Exploring the Parks, Non-Jurassic Variety

So, once you’ve experienced Jurassic Park and Superman, there’s still a summer-full of thrills to sample.

A new amusement park opens Saturday on the Santa Monica Pier. Covering two acres on the southwest end of the pier, Pacific Park will include a 130-foot-high Ferris wheel, bumper cars, midway games and, come July, a new roller coaster. Visitors will pay $1 to $3 for each ride.

Disneyland has dubbed this year a “Classic Summer Celebration.” Translation: This is your last chance to see Tomorrowland while it still looks like a Jetsons set. The big overhaul starts in September. Space Mountain and Star Tours will survive, but soon it’ll be bye-bye, Peoplemover. In October, the Main Street Electrical Parade ends after 25 years.

Knott’s Berry Farm already has forsaken nostalgia, razing much of its Roaring ‘20s area and replacing it with the beach-themed Boardwalk. The area is anchored with HammerHead, a spinning ocean-themed ride.

To get really wet, head to Raging Waters in San Dimas, which has added a children’s attraction called Volcano FantaSea. Kids--and parents--can climb and slide through the 40-foot volcano or play in Typhoon Lagoon, Dolphin Cove or Octopus Lair. Among the 40 slides and pools at Wild Rivers Waterpark in Irvine is Chaos, a tube of turns that opened last July.

Killer whales remain the central feature of Sea World in San Diego. On Memorial Day weekend, the park will open a new habitat--Shamu Back stage--for its six killer whales. Lucky volunteers can help the Sea World staff train and feed Shamu & Co. Or--if you don’t mind the 55-degree water--you can wade in and pet the marine mammals over a wall.

Some of Shamu’s neighbors at the San Diego Zoo are getting new digs as well. The Polar Bear Plunge--also with an underwater viewing area--opens June 29. The okapis--animals with a giraffe-like heads and zebra-striped rear ends--have taken up residence next to Hippo Beach. And endangered monkeys from Southeast Asia, douc langurs, move into their new habitat near the orangutans in late May. The Los Angeles Zoo is getting two koalas for a new outdoor habitat.

The San Diego Wild Animal Park in Escondido is in the midst of renovating its Nairobi Village. The new Mombasa Lagoon has gone interactive, meaning you can hop on lily pads, climb into giant bird eggs and turtle shells, and climb in a person-sized spider web. You want to touch the animals, not be the animals? Go to the Petting Kraal, where it’s hands-on with deer, antelope and gazelle.

There’s also lots of petting at Adventure City, the theme park for children down the street from Knott’s, as three baby Pygmy goats have been added to the llama, sheep, chickens and rabbits at the petting zoo. Also new is a playroom filled with Thomas the Tank Engine tracks, trains and buildings. Adventure City expands from weekend to daily hours June 14.