SUMMER LIVING : Vacations in...

San Diego County is home to wildlife attractions that draw visitors from around the world as well as next door. If it’s been a while since you visited them, you’ll find that exhibits have been added and admission prices have increased.

San Diego Wild Animal Park

15500 San Pasqual Valley Road Escondido In addition to the more than 3,200 animals that roam in their natural habitats over the 2,100-acre park, the “Wild Woods: From Dinos to Rhinos” exhibit returns this summer and remains through Sept. 7. This computer-controlled exhibit features 22 prehistoric creatures that are louder and bigger than last year’s exhibit and occupy a 4-acre conifer forest at the park.

Also open this summer, from Saturday to Sept. 7, is the park’s newest major exhibit in 15 years. A 4,400-square-foot, dome-shaped glass house resembling a rain forest will be filled with exotic birds and more than 1,000 tropical butterflies from Ecuador, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica.

The Wild Animal Park’s daily summer hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and guests are allowed to stay on the premises until 7 p.m. Admission is $18.95 for adults, $10.95 for children ages 3-15, and children 2 and under get in free. This price includes the special summer exhibits and monorail. Parking is $1.

Area residents can purchase San Diego Zoological Society annual passes, which offer unlimited entrance and discount ride coupons to the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. A dual membership (for two adults living in the same household) is $58 a year. Membership for one person is $45, and children ages 3-15 can become society members for $10 a year. When using a membership pass, additional fees are required for some special exhibits, such as the $2 charge to see “Dinos to Rhinos.”

For additional information, call the membership office at 747-8702.

San Diego Zoo

Balboa Park San Diego Exotic animals live year-round in habitats simulating their natural environments at this 128-acre zoo. Guided bus tours take passengers through 3 miles of canyons and mesas. Aerial tram rides provide a panoramic view of Balboa Park, the San Diego skyline and the Pacific Ocean. Tropical plants are as much a part of the zoo as the animals. Daily summer hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and guests are permitted to stay on the premises until 7 p.m.

Admission is $12 for adults, $4 for children ages 3-15, and children 2 and under get in free. For information on annual membership to the San Diego Zoological Society, call the membership office at 231-1515.

Sea World

Sea World Drive San Diego Shows and exhibits illustrate the habits of marine life in this park best known for Shamu, the killer whale. The park’s newest exhibit, “Shark Encounter,” is the world’s largest shark display. “Shamu Night Magic with Shamu Vision” is another major exhibit as are the nightly laser light shows with fireworks displays. At the penguin exhibit, visitors can watch through a 100-foot glass window as the birds swim and frolic in a sub-freezing complex. Summer hours are 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday with the ticket office closing at 8 p.m., 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the ticket office closing at 9 p.m.

Admission is $24.95 for adults and $18.95 for children ages 3-11. Children under 3 get in free. Season passes are $48 for adults, $38 for ages 3-11 and for senior citizens.

Sea World also is offering several summer promotions that discount the admission price. McDonald’s restaurants offer coupons that take $4 off the regular admission for up to six people. People who present a Vons grocery bag or a Pepsi soda can also get $4 off the regular admission price for up to six people. The promotion ends Sept. 30.