Botanical Building and Lily Pond
This serene park within the park is one of my favorite hideouts. Ferns, orchids, impatiens, begonias, and other plants -- about 2,100 tropical and flowering varieties, plus rotating exhibits -- are sheltered beneath a domed lath house. The graceful 250-foot-long building, part of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, is one of the world's largest wood lath structures, and emerged from a complete renovation in 2002. Kids love the "touch and smell" garden and the smelly bog of carnivorous plants. The lily pond out front attracts sun worshipers, painters, and street entertainers.

San Diego Wild Animal Park
Located 35 miles north of San Diego, outside of Escondido, this terrific "zoo of the future" will transport you to the African plains and other faraway landscapes. Originally established as a breeding facility for the San Diego Zoo (the Zoological Society oversees both operations), the 1,800-acre Wild Animal Park now holds around 3,500 animals representing 429 different species -- many of them endangered. Approximately 650 animals are born every year in the park. What makes the Wild Animal Park unique is that many of the animals roam freely in vast enclosures, allowing giraffes to interact with antelopes, much as they would in Africa. You'll find the largest crash of rhinos at any zoological facility in the world; an exhibit for the critically endangered California condor; and a mature landscape of exotic vegetation from many corners of the globe. You can stroll through an epiphyllum house, a bonsai pavilion and protea garden, and then purchase the unusual species to take home from the Plant Trader shop. Although the San Diego Zoo may be world famous, it is the Wild Animal Park that many visitors celebrate as their favorite. To me, they are both essential components of the San Diego experience; to maximize your enjoyment see the zoo first, then make the trek to the Wild Animal Park a few days later. If you have a good zoo at home and have only 1 day for animals in San Diego, go for the Wild Animal Park, an experience which is all but unduplicated anywhere else.The central focus of the park is the 5-mile Wgasa Bush Line Railway, a 60-minute monorail ride that's included in the price of admission. Trains leave every 10 minutes or so from the station, and lines build up by late morning -- make this your first or last attraction of the day (the animals are more active anyway), and for the best views, sit on the right-hand side. The monorail passes through areas designated as East Africa, South Africa, Asian Plains, and the Asian Waterhole, through swaying grasses and along rocky outcrops. A pair of binoculars is handy to have along since many of the animals can be hundreds of feet away, but the monorail is meant to give you an experience of the open plains and wildlife diversity, not the up-close experience of a traditional zoo.The monorail is the signature attraction of the park, but you'll find other rewarding exhibits. There are several excellent, self-guided walking tours: the 1 3/4-mile Kilimanjaro Safari Walk, which visits the Australian rainforest and the fringe of East Africa; the 1/4-mile round-trip hike to Condor Ridge, which ascends past 13 rare or endangered North American species, including the fabulously ugly California condor; and the Heart of Africa, a 3/4-mile trail that winds through a 32-acre wilderness with varied habitats (dense forest, flourishing wetlands, sprawling savannas, and open plains) to a cheetah overlook and a giraffe-feeding station. A new, 1-acre habitat for lions will debut here in 2005, with glass windows that bring you nose-to-nose with the massive felines.Nairobi Village is the commercial hub of the park, but even here are interesting animal exhibits, including the nursery area, where irresistible young 'uns can be seen frolicking, being bottle-fed, and sleeping; a petting station; the lowland gorillas; and the South American Aviary. There are amphitheaters for a bird show and another featuring elephants, scheduled two or three times daily. Within Nairobi Village are souvenir stores, and several spots for mediocre dining. Visitors should be prepared for sunny, often downright hot, weather. It's not unusual for temperatures to be 5 to 10 degrees warmer here than in San Diego -- sunscreen, a hat, and light clothing are usually a good idea.If you really want to get up close and personal with the animals, take one of the park's Photo Caravans, which shuttles groups of eight in flatbed trucks out into the open areas that are not accessible to the general public. In my experience, the photos are secondary to the sheer enjoyment of crossing the fence to meet the rhinos, ostriches, zebras, and deer on their home turf, even getting nose-to-nose with giraffes along the way -- it's not quite as dramatic as a real African safari, but it ranks pretty high. There are two different itineraries available, each 1 3/4 hours long, or you can take both trips -- you'll want to make reservations in advance by calling tel. 619/718-3050. The price is $90 per person for one caravan, or $130 for both (not including park admission); children must be at least 8 years old, and ages 8 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Whaley House
In 1856, this striking two-story brick house (the 1st one in these parts) was built for Thomas Whaley and his family. Whaley was a New Yorker who arrived via San Francisco, where he had been lured by the gold rush. It's probably an urban legend that Whaley's house is designated as "one of only two authenticated haunted houses in California," yet 10,000 schoolchildren visit each year to see for themselves. Besides, no one can really explain why photos taken inside the house often develop with foggy apparitions (apparently, four spirits haunt the structure). Exhibits include a life mask of Abraham Lincoln, one of only six made; the spinet piano used in the movie Gone with the Wind; and the concert piano that accompanied Swedish soprano Jenny Lind on her final U.S. tour in 1852. In back is the cottage that was San Diego's first drugstore (dating to 1867) -- it now houses a shop selling attractive Native American art and jewelry. And the nice shop in front is run by the Save Our Heritage Organisation, which offers beautiful Arts & Crafts pottery, architecture-themed books, and crafts.

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