San Diego's Wild Animal Park
 

Is this place worth the stop?

Absolutely.

Ditto!

Yes, but the San Diego Zoo is much better. (You can find many comments on the Wild Animal Park by doing a text search in the box above).

I have just the opposite view. We lived in SD for many years and were members of the Zoological Society so we could go to either the WAP or the Zoo at no cost. I love both but I enjoy seeing the animals in a roaming environment. Having said that, if you only have time for one, I'd probably choose the zoo because of the much wider variety in a relatively smaller space.

If you have time, go to both. Each is (in my opinion) worth a whole day each. I believe they have a 2-day pass which you can purchase which includes one day at each. It's a hard choice to make.

You can also buy a membership for the zoological society that covers admission to both the zoo and the WAP for a year. It's tax-deductible and includes coupons for the tram tour, sky ride, etc. Each membership also has a pass for one free admission for a guest. We came out ahead financially by buying memberships rather than buying tickets to each place.