Balboa Park, home of the San Diego Zoo and the Culture Center of San Diego
Romantic Balboa Park is a lush 1,400 acre forest of exotic trees, well-kept gardens, and a majestic lily pond, which is the most photographed site in the park. It is also the home of the San Diego Zoo. Here too is the renowned Old Globe Theatre and over a dozen outstanding must-see museums, art galleries and one of the largest planetariums in the country. San Diegans owe a vote of gratitude to the city Board of Trustees, who in 1868 set aside 1,400 acres of rambling chaparral for Balboa Park. Were it not for the far-sighted civic planners who anticipated San Diego's great potential for growth, the city would no doubt have been without its most beautiful region, Balboa Park. A must-see attraction in Balboa Park is the San Diego Zoo (5) (619-234-3153). The 100-acre facility is an international animal experience where guests will see some of the earth's rarest wildlife including giant pandas from China, tree kangaroos from New Guinea and river hippos from Africa. The San Diego Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals, representing 800 species, making up a diverse collection of animals - many of which are rarely seen at other zoos.
Opening Summer 2003 is the first phase of the San Diego Zoo's latest exhibit project - the New Heart of the Zoo. It's going to be a swinging time in the "Absolutely Apes" orangutan and siamang exhibit. For the first time in Zoo history, these two species of apes will live together in a lush, tropical setting resembling their native region of Indonesia. The brilliant, eye-catching flamingos that have greeted Zoo guests at the front plaza for more than 50 years will also have a new lagoon.
Dozens of rare and obscure animals can be found throughout the facility alongside more familiar zoo faces - polar bears, camels, lions, tigers, pygmy chimpanzees and much more. Guests to the San Diego Zoo become immersed in lush, tropical settings called bio-climactic zones such as Tiger River, Gorilla Tropics, Ituri Forest and Owens Rainforest Aviary. In these naturalistic habitats visitors will find an array of plants and animals native to specific regions of the world. In other areas of the Zoo, guest may come face-to-face with bears, elephants, koalas and more. The San Diego Zoo is also a botanical garden with a prominent collection consisting of more than 700,000 plants. Like the Zoo's world-class animal collection, many species of flora are rare and endangered.
The Children's Zoo features more than 20 exhibits designed with children in mind. Low glass windows in many exhibits create easy viewing. A petting paddock allows children to interact with friendly sheep, goats and pot-bellied pigs.
The zoo, however, is only one part of Balboa Park. The rest is spread out over hundreds of acres. The part of the park that attracts the most attention is an area called El Prado. Here, nestled in beautiful gardens enhanced by majestic palm and eucalyptus trees, are most of the park's impressive museums, galleries and other attractions, all within walking distance of each other.
A great place to begin or conclude a tour of Balboa Park is at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (11) (619-238-1233). This large 93,505 sq. ft. science center showcases over 100 "hands-on," interactive exhibits and attractions that the whole family will enjoy. Plus, they offer several fantastic films on the world's first IMAX Dome Theater that surrounds visitors, creating a "you-are-there" experience. New to the Science Center is the Virtual Zone housing two different virtual reality attractions and the motion simulator ride, SciTours, where visitors take a voyage into outer space to intercept a comet headed towards Earth. The virtual reality experience, Smoke and Mirrors aimed at children and teens, is intended to increase their knowledge of the consequences of tobacco use. On the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. you can take a tour of the planets and stars during their planetarium shows. Five fascinating science exhibit galleries, each with a different scientific and technological theme, are popular attractions to explore. Be sure to visit ExploraZone - over thirty hands-on exhibits from San Francisco's Exploratorium - located in the Main Exhibit Gallery. In addition to their exciting permanent collection, this wonderful museum presents major national travelling exhibitions several times a year.
The next major attraction on your self-guided tour should be the San Diego Natural History Museum (16) (619-232-3821). This fascinating museum features marvelous seasonal and permanent exhibits which focuses on the bi-national region of Southern California and the Baja California, Mexico peninsula. Learn the secret stories of rocks, fossils, plants and animals, such as the prehistoric sabertooth tiger that roamed this area millions of years ago. Don't miss their must-see, award-winning film on Baja California and the Sea of Cort
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