Recently, my family and I were in California for a niece’s wedding. Since all of my siblings and their families were also there, we decided to visit the San Diego Zoo in an attempt to occupy the adults, 20-somethings, teenagers, and young children all at the same time.

1. The Pandas – OK, this is probably really boring for the younger children because you have to wait in line, and then when you finally get close enough to see them, they’re most likely lying there taking a snooze; nevertheless, you can’t go the San Diego zoo and not visit the pandas.
2. The Double Decker Bus Ride –  Taking the guided tour of the zoo on the double decker bus is a good way to start your day at the zoo in order to orient yourself to its layout.  It’s also a good way to take a quick survey of the animals and note the ones you want to see more of later.  Later in the afternoon when the younger members of your party are cranky or too tired to walk,  take an “express” bus to get from point A to point B with minimum fuss.
3. The Swimmers – The “Polar Bear Plunge” and the Otter exhibits both feature under water views.  This is always a winner for both adults and kids.  The otters are always entertaining and graceful the way they dive, twist and turn, and glide around in the water.  If you can catch a glimpse of the polar bears in their swim tank, you will be shocked by their massive size and how close you can get to them when they swim up to the glass viewing pane.
   
4. The Gorillas – The Gorillas put on quite a show for us.  One of the young gorillas kept teasing the matriarch of the group.  The matriarch would eventually get fed up with this and suddenly begin chasing the young upstart.  This led to great romps through the enclosure, followed by banging into the glass viewing panes, and eventually wrestling matches on the ground, as well as your typical gorilla grunting sounds.
5. Chinese Acrobats –  In the afternoon, we went into one of the amphitheaters and watched the Chinese acrobats perform.  One performer rode a unicycle, placed multiple bowls on one leg and then flipped them up all at once, and caught them on his head in a stack.  Then, with the bowls still on his head and again using his feet, he flipped smaller cups into the bowls on his head.  Finally, he put a spoon on his foot and flipped it into the cups.  Children and adults alike were thrilled by this show.

Overall, the San Diego zoo did a great job entertaining all ages in our group.  Be sure to take in these top 5 attractions, the next time you’re there!