet to see!
 
MRJ said:
Looking forward to this, your road trip reports are always a delight to read. So only 6 out of 48 zoos will be repeats. As I used your previous reports to plan my own California road trip in 2014 I am scratching my head wondering how there can be 42 other zoos in California that you are yet to see!
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Below is a list of 50 zoos and 21 aquariums (in bold) in the state of California. I've placed a couple of symbols at the front of each facility if I've visited it before.

71 Zoos:

America’s Teaching Zoo: Moorpark College (Moorpark)
Applegate Park Zoo (Merced)
##Aquarium of the Bay (San Francisco)*
##Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach)*
Aquatica (San Diego) - does this place count?
B. Bryan Preserve (Point Arena)
Big Bear Alpine Zoo (Big Bear Lake)
##Birch Aquarium (San Diego)*
Bolsa Chica Interpretative Center (Huntington Beach)
##Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (San Pedro)*
##California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco)* = Steinhart Aquarium
California Raptor Center (Davis)
California Science Center (Los Angeles)*
##California Living Museum (Bakersfield)
California Wolf Center (Julian)
Central Coast Aquarium (Avila Beach)
##Charles Paddock Zoo (Atascadero)*
##CuriOdyssey (San Mateo)*
Doheny State Beach Interpret. Center & Aquarium (Dana Point)
Emerald Forest Bird Gardens (Fallbrook)
Feline Conservation Center (Rosamond)
Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary (Folsom)
Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary (Phelan)
Free Flight: Exotic Bird Sanctuary (Del Mar)
##Fresno Chaffee Zoo (Fresno)*
Gibbon Conservation Center (Santa Clarita)
##Happy Hollow Park & Zoo (San Jose)*
Hesperia Zoo (Hesperia)
Lindsay Wildlife Experience (Walnut Creek)
Lions Tigers & Bears: A Big Cat & Exotic Animal Rescue (Alpine)
Living Coast Discovery Center (Chula Vista)
##Living Desert Zoo (Palm Desert)*
##Los Angeles Zoo (Los Angeles)*
Marine Mammal Care Center (San Pedro)
Marine Mammal Center (Sausalito)
Micke Grove Zoo (Lodi)
##Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey)*
Monterey Zoo (Salinas)
Morro Bay Aquarium (Morro Bay)
Natural History Museum: Butterfly Pavilion (Los Angeles)
Northcoast Marine Mammal Center (Crescent City)
##Oakland Zoo (Oakland)*
Ocean Institute (Dana Point)
##Ocean World (Crescent City)
Orange County Zoo (Orange)
Pacific Marine Mammal Center (Laguna Beach)
Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (Palo Alto)
Project Survival’s Cat Haven (Dunlap)
Reptile Zoo (Fountain Valley)
Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab & Aquarium (Manhattan Beach)
##Sacramento Zoo (Sacramento)*
Safari West Wildlife Preserve (Sonoma County)*
##San Diego Zoo (San Diego)*
##San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Escondido)*
##San Francisco Zoo (San Francisco)*
##Santa Ana Zoo (Santa Ana)*
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center (Santa Barbara)
##Santa Barbara Zoo (Santa Barbara)*
Santa Monica Pier Aquarium (Santa Monica)
Sea Life Carlsbad (Carlsbad)
##SeaWorld San Diego (San Diego)*
##Sequoia Park Zoo (Eureka)*
Serpentarium (Lodi)
Seymour Marine Discovery Center (Santa Cruz)
Shambala Preserve (Acton)
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo)
Star Eco Station: Exotic Wildlife Rescue Facility (Culver City)
##Turtle Bay Exploration Park (Redding)
Wildhaven Ranch (Lake Arrowhead)
Wildlife Learning Center (Sylmar)
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary (Lucerne Valley)

* 23 zoos in California are AZA-accredited
## I've already visited these 24 zoos
 
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I'm really looking forward to following this thread.Your trip reports are always a good read,although I have to say that I'm often glad I'm not with you. You visit them so we don't have to :p
This question may be premature, but it could also serve as a baseline: right now, which would you say are the best zoos in California? As in the ones you would most reccommend someone to visit.
At the moment it's just a twinkle in my eye but I have California on my list of future zoo-trip destinations. AirAsia is going to start offering a budget long-haul flight to undisclosed destinations in the US, and hard to imagine there won't be a KL-LA route.
 
@Arizona Docent: Funny stuff! I remember getting pulled over by police on a few occasions over the years but I've yet to receive any tickets as American cops are sympathetic to crazy zoo nerds. :)

@FunkyGibbon: The best zoos in California? Well, obviously the two gargantuan San Diego parks are amongst the best zoos on the planet; Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert is terrific; Los Angeles Zoo is a very accomplished facility; although truth be told the state of California has some great aquatic establishments. Monterey Bay Aquarium and Aquarium of the Pacific are up amongst the best of the 140 public aquariums in the USA. I'll know more after July when I hope to have visited approximately 65 out of the 71 zoos in California but there are some other lesser-known gems in the state such as Birch Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences (Steinhart Aquarium) and Sequoia Park Zoo (a great community zoo).
 
Thanks for the list :)
It looks pretty much as I expected, with a few extras. What about SeaWorld? Would you say that is a must visit?
Fresno Chaffee also seems like an up and comer.
 
FunkyGibbon said:
Thanks for the list :)
It looks pretty much as I expected, with a few extras. What about SeaWorld? Would you say that is a must visit?
Fresno Chaffee also seems like an up and comer.
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The "new" Fresno Zoo is an absolute must see. While you are in the area, go to Cat Haven (on Kings Canyon Hwy) and then continue on into Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Others will disagree with me, but my personal advice is to avoid Sea World at all costs.
 
@sooty mangabey : That EcoVivarium establishment has such a vague website that I also have no idea exactly what it is!

@FunkyGibbon : I would recommend visiting SeaWorld just to experience the facility for yourself. There is a beautiful sea turtle tank, a large shark habitat, plus the orcas, dolphins, pinnipeds and everything else that you would expect to see at an aquatic theme park/zoo. I've been to San Diego SeaWorld on 3 occasions and with my kids it was arguably the highlight of my 2011 road trip. As an adult zoo enthusiast I see the flaws but you should go at least once to judge for yourself.
 
Arizona Docent said:
The "new" Fresno Zoo is an absolute must see. While you are in the area, go to Cat Haven (on Kings Canyon Hwy) and then continue on into Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Others will disagree with me, but my personal advice is to avoid Sea World at all costs.
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Thanks! I hope that advice will prove very useful one day. Cat Haven is the facility that often imports into America, right?

snowleopard said:
@FunkyGibbon : I would recommend visiting SeaWorld just to experience the facility for yourself. There is a beautiful sea turtle tank, a large shark habitat, plus the orcas, dolphins, pinnipeds and everything else that you would expect to see at an aquatic theme park/zoo. I've been to San Diego SeaWorld on 3 occasions and with my kids it was arguably the highlight of my 2011 road trip. As an adult zoo enthusiast I see the flaws but you should go at least once to judge for yourself.
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I think that this probably chimes with my attitude quite well. I'd like to make my own mind up, even though I'm pretty sure I'd leave never planning to go back. Besides, in a history of zoos and their relationship with society, SeaWorld will almost certainly be seen as very significant. It's good to have seen these places with your own eyes I think.

Will you be going to the Gibbon Conservation Center?
 
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