#21 San Diego Zoo

The girls and I finally made it to the zoo today!  We have been looking forward to it since we moved, so we purchased our memberships and went in to find our way around.  Thankfully there were maps right when we walked in, though I still had little control of where we were going once we got into it.  We just kept following various stroller ramps and got further and further back.  We probably stayed about an hour longer than we should have since the girls were getting hungry and tired, but from the far right corner of the zoo, it took that long to work our way back to the exit.  Still, we had a great time.  There was so much to see, and the girls were so excited for each new exhibit.  Eliza was especially excited for animals that we never saw at our zoo in Texas, like the panda bears and the camels.

Should have probably taken a picture here on the way in, but we missed it - so here are 2 grumpy girls on the way out.

Just like in Texas, the flamingos are right near the entrance, so we figured it was best to start there.  This awesome peacock was just hanging out on the railing as we walked up.

Eliza was so happy to see the flamingos.  She loves them!

Next came the monkeys and gorillas.

Audrey checking out one of the gorilla statues.

It looks like they are torturing this one!  They loved climbing on and touching all of the statues.

Eliza

Comparing their hands with the gorillas'

Audrey loved all of the waterfalls we saw in the different exhibits.

We checked out the pandas

One was pacing back and forth, and one was sleeping.

The girls liked going inside this panda home.

We watched the meerkats for a while.  They were very active - scampering around, digging, and sometimes just watching us watching them.

Next we went to the Elephant Odyssey.

The girls had fun running through these huge elephant collars.

The little play area was cute too.

One of the elephants.  He was swaying back and forth and moving his trunk - probably to help him cool down, but it looked like he was dancing.

On our way out, we passed through a little lagoon with turtles, fish, ducks and 2 sets of ducklings.

It was a great first visit.  Next time, we'll go with some friends who know their way around a bit more.  There is still more than half of the zoo that we didn't even venture into, not to mention other little paths and corners we missed on the half we were on.  That's whats so great about our memberships that are good for a year, and also for the Wild Animal Park in North County.