San Diego & Around - California - page 1536

you walk through a 57ft acrylic tunnel. Several amusement-park-style rides are also avail-
able. The new Manta Ray roller coaster swoops across the park at up to 43mph; Journey
to Atlantis is a combination flume ride and roller coaster; and Wild Arctic is a simulated
helicopter flight followed by a walk past beluga whales and polar bears. Expect long waits
for rides, shows and exhibits during peak seasons.
Theme parks like SeaWorld have begun to attract controversy in recent years. While the
park maintains that it does its share of animal conservation, rescue, rehabilitation, breeding
and research, animal welfare groups disagree, questioning the whole idea of places like
SeaWorld, and criticizing them for keeping the marine life in captivity, arguing that the
conditions and treatment of the animals are harmful and stressful, and that all of this is ex-
acerbated further by human interaction. A bill in the California state legislature in 2014
proposed to do away with killer whale shows; it was sent back for further study.
SeaWorld can also be an expensive day out, what with loud advertisements as you wait
in line and omnipresent corporate logos and gift shops (mostly designed with young visit-
ors in mind) encouraging additional souvenir spending. That said, good deals are often
available for multiday or combination tickets with other parks, including San Diego Zoo
and Wild Animal Park, Universal Studios Hollywood and/or Disneyland. Inquire at tourist
offices and hotels. To save on food, all-you-can-eat passes to multiple SeaWorld restaur-
ants are available seasonally, or keep a cooler in the car and picnic at tables outside the
gates - be sure to get a hand-stamp for re-entry.
To get here by car, take SeaWorld Dr off I-5 less than a mile north of where it intersects
with I-8. Parking costs $15. Check with Metropolitan Transit System for public transit.
Some hotels offer shuttles.
Mission Bay OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Just east of Mission and Pacific Beaches is this 7-sq-mile playground, with 27 miles of
shoreline and 90 acres of parks on islands, coves and peninsulas. Sailing, windsurfing and
kayaking dominate northwest Mission Bay, while waterskiers zip around Fiesta Island.
Kite flying is popular in Mission Bay Park, beach volleyball is big on Fiesta Island, and
there's delightful cycling and inline skating on the miles of bike paths.
Belmont Park AMUSEMENT PARK