Best Museums & Educational Spots for Kids
Explore the best best museums & educational spots for kids options for kids and families in Avalon
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Fish on display, a touch tank & more. Longtime aquarium showcasing Southern California fish via exhibits, a touch tank & other activities.
Battleship USS Iowa Museum
Navy warship with kid-friendly tours. Storied Navy warship offering kid-friendly tours (from the decks to the Captain’s Cabin) & exhibits.
Point Vicente Interpretive Center
Park with exhibits & whale-watching. Natural & local culture exhibits in the visitor center of a waterfront park with whale-watching.
Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum
Longboards & other historic memorabilia. Museum dedicated to the aquatic sport offers a look at old longboards & other surf memorabilia.
Aquarium of the Pacific
Sea-life exhibits in a waterfront space. Pacific Ocean dwellers on display at this large aquarium with touch tanks & behind-the-scenes tours.
ExplorOcean - Balboa Arcade
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Long Beach Museum of Art
Exhibits & a cafe on a scenic bluff. Museum & a cafe on a bluff-top site featuring galleries with works by Southern California artists.
Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA)
Modern spot for Latin American fine art. Contemporary Latin American art & educational programs featured at a museum with a sculpture garden.
Balboa Island Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Banning Museum
Landmark home with living history tours. Landmark 19th-century estate provides living history tours, education programs & community events.
Lomita Railroad Museum
Museum devoted to steam train history. Museum exploring the history of steam trains, featuring engines & other cars, plus tours & events.
Western Museum of Flight
Museum dedicated to aviation history. Real & model aircraft in a museum devoted to the history of aviation in Southern California.
Long Beach Firefighter's Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens
Historic adobe ranch home & garden tours. Expansive property includes a historic adobe ranch home, gardens & horse barns, plus guided tours.
Heroes Hall Museum
Veterans' museum with free entry. Free museum & education center with exhibits & programs celebrating Orange County veterans.
Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center (main entrance)
Estuary exhibits & interactive displays. Spacious education center features estuary history exhibits & interactive displays, Tuesday-Sunday.
Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve
Birding, biking & an interpretive center. Home to many bird species, this 135-acre park offers an interpretive center & hiking/biking trails.
Laguna Art Museum
Waterfront gallery with contemporary art. Contemporary art museum with a permanent collection of over 3,500 works & a waterfront setting.
Torrance Art Museum
Contemporary exhibits & free admission. Museum offering free admission to 2 galleries focusing on contemporary art from Southern California.
Orange County Museum of Art
Long-standing museum for modern artwork. Venerable museum features a collection of modern & contemporary artwork, tours & educational events.
Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute & Museum of California Art (Langson IMCA)
Center for CA-inspired Impressionist art. Museum of rotating exhibits dedicated to American Impressionist art depicting the CA landscape.
Heritage Museum of Orange County
Restored buildings from the 1890s. Attraction featuring restored homes & buildings from the 1890s set amid extensive floral gardens.
MUSEUM of WOMAN
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Hermosa Beach Museum
Historical society & heritage museum. Historical society featuring a quaint museum devoted to local heritage, with archival photos & more.
Wonder of Dinosaurs
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Ocean Institute
Maritime science & history exhibits. Coastal visitor center with marine wildlife, school programs & interactive exhibits on oceanography.
Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum
Museum of early California history. California history museum in an 1826 adobe on the site of the first Spanish land grant in the state.
K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities
Indoor go-kart racing. Chain of indoor racing centers featuring electric go-karting for all skill levels, plus food.
Roundhouse Aquarium
No-cost ocean & marine life education. This free aquarium sits at the end of Manhattan Beach Pier & is host to classes, parties & camps.
Stanley Ranch Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Niguel Botanical Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Marconi Automotive Museum
Classic, exotic & historic car displays. This nonprofit museum exhibiting luxury, rare & historic cars donates admission fees to charity.
Bowers Kidseum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Los Angeles County Fire Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Bowers Museum
Global art, lectures & a restaurant. Mission Revival-style museum for global art (permanent & temporary), lectures & an eatery, Tangata.
Knott's Berry Farm Independence Hall
Replica of a famous historic building. Reproduction of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, including a copy of the Liberty Bell.
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