Spotlight on SoCal | Events & Things To Do in Southern California

Children's museums, galleries & zoos

Museums, art galleries, zoos and aquariums, with admission, hours and what is on now.

AllMuseums (11)Art galleries (5)Zoos & aquariums (11)
Any subjectArt (11)History (5)Science & nature (12)Children's (13)Culture & heritage (3)Specialty collections (1)Free admission

Orange County

Dana Point

Ocean InstituteZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sA marine education center in Dana Point Harbor with aquariums, tall ship programs and ocean science.

Irvine

Pretend City Children's MuseumMuseum · Children'sAn interactive children's museum where young kids play in a pretend town.

Orange

Orange County ZooZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sA small zoo inside Irvine Regional Park, focused on animals native to Southern California.

Santa Ana

Discovery Cube Orange CountyMuseum · Science & nature, Children'sA hands-on science museum with interactive exhibits for kids and families.Santa Ana ZooZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sA family-sized zoo in Prentice Park, known for its monkeys and hands-on animal encounters.

Los Angeles County

Long Beach

Aquarium of the PacificZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sA large public aquarium on the Long Beach waterfront with Pacific Ocean animals and cultural festivals.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical GardensZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sThe city's zoo in Griffith Park, with animals from around the world and botanical gardens.

San Pedro

Cabrillo Marine AquariumZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sA local marine aquarium in San Pedro with tide pool and Southern California sea life exhibits.

San Diego County

Escondido

San Diego Zoo Safari ParkZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sA large wildlife park in the Escondido hills, with open habitats for African and Asian animals.

La Jolla

Birch Aquarium at ScrippsZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sThe public aquarium of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, overlooking La Jolla's coast.

San Diego

San Diego ZooZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sThe famous Balboa Park zoo, home to thousands of animals from around the world.

Riverside County

Palm Desert

The Living Desert Zoo and GardensZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sA desert zoo and botanical garden in Palm Desert focused on desert animals and plants.

Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara ZooZoo or aquarium · Science & nature, Children'sA hillside zoo overlooking the Pacific, with animals from around the world.

Admission and hours change. Confirm before you go. Know one we missed? Tell us.

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