The Best Time to Go to the San Diego Zoo | Easily Explained
In this page we'll go over the best day to go to the San Diego Zoo, the best time of the day to visit, the best season to visit & even an underrated season to visit along with reasons why.
Table of Contents
Best Day to Visit
The best time to go to the San Diego Zoo are Monday-Wednesday. In general, almost all weekdays are always great options, as the park historically holds lower crowds in this timeframe.
Out of state visitors usually arrive on Thursdays, stay for the weekend, and then leave on a Monday. Additionally, most of the locals are in school or working during the weekdays!
By going to the parks on Monday-Wednesday, you'll be able to avoid most of the crowds that can fill up the park quickly.
This means less waiting in lines, and more experiencing the actual park.
Best Time of Day to Visit
As soon as the park opens! The San Diego Zoo normally opens at 9 am. Ideally you'd arrive 20-30 minutes before opening.
Most zoos take a few hours to fill up, and this gives you the perfect chance to head straight to your favorite exhibits and rides while dealing with minimal crowds.
Double check the San Diego Zoo hours prior to planning your visit.
Best Season to Visit
Spring can be a great season to visit due to the cooler weather and lighter crowds. Ideally in May, right before any holidays such as spring break and memorial day weekend.
This will allow you to avoid having to deal with the spring breakers, while still taking advantage of all of the perks that the season provides.
Underrated Season to Visit
Fall is a very underrated season to visit as the summer weather has cooled off, and so has the humidity.
The ideal time to visit during fall is in November prior to Thanksgiving.
The Halloween crowds will have ended, and the Thanksgiving crowd will not have started yet. It's the perfect 'down-time' to visit the park as it's traditionally one of the slower times of the year.
Luckily the San Diego Zoo is open every day of the year including holidays, which allows visitors to have massive flexibility when planning their trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do Most People Spend at San Diego Zoo?
Most visitors spend an average of 4-5 hours at the zoo to be able to see all of the major attractions in the zoo.
However, if you decide to ride the rides or go on the zipline, you can spend an entire day at the park.
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