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Head To the Famous San Diego Zoo For Your Dose of Christmas Lights

Where: 2920 Zoo Dr. [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101
December 18, 2009 at 12:07 PM | by | Comments (0)

While people crowd downtown San Diego's Horton Plaza for ice skating and shopping around this time of year, the city offers a holiday alternative at the , which decks itself out in lights, fake snow and themed activities for Jungle Bells.

A highlight of the Jungle Bells celebration, which lasts until January 2, is the eco-friendly synthetic ice rink, the first time the zoo's offered the feature. But don't expect Rockefeller Center. This small rink is better for wobbly kiddies learning how to skate than adults looking to practice their figure eights.

Notice we didn't mention that the animals as the main highlight here. That's because at night the zoo doesn't light up the animal exhibits—to give the poor things a chance to sleep—which means you don't get to see most of the critters. We recommend hitting the zoo during the day, so that you can get the most of your $37 admission ($27 for kids) and actually see the animals. You can stay till the lights go on around 5 p.m.

Although most of the zoo is dark, that's not to say that there aren't things to do. There are shows in the early evening, like one where Dominique the Ice Queen uses blowtorches and chainsaws to carve animals out of 300-pound blocks of ice. You can walk among the few lit-up animal displays, including the polar bear exhibit and the new Elephant Odyssey. Sporty types can scale a rock-climbing wall or jump and do fun flips with the aid of a harness and an inflatable jumping pad ($8 extra).

Overall, we wouldn't recommend coming just for the night-time Jungle Bell offerings, but make a day of it—especially with the kiddies—to see the famous animal inhabitants and perhaps make a few laps around the ice ($6 extra), and you'll leave with holiday cheer.

Related Stories:
· San Diego Zoo Elephant Explosion, You Herd It Here [Jaunted]
· Zoo Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photos: Jennifer Kester]

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