We come to the Sacramento Zoo all the time. The price is decent at about $10 for an adult. If you haven't been here in a while, it might be time to try again. The old cement prison-house-looking animal internment camp has been upgraded from an Abu Grhaib to almost as nice as Guantanamo Bay. This is not a sprawling estate, particularly when compared to the other local options like Oakland and San Francisco, but the size makes for a a very one-on-one experience with the animals, their handlers, and the occasional groundskeeper. Be sure to check out the primate area and the reptile area. Best two spots of the whole place. Oh, the company that they brought in to do the funnel cake sales used an animal-base to cook the food so don't buy the funnel cake if you don;t eat meat because it tastes like a sugar-coated cheeseburger (I just know that someone reading this will make a fortune selling my sugerburger idea to American fast food executives in silk suits)