Slither, Wriggle, Crawl or Paw your way to the San Diego Zoo!

Planning for her first visit to SoCal, one "Must-See" surpassed all others on my mother's To-Do list: Visit the San Diego Zoo. She had seen the Zoo countless times on TV, as Rainbow Brite's San Diego Zoo Adventure was my favorite video as a child, but had never seen it in person. She had high expectations. They were far surpassed!

A bird that sang "Old MacDonald", a monkey that tossed dirt while dancing, and koala cuddling her young while suspended in a tree top were just a few of the sights at the San Diego Zoo we observed on our visit this spring.

I come from a family of zoo aficionados. I grew up outside of DC, and a few times a year, my mother would take our family to the National Zoo. When I moved to NYC, we visited the Bronx Zoo. Yet, from our reading and online reviews, the San Diego Zoo still captured the title of "Ultimate Zoo of Zoos" in our minds.

The San Diego Zoo measures up to this title. Animal habitats are spacious, open and beautiful. Waterfalls, swings, vast swimming areas and trees fill many of the habitat spaces, allowing visitors to view many of the animals’ natural behaviors. There are plenty to observe, as the San Diego Zoo houses over 4,000 animals and over 800 different species.

The Zoo is alive not only with the sounds, smells and calls of its animal inhabitants, but also with the hundreds of visitors weaving in and out of exhibits. They come small, tall, old and young. The Zoo covers 107 acres, a fact that my mother was undaunted by, as we came prepared with tennis shoes, sunscreen, cameras and plenty of snack money :). With the assistance of the Guided Bus Tour and SkyTram, we covered a great deal of those acres!

We start our day on the double-decker Guided Tour on the Zoo's bus. I would highly recommend it! The tour lasts approximately 45 minutes and covers a great portion of the zoo territory, giving a great overview of the exhibits and helping us with orientation. The line looks long, but my mother and I opt for the downstairs portion of the bus (which zoo staff tells us actually has the better view!), and only wait about 7 minutes before boarding. The side panels are open-air, allowing great picture taking along the way.

One of our fist stops is the Tiger exhibit. We are so lucky; we arrive just at feeding time! A zookeeper hurdles a meatball towards the majestic animal (I'm not talking your spaghetti-and-meatball meatball. This is a giant wad of meat!) who happily devours it. These cats do some serious chowing! We witness a few more feedings throughout the day. In fact, the zoo sells Backstage passes that allow visitors up-close visits, and sometimes feedings, of some of the animals.

My mom LOVES birds. Lucky her, there's a bird show scheduled, and we make our way to the outdoor amphitheater. Here, we encounter parrots, crows, owls, chickens and many, many more feathered friends.

After viewing birds, we head to the Outback. Along the way we walk through darkened kiwi habitats, sing “kookaburra” to the kookaburra, and then stop for at least 40 minutes to watch the sleepy-headed koalas resting in tree branches, cuddling their babies, and eating.

I must confess my mother and I did not explore the reptile house. We'll leave that for you more daring-hearted :)

By far, the kid-favorite was the Polar Bear Plunge, home of Kalluk, Chinook and Tatqiq, three adult polar bears. Polar Bear Plunge was renovated in March 2010 and is home to over 30 species representing the Artic, as well as a TON of hands-on, kid-geared learning exercises, including refrigerators that open to compare a polar bear-sized lunch with human one, plastic icebergs to tunnel through and pop in and out of, and a model Artic helicopter to sit in.

San Diego Zoo is extremely active in conservation and species-preservation. The Zoo raises California condors, pandas, tigers and rhinos on location. Each looks happy and grateful in their zoo home. We end our visit on the overhead lift, Skyfari, which provides us with an aerial view of the zoo, a well as glimpses into surrounding Balboa Park. "This place is amazing!" my mom exclaims, summarizing our day, as we sway in the light breeze, suspended in the air, overlooking all the animal habitats below.

Somewhere down below, a bird squawks in agreement. We smile as we exit. The San Diego Zoo will see these two Zoo aficionados many more times!

The San Diego Zoo is located 2920 Zoo Dr., San Diego. For tickets and more information, check out sandiegozoo.org or call 619-231-1515. While you’re at it, why not check out San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park too, located at 15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd., Escondido.