WHAT a ZOO! : San Diego’s 4,000 Animals and Balboa Park Provide Reasons to Roam

If a tight budget and a tighter schedule kept you from a family getaway this summer, consider a low-hassle day trip to one of Southern California’s many attractions. You don’t need shots, Rover doesn’t have to go to L’Hotel de Doggie , and, best of all, most of the tourists have gone home to Bemidji.

In this occasional series, we’ll focus on kid-friendly venues located no more than a few hours’ drive from the heart of Orange County. First stop: San Diego.

The San Diego Zoo and adjacent Balboa Park are popular with families worldwide. The 100-acre zoo is home to 4,000 animals, most of them housed in open-air enclosures designed to simulate their natural environments.

Because many of the animals are nocturnal, plan to arrive at the zoo bright and early to see them at their most active. Grab a map and head for the double-decker bus (for the best views, try to get a seat on the left side of the top level), and settle back for a 40-minute, narrated tour of the zoo’s major exhibits. It’s a good way to decide what areas you’d like to return to on foot, and you’ll pick up some interesting facts along the way. (Catch this one, Mom: Once the female emu lays her avocado-sized egg, it’s up to the male to incubate it and rear the chick for the next year and a half. Meanwhile, the missus is hitting the singles bars looking for a new mate. What a woman.)

For a loftier view of the zoo, try the Skyfari Aerial Tramway, running one-third of a mile between the Reptile House and Horn and Hoof Mesa.

Tiger River and Sun Bear Forest, opened in 1988 and 1989 respectively, are two of the zoo’s most scenic exhibits and offer plenty of space for kids to roam. With lush greenery and a high-tech misting system, Tiger River was designed to re-create the feeling of a tropical rain forest. Thirty-five animal species, ranging from Sumatran tigers to Burmese pythons, are housed in large, rugged enclosures. Hands-on educational stations allow kids to learn to roar and chuffle like a tiger, while discovering what they can do to help preserve the world’s dwindling rain forests. The 1 1/2-acre Sun Bear Forest houses Malayan sun bears (the world’s smallest bear), along with lion-tailed macques, exotic birds and 5,000 tropical plants and flowers.

At the Children’s Zoo petting corral, kids can get chummy with 14 varieties of goats and sheep, chickens and a pair of laid-back, pot-bellied pigs. In addition, there are kid-sized walk-through aviaries; an animal nursery and a farm area with chicks that can be petted, a miniature horse and a pint-sized Dexter cow.

If nap time rolls around and you’re tempted to drop little Ashley into the lion’s den, consider a zoo break in adjacent Balboa Park. Get your readmittance hand stamp near the zoo’s photo booth, find a shady siesta spot for the baby (and Dad) and take the older kids for a spin on the Balboa Park Railroad. This gasoline-powered train with the satisfying chugga-chugga beat still travels the same half-mile route it did in 1948. Just across the way, a speedy 1910 carousel entices young and old with a menagerie of leaping horses, goats, frogs and dragons. Carousel and train tickets go for $1 apiece.

Actually, the 1,074-acre park is a great day trip itself, offering several major museums (including the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater, which screens Omnimax films daily), a botanical garden, miles of bike trails, strolling entertainers, recreation areas and four restaurants.

What

San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park.

When

Zoo hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; most Balboa Park attractions are open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Where

San Diego.

Whereabouts

Take Interstate 5 south to Highway 163 north, exit Richmond Street (follow signs to zoo and Balboa Park).

Wherewithal

Zoo admission: $4 to $13.75 (Note: In October, all kids will be admitted free: on Oct. 1, the zoo’s Founder’s Day, admission is free to everyone.) Ticket prices for Balboa Park attractions vary.

Where to call

Zoo--(619) 234-3153; Balboa Park--(619) 231-0512.