Other Natural Selections Offer Wealth of Experiences

If the Discovery Science Center only whets your appetite, here are more places to feed your science habit:

ORANGE COUNTY

Fullerton Arboretum at Cal State Fullerton, 1900 Associated Road, Fullerton 92831, (714) 278-3579, https://arboretum.fullerton.edu. Twenty-six acres divided into environments from rain forest to Sonoran desert. Summer science camps, special science programs. Gardening programs ($7 for nonmembers) most Saturday mornings. Open daily, 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Free admission, but donations requested. Free parking.

Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point Harbor, 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point 92629, (949) 496-2274, https://www.ocmi.org. Open to the public on weekends, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Free parking. Donations requested. Handle marine animals in laboratory “touch tanks.” Tall ship Pilgrim open for tours Sundays, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Public harbor and ocean cruises, reservations recommended. Prices vary. Tide-pool tours when tide is sufficiently low; reservations recommended. Call for dates and information. Adults, $4. Children 4-12, $3. Children younger than 4 are not permitted on cruises or tide-pool tours.

Ralph B. Clark Interpretive Center at Ralph B. Clark Regional Park, 8800 Rosecrans Ave., Buena Park 90621, (714) 670-8052. Ocean and land fossils discovered on the park grounds and elsewhere in Orange County. Includes complete whale skeleton, bones from mammoths, horses and giant sloths. Working fossil lab viewable to visitors. Tours available; call for information. Admission free. Parking $2 weekdays, $4 weekends.

UC Irvine Arboretum, western side of Campus Drive just south of Jamboree Road, Irvine, (949) 824-5833, https://ka.reg.uci.edu/UCI/ARBORETUM. Primarily a research facility, but free public access permitted Mondays-Saturdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., except holidays. Wildflower meadow (blooms in March), aloe garden (succulents from Africa), Baja California garden and butterfly garden (blooming plants that attract butterflies). Visitors explore on their own; no staff assistance available. Horticultural lectures offered during occasional sales of nursery stock. Call for information.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

California Science Center in Exposition Park, 700 State Drive, Los Angeles 90037, (213) 744-7400, https://www.casciencectr.org. Hands-on exhibits dealing with aerospace, earthquakes, computer-aided design, mathematics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, nutrition, substance abuse, AIDS and the environment. Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Parking, $5-$10. Free admission except to Imax theater ($3.75-$7.50).

Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park, 2800 E. Observatory Road, Los Angeles 90027, (323) 664-1191, https://www.griffithobservatory.org. Exhibits, demonstrations, lectures, telescope viewing. Winter hours: Tuesdays-Fridays, 2-10 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 12:30-10 p.m. Closed Mondays. Free parking. Free admission, except to planetarium ($2-$4) and laser shows ($6-$8). Children younger than 5 not admitted to laser shows and only to 1:30 p.m. planetarium shows. Laser show information: (818) 901-9405.

Huntington Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino 91108, (626) 405-2282, https://www.huntington.org. Children’s garden workshops, nature craft activities, adult workshops and garden lectures on 150 acres. Open Tuesdays-Fridays, noon-4:30 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Closed Mondays and holidays. Free parking. Admission $5-$8.50, free for children younger than 12. Free admission first Thursday of each month. Call or check Web site for schedule of events.

Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, at foot of Long Beach Freeway, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach 90802, (562) 590-3100, https://www.aquariumofpacific.org. Seventeen major Pacific habitats plus 30 smaller exhibits. Open daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., except Christmas. Parking in adjacent municipal lot costs $6 for aquarium visitors. Admission $5.50-$13.95, children under 3 free.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Exposition Park, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles 90007, (213) 763-DINO (763-3466), https://www.nhm.org. Huge collections. Children’s hands-on discovery center with live animals and digging for fossils. Live insect zoo. Dinosaur displays. Open daily except holidays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission, $2-$8, children younger than 5 admitted free. Parking $5-$10.

Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90036, (323) 934-PAGE (934-7243), https://www.tarpits.org. Ice Age fossils collected from La Brea Tar Pits. Can watch paleontologists working in their laboratories and, during summer, view actual excavations. Open Tuesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Mondays. Admission $2-$6, children younger than 5 admitted free. Admission free first Tuesday of each month. Parking $5 with museum validation.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Birch Aquarium at Scripps, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla 92037, (619) 534-FISH (534-3474), https://aqua.ucsd.edu. Largest oceanographic museum in the nation. Public programs in marine science education, many aimed at children. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission, $4-$7.50, children younger than 3 admitted free. Parking $3-$6.

Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center in Balboa Park, 1875 El Prado, San Diego 92101, (619) 238-1233, https://www.rhfleet.org. Interactive exhibits, media productions and informal educational programs. Open daily including holidays at 9:30 a.m.; closed Wednesdays-Saturdays at 9 p.m.; Sundays at 8 p.m.; Mondays-Tuesdays at 5 p.m. Admission, $3-$5. Imax shows, $5-$8. “Scitours,” $5-$7. No charge for children younger than 3. Free parking.

San Diego Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park, 2001 Pan American Plaza, San Diego 92101, (619) 234-8291, https://www.aerospacemuseum.org. Displays of more than 80 aircraft, from early flight to space exploration. Open daily, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission $2-$6, active military and children under 6 admitted free. Free parking.

ELSEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA

Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey 93940, (831) 648-4888, https://www.mbayaq.org. More than 100 galleries and exhibits re-creating Monterey Bay’s habitats. Open daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Opens at 9:30 a.m. during summer and holiday periods. Closed Christmas. Admission, $6.95-$14.95, $14.95-$6.95,children younger than 3 admitted free. Advance tickets available by calling (800) 756-3737 or at aquarium’s Web page. Municipal parking lots nearby.