San Diego Zoo

The world famous San Diego Zoo is everything you've ever heard about it.  It encompasses a gigantic amount of space and houses a wide variety of animals from lions to tigers to bears (oh my!).  You can spend all day walking around the entire zoo and still not be able to see all of the shows and animals.

The zoo also is one of only 2 zoos in North America to have Giant Panda bears on display, which you'll wait in a long line to see (and also need to remain very quiet).  These animals don't get exported from China very often, so if you're a Panda lover, it's a must visit attraction if you're in Southern California.

One activity we tried that we weren't too impressed with was the Skyfari Aerial Tram.  This "ride" takes you from one side of the park to the other for $4/person for a one-way ride.  While that will let you cross the park quite fast, you don't get any type of a special view of any of the animal exhibits, which we were hoping for.  I'd suggest that anyone visiting passes on this option (although it is free if you do have an annual membership, and in that case it's a pretty convenient way to cross the park).

When visiting, also be sure to keep your eye out for various discounts instead of paying the full fare.  There are sometimes discounts for people who live in Southern California, as well as discounts for members of clubs such as AAA.  Also, if you're planning on visiting other attractions in the area (SeaWorld, Legoland, etc.), you may be able to buy combination tickets for all of the parks that will save you some cash.