More to RichardinSF's post. Parking is free at the Zoo (San Diego), but $20 at the SD Zoo Safari Park (Escondido). The parking is covered by the second-tier membership. Some memberships are higher price for out of state visitors, but not single use tickets.

You don't need to decide in advance (hope this is still true) as you can convert one day to Membership when leaving.

It is easy to spend 2 days at the Safari Park. It is 900 acres of developed land. The various gardens areas are more valuable than the animals. There are several miles of trails at the park. The park is going thru building a totally new elephant (African) area, that might be done summer 2025. It will include an upgrade dining area.

While this is about saving money, lots of upgrades exist to really get close to the animals and or operations. Also note the reason for its existence is to save and repopulate endangered animals. Money spent here is for that purpose, all over the world. You can zipline, do a tethered balloon ride, take a safari on a truck, take a smaller vehicle to Asia, tour various behind the scenes areas, spend the night in a tent, and many more special experiences.