My Rating System 100-90 - An outstanding exhibit. An eye-opener. Leagues ahead of the norm. A must see. 89-80 - A great exhibit. Better than standard. Recommended 79-60 - A standard exhibit. Nothing extraordinary. See if you have time. 59-40 - A sub-par exhibit. Decent. Save for a second visit. 39-30 - A poor exhibit. Badly suffering. Only for the dedicated enthusiast. 29-0 - A terrible exhibit. Abysmally bad. In need of renovation. Do not see Entrance Flamingo Cove - 78 This is a great little entrance to the zoo. Containing both flamingo and duck, this small pond has plenty of viewing area and copious benches surrounding the habitat. This is a great place to meet up with friends. Koi Pond - 70 Located in a serene nook adjacent to the bus tour station, this habitat makes for a nice stroll. The bridge crosses over a pond containing both koi fish and native ducks (not part of the zoo collection). This is a nice place to get away from the crowd, but it is definitely not extraordinary. Discovery Cove Reptile House - 83 The reptile house is a beauty, containing dozens of terrariums with species ranging from rattlesnakes to monitor lizards. Four beautiful large enclosures occupy the corners with medium sized habitats taking up the centers and small habitats rounding out the space in between. The many entrances give the building an open feel, with the surrounding bustling zoo atmosphere bleeding into the building. Highlights include Komodo dragon, snapping turtle and the rare Gray's monitor lizard. The house tends to be crowded though, so plan according to your group. Outdoor Reptile Area - 89 The gorgeous outdoor reptile area contains both open-air exhibits and a glass-enclosed reptile walk. The the alfresco portions lend themselves to a more natural feel that simply cannot be found in the enclosed house. The semi-enclosed Reptile Walk is a great place to view native Californian species, amphibians and aquatic turtles. Additionally, their is an expansive Galapagos tortoise area, featuring numerous subspecies of the enormous reptile. Other highlights include Chinese alligator, iguana, poison dart frog, and snake-necked turtle. Hummingbird Aviary - 72 This small area containing a walk-through hummingbird aviary and bordering toucanet aviaries is located in a small nook near the Children's zoo. Much like the Koi pond This peaceful stroll is a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the main zoo thoroughfare. It is almost always near-empty, so there is no pushing or shoving necessary to see the birds. Be sure to look out for the hard-to-miss pathway near the Wegeforth Bowl. Children’s Zoo - 29 This section is horrendous. Rather than a proper children’s zoo which should contain semi-interactive or walk through exhibits, this disgrace of a kid’s zoo merely contains a collection of very small enclosures, except for a half-baked petting area and macaw area. The playground is not special; nothing one can’t find at their neighborhood park. A proper petting zoo playground incorporates animals and is not separate from them. The only decent part of this absolute wreck of an exhibit is the aforementioned macaws, which surround visitors on open-air trees. This area is otherwise a horrible embarrassment to the world-class San Diego Zoo. I'm doing Lost Forest next. Feedback appreciated.
Not necessarily a critique,but I'm shocked at your enjoyment of the reptile house. Zoochatters on average seem to hate both it and the Reptile Walk for the glare due to both being open,so it is interesting to see someone with a separate opinion.
I think that's a bit harsh. The Children's Zoo is composed of several smaller animal species but still has a valuable conservation message. The Arachnid Rescue Center in particular brings attention to a little-known group of animals. The exhibits for birds are average to above average, with one highlight in particular: Guianan cock-of-the-rock. Personally, I enjoyed the Walk but not the House. The only part I disliked about the Walk is something the zoo couldn't change- I didn't see more than the tail of the Anegada ground iguana! I was distraught until I saw the species elsewhere.
I agree. The house is outdated and the glare is downright restrictive at some parts of the day. It makes trying to see animals aggravating,but that issue is the same with the walk. I know they'll never just tear down the house but after seeing LA's reptile houses,while I'd like a larger complex with more species,it is definitely my ideal reptile set up for San Diego.
I don't know what experiences everyone else had but I experienced minimal glare if any on my visits. The first part of the reptile walk is sorrounded on both sides so glare is never an issue there.
It opened in 2012, I don't understand how it is outdated it is like an outdoor reptile house, it has only been open for about 4 years and depending on your time of visit it was open for either 1 or 2 years.
He was agreeing with me,I'd said the house was outdated. If you compare it to LA,or other new reptile houses,it's in fairly sad shape. The presentation is lackluster,to say the least. Something about rows of little boxes with generally little information on its inhabitants doesn't make for an exciting exhibit. At best it feels like a "Where's Waldo-Reptile Edition" for those of us who don't really dabble in herpetology.
I understand now, I don't remember the reptile house giving me issues back in 2010, but I don't know and Reptile Walk wasn't open yet.
