San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo's Natural History Museum?!?!?

Perhaps a partnership for new ticket deals, but I wouldn't go with a merger. Especially since I don't think Museums will be doing so well in the years to come, it might harm the zoo financially if there were a merger.
 
Why do you expect that Museums will not do well. If I look at the local Natural history museum and the main one in Netherlands they saw a rise in the amount of visitors last year. Both museums did not just invest in the collection but also on how to present it (using new media and interactive exhibitions to involve children in the topics) so if I look at this side of the Atlantic I do not see a reason to suspect museums will do not so well.

Also I do see an added value in the combination of a Zoo and a Natural History museum but I might be too much influenced by the ideas of Hancock in this field.
 
Thank you for posting this! As a member of SDZ and a regular visitor to southern California, I always like to hear news like this.

It is an interesting idea. I think a complete consolidation into one organization would be great IF there was a way to physically combine the two locations into one site. What I mean to say is, to extend the zoo grounds to include the museum. Unfortunately, this may not be practical because the small Spanish Village (artisan shops) is in between. If the zoo could absorb the village as well, then you would have a real winner IMO. The zoo has already taken over the small children's train out front, apparently successfully.

Concerning the overall Balboa Park plan, there was talk a few years ago in ZooNews magazine about building a new central parking structure for the park/zoo/museums and then extending the zoo into its current parking lot. Has anyone out there in SD heard anything about this lately?
 
The structure is suppose to be built in the parking lot behind the Ruben H Fleet science center, apparently the zoo was granted more land than they are currently on and the school next to the zoo is on the zoos land. This was confirmed when they were doing research into balboa park to develop the future plans of the park. Maybe they can trade that land for the Spanish village section and then the two could be merged.

I personally think they are close enough that they don't have to be combined, I would like to see the zoo incorporate the land the train is on into the zoo. I did hear from some of the zoo staff that there are plans currently being developed to remodel the kids zoo, but they didn't have any details on what will happen. It would be nice if these plans would consume the train.

I hope they start the structure soon since the zoo is suppose to expand out consuming the entire parking lot for more space to create more exhibits. The veterans building is also on the zoos property but is suppose to be left alone and outside of the zoos gates. Under that plan they will have a shuttle to take people from the parking structure to the zoos front gate.

I read the plan when it was released in 2008, the entire project was designed to prepare balboa park for the 100th anniversary (December 31, 2014), including a parking structure and several currently parking lots to be converted into parks. The city ran into some legal issues and monetary issues, just like they are facing in the embarcadero and the city seems to be trying to finish the embarcadero project first.
 
Consuming the train into the zoo would mean there is this long part of the zoo protruding out and it would also destroy the walkway and parking for the Otto Center which is where the educational department is at. The Children's zoo is also far from it. I wouldn't imagine any exhibits there.
 
Otter Lord said:
Consuming the train into the zoo would mean there is this long part of the zoo protruding out.
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Don't forget, the plan is to make the current parking lot part of the zoo. In that case, it would not be an awkward narrow protrusion, but rather a logical extension.
 
What plan is this? O.o I haven't heard of it. A parking structure would a whole lot more traffic going in and out of a smaller space and it would take longer to get to the zoo. With the crowds that the zoo brings it, it wouldn't be very practical.
 
The Balboa Park master plan, which has a central parking lot for the zoo and museums. If it is a multi-level parking structure (which I think it will be), could easily accomodate the crowds. I am sure the planning committee knows how many people visit the zoo and will plan for sufficient parking.

As for convenience, the walking distance from the museums to the zoo entrance is less than the walking distance from the front of the zoo to the back of the zoo.
 
My experience with parking structures is that they always charge you and are always crowded and my new teen parking/driving skills will mean I will probably hit someone's car. haha. No joke. SDZ has a very good parking lot already, besides all the cracks in the asphalt. I guess if the central parking lot was situated right between the museums and the zoo by the carousel and made a good walkway to a new entrance, it wouldn't seem so bad. I dunno, I'm a local. I often go "hey, I think I will go to the zoo today." Then I show up, park, and enter. Any change is going to bother me, just like the new Polar Bear Plunge or Journey into Africa ride instead of the monorail.
 
Otter Lord said:
My experience with parking structures is that they always charge you and are always crowded and my new teen parking/driving skills will mean I will probably hit someone's car. haha. No joke. SDZ has a very good parking lot already, besides all the cracks in the asphalt. I guess if the central parking lot was situated right between the museums and the zoo by the carousel and made a good walkway to a new entrance, it wouldn't seem so bad. I dunno, I'm a local. I often go "hey, I think I will go to the zoo today." Then I show up, park, and enter. Any change is going to bother me, just like the new Polar Bear Plunge or Journey into Africa ride instead of the monorail.
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If you are a local, you should be taking the bus to the zoo :p
 
Not that local, I live about 30 minutes from both zoos. No way I'm taking a bus, but I drive a prius instead.
 
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