Spotlight: San Diego - SeaWorld

Spotlight: SeaWorld was founded in 1964 as a marine zoological park. It gradually developed into a full blown amusement park complete with rides and shows. Its success spawned three other SeaWorld parks over the next 25 years. Today, SeaWorld San Diego is owned by the City of San Diego and operated by SeaWorld Entertainment. Adjacent to the park is the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, whose objective is to research marine biology to educate the public on protecting marine life.

Location: SeaWorld is located at 500 Sea World Drive in San Diego, CA.

Cost: Although more expensive at the gate, you can purchase tickets online for 59.99

Time: Although the schedule changes seasonally based on holidays, weekends, etc., the park is usually open from 10:00 am-10:00 pm during the summer and 10:00-5:00 during the school year.

Description: SeaWorld is an amusement park with an aquatic theme. All the attractions can be divided up into three major categories: rides, shows, and animals. The rides range from little kid rides such as Elmo's Flying Fish to roller coasters like Journey to Atlantis. You can cool off on Shipwreck Rapids or get a great view of San Diego and the sea at the top of Skytower. The most unique ride is probably Wild Arctic, where you explore the arctic aboard a jet-helicopter simulator.

Shipwreck Rapids

Getting ready to ride Manta

     SeaWorld is probably best known for its shows. Although often controversial, the various killer whale shows featuring Shamu have traditionally been the most popular. New laws and public backlash spurred by animal rights propaganda such as the film Blackfish have prompted various changes. The shows in which orcas and humans interact with each other in the tank were banned after the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau. The new orca show, Orca Encounter, focuses more on education rather than entertainment. Other shows feature dolphins, sea lions, circus performers, Elmo and friends and other sea creatures.

     In addition to rides and shows, SeaWorld is also an impressive aquarium in its own right. In addition to orcas, dolphins and sea lions, visitors can get close views of beluga whales, turtles, sharks, polar bears, penguins and any number of fish and sea creatures. There are both touch pools (where you can even pet sting rays) and traditional tanks, depending on the animals inside.

Beluga whale

Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - SeaWorld is one of the attractions included in San Diego's Go Card.
- Wear something that you don't mind getting wet, because chances are you will to one degree or another. Of course, you can avoid getting wet based on where you sit during shows or which rides you go on.
- SeaWorld hosts several seasonal events, such as this summer's Electric Ocean, the Halloween Spooktacular, and the annual Christmas celebration.

- There are a variety of restaurants around the park. You can buy food as you go, or purchase an all-day dining deal (35.99/adult 10+) that allows you to get up to one entree, one side or dessert, and one drink each hour.
- SeaWorld has additional parks in Orlando, FL and San Antonio, TX.
- SeaWorld also owns and operates a water park called Aquatica San Diego. It is actually located in Chula Vista (22 miles away) and features 22 slides.

Nearby: Fiesta Island Park, Tecolote Canyon Natural Park, Old Town San Diego SHP, Balboa Park

Spotlight: San Diego - The Mormon Battalion Historic Site

Spotlight: In the early spring of 1846, thousands of Mormon pioneers were slowly making their way across Iowa Territory after abandoning their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois. Their leader, Brigham Young, sent a messenger to President James K. Polk, asking for federal assistance. The messenger, Jesse Little, met with Pres. Polk just eight days after Congress declared war against Mexico. In response, Pres. Polk offered to aid the pioneers by employing 500 of their best men in a battalion that would serve under Colonel Stephen W. Kearny, Commander of the Army in the West. At the urging of Brigham Young, more than 543 men between the ages of 18-45 enlisted in the Battalion under the command of newly promoted Lt. Colonel James Allen at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the provision that the Mormons could encamp on United States land over the winter.
     Five companies of soldiers were formed, and marched out of Council Bluffs on 20 July 1846. Accompanying the men were 33 women, 20 of whom were employed as laundresses, and 51 children. The soldiers were outfitted at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Rather than keep the money themselves, most of the soldiers sent the bulk of it to the beleaguered pioneers who used it to purchase much needed supplies for their trek west. When Colonel Allen fell ill at Fort Leavenworth, he sent the Battalion on to Santa Fe under the command of Captain Jefferson Hunt of Company A. When Colonel Allen died, Lt. AJ Smith was sent from Fort Leavenworth to take command of the Battalion. The transition proved to be a rocky one as the soldiers chaffed under Lt. Smith's dictatorial style. The march was a difficult one and many of the soldiers fell ill due to excessive heat, insufficient supplies, improper medical treatment and long marches. A sick detachment was sent to Fort Pueblo, CO. When they reached Santa Fe, Lt. Colonel Philip Cooke assumed command and sent another sick detachment, along with the remaining women and children to join the first one at Fort Pueblo. A final third detachment was finally sent before winter set in.
     On their way to Tucson, AZ, the Battalion was attacked by a herd of wild cattle. In the Battle of the Bulls, a number of bulls were killed and two men wounded. Ironically, this would be the only battle the Battalion would encounter on their 2,000 mile march to California. The Battalion arrived at Mission San Diego in January 1847 after one of the longest military marches in history. Although some soldiers were assigned to accompany Colonel Kearny back to Fort Leavenworth, most were assigned garrison duty in San Diego, San Luis Rey or Los Angeles for the remainder of their year-long enlistment. Many helped build the first San Diego Courthouse, Fort Moore in Los Angeles and several other military and civic structures and roads in southern California. Although 81 men chose to re-enlist, and others sought employment from men like John Sutter in northern California, the majority migrated to the Salt Lake Valley to be reunited with their families who were gathering there.

Location: The Mormon Battalion Historic Site is located at 2510 Juan St. at the edge of Old Town San Diego.

Cost: free

Time: Open daily from 9 am - 9 pm. Plan on staying between 1-2 hours.

Description: Formerly known as the Mormon Battalion Visitors' Center, the Mormon Battalion Historic Site was completely refurbished in 2010. The building was constructed in the colonial Spanish architectural style, and visitors are greeted by enthusiastic hosts dressed in period costume. The interactive exhibits allow actual members of the Battalion tell their own stories using high-tech digital technology. Visitors travel from room to room, which are decorated to appear like: an encampment, Fort Leavenworth, and the San Diego Courthouse. After experiencing the tale of the Battalion, visitors are free to explore other areas of the site and participate in activities such as: panning for gold, making bricks, dressing up in period costumes, pumping water, drawing it from a well and examining authentic artifacts. In the Research Room, visitors can discover whether or not they are related to any members of the Battalion.

"On the trail" with the Battalion

watching the participants tell their own story

Panning for gold

Honorary members of the Battalion

Panning for gold (digitally)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - The guides are typically older couples who are volunteer missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons) who will answer any of your questions about the Battalion or their beliefs.

Nearby: Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, Heritage Park, Bazaar Del Mundo, SeaWorld

Spotlight: San Diego - San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Spotlight: The San Diego Zoo Safari Park was formerly known as the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The park opened in 1972, and covers 1,800 acres of the San Pasqual Valley north of San Diego and tries to recreate the natural habitat of the animals as much as possible. The stated objectives of the park were species conservation and breeding animals for the San Diego Zoo, as well as other zoos around the nation. It specializes in wild animals, including many endangered species, from every continent on Earth except Antarctica. Its California condor breeding program is the most successful such program in the U.S. It began in 1987, after the California condor population had dropped to 22. The program was so successful, that some of the condors were released back into the wild only five years later. The condor population has continued to grow and is now nearing 400. The park cares for over 2,600 animals representing more than 300 animal species as well as 3,500 different plant species.

Location: The Safari Park is located at 15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd. in Escondido, CA, north of San Diego.

Cost: One-day pass: $52/adult (12+), $42/child (3-11); Parking - $15/vehicle; extra tours and activities are available for an additional price.

Time: Open daily from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm with extended hours (9-7) in the summertime. Plan on spending from 3-6 hours.

Description: The park is divided into more than a dozen different sections based on the types of animals that are found there. Walking paths lead from one section to another. We visited most of them, but our favorite was probably the Tiger Trail. There were three baby tigers there who were having fun tousling with one another.

     The Lemur Walk was also a lot of fun. We got to actually go inside the enclosure with the lemurs. My niece got so excited, she even grew a lemur tail.

     The largest section of the park is African Plains, and the only way to really see it is via the African Tram (included in the price of admission). There may be a long wait, but it is definitely worth it. The tram takes visitors on a guided tour closer to many of the larger animals in the park, pointing out interesting facts about the animals.

Mama & baby white rhinos

     The younger kids also had a lot of fun playing on the themed playground equipment that was available at different locations within the park.

     Additional activities include: The Balloon Safari (extra $), the Conservation Carousel (extra $), and various shows. We didn't see all the shows, but the Frequent Flyers Bird Show was a lot of fun.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - The Safari Park is part of the Go San Diego Card.
- If you are planning on taking one of the behind-the-scenes safari tours, you should purchase discounted tickets ahead of time. They are quite expensive and are only offered at certain times.

Nearby: San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park, Kit Carson Park, Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve, Blue Sky Ecological Reserve

Spotlight: San Diego - Balboa Park

Spotlight: Balboa Park large urban park combining a variety of museums, gardens, theaters and the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The land was first set aside for recreational use in 1835, before California was even a state. The park was formally established in 1868 with 1,400 acres, which were later reduced to 1,200. It was named for Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa and has hosted two international expositions - the Panama-California Exposition (1915-1916) and the California Pacific International Exposition (1935-36). Some of the earliest efforts to beautify the park were made by Kate Sessions, who earned the title Mother of Balboa Park by planting most of the first trees to adorn the park, some of which still survive today. El Prado, a wide boulevard that runs through the center of the park, is lined by buildings in the Spanish Colonial Revival style that characterizes much of the park. In 1977, the park and many of its buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location: Balboa Park covers a 1,200 acre area of downtown San Diego, just northeast of I-5 where it intersects HWY 163.

Cost: Admission into the park and most of the gardens is free. However, since most of the venues are independently managed by non-profit organizations, price will vary from venue to venue.

Time: The Visitor Center is open from 9:30-4:30 daily. Schedules vary from venue to venue, so you might want to stop by there first to plan your day. If you are only visiting one venue, you may only stay an hour, but you could easily spend a full day (or two) exploring the various venues.

Description: The park has a vast array of museum, gardens and other attractions. Due to the park's vast size, you can only visit a fraction of them in a single day. Since we'd just visited the Safari Park, we skipped the famous zoo and visited some of the other venues. First we went to the Air & Space Museum. It displayed many interesting historic planes and exhibits from WWI, WWII, the barnstorming era, and the start of the commercial plane era. My favorite part was riding in the F-18 simulator. I quickly lost my hat which flopped around the cockpit every time I did a barrel roll, dive, etc. I crashed twice at the beginning, but then got the hang of it.

     We had lunch at the San Diego Hall of Champions, which honors outstanding athletic achievements in more than forty sports. I quickly ordered, then visited the Breitbard Hall of Fame while waiting for my food. The HOF honored athletes who either excelled in sports in the San Diego area, or were native to San Diego and excelled in sports elsewhere. Naturally the bulk of the players honored played for either the Chargers or Padres.

      After lunch, we visited the Model Railroad Museum. It was a model train enthusiast's version of heaven. Many famous railway venues throughout the country were recreated in detail with model trains crawling along the tracks. They also had an area dedicated to fictional city scenes which included amusement park rides, interactive buildings and cars as well as trains.

     Our final stop was the Japanese Friendship Garden, which symbolizes the friendship between San Diego and its sister city Yokohama in Japan. Although the garden is constantly changing, it is designed using original Japanese garden principles while incorporating aspects of native landscape and climate. The goal is to establish a peaceful haven that encourages balance and harmony in nature.

     Some of the other popular attractions include: the San Diego Automotive Museum, the San Diego Museum of Man, the Botanical Building, the Alcazar Garden, the Casa del Rey Moro Garden, Centro Cultural de la Raza, the George W. Marston House, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the San Diego Art Institute, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center, the Old Globe Theatre, the Balboa Park Carousel, the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad, the Casa del Prado, the House of Hospitality Building, the Spanish Village Art Center and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - Click here for detailed maps of Balboa Park and directions on how to get their via car or public transportation.
- Parking inside Balboa Park is free. Since there are 11 different parking lots, and often crowded, it is wise to find a parking spot near one of the tram stops and use the tram to visit different parts of the park. Even then, be prepared to do some walking, since the tram doesn't stop at every venue.
- Since there are so many venues within Balboa Park, you may want to start your visit at the Visitor Center where you can receive helpful information on hours, prices, and recommendations based on your interests.
- Click here for a rundown on rules and regulations within the park.

Nearby: USS Midway Museum, Seaport Village, SeaWorld, Mission Trails Regional Park