Best Museums & Educational Spots for Kids
Explore the best best museums & educational spots for kids options for kids and families in San Clemente
River Street Ranch
Petting zoo & kid-friendly activities. Popular spot for families offers a petting zoo, train rides, panning for gold & more.
Ocean Institute
Maritime science & history exhibits. Coastal visitor center with marine wildlife, school programs & interactive exhibits on oceanography.
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Spanish mission & historical museum. Landmark Spanish mission founded in 1776 with historic exhibits, cultural events & a gift shop.
Niguel Botanical Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Dinosaur Park
Fields & a dinosaur-themed playground. Large park offering athletic fields as well as a playground with dinosaur- & fossil-themed elements.
Laguna Art Museum
Waterfront gallery with contemporary art. Contemporary art museum with a permanent collection of over 3,500 works & a waterfront setting.
Pretend City Children's Museum
Imaginary town & exhibits for kids. Set up as a pretend city, this kids' museum has a post office, cafe, farm & other interactive areas.
Irvine Spectrum Center Giant Wheel
Family-friendly ride with city views. Day or night attraction with 52,000 LED lights & panoramic city views from the top.
The Escape Game Irvine
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Old Town Irvine
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary
Wildlife preserve & science center. University-run wildlife sanctuary in a canyon with a science center, amphitheater & 3 trails.
Balboa Island Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
MUSEUM of WOMAN
Visit this great place for kids and families!
ExplorOcean - Balboa Arcade
Visit this great place for kids and families!
California Surf Museum
Historic boards, iconic surfers & more. Surf museum chronicles the history of the sport with exhibits of surfboards, famous surfers & more.
Oceanside Museum of Art
National & global artwork in a mod space. This contemporary building presents a rotating collection of modern art pieces & cultural events.
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve
Rugged hiking site & a visitor center. 9,000-acre nature conservation with varying terrain & habitats, open trails & a visitor center.
Heritage Park & Museum
Historic buildings & a gazebo. Park featuring many early 1900s buildings from downtown Oceanside & a gazebo for events.
Muramid Art Studio of Joanne Tawfilis
Huge global collection of murals. Thousands of murals painted on canvas from around the world, plus events & rotating exhibits.
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.
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.
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.
Heroes Hall Museum
Veterans' museum with free entry. Free museum & education center with exhibits & programs celebrating Orange County veterans.
Marconi Automotive Museum
Classic, exotic & historic car displays. This nonprofit museum exhibiting luxury, rare & historic cars donates admission fees to charity.
Orange County Museum of Art
Long-standing museum for modern artwork. Venerable museum features a collection of modern & contemporary artwork, tours & educational events.
Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum
Historical exhibits of rural life. Farming history via exhibits & demonstrations of old steam tractors, plus blacksmithing & weaving.
Mulligan Family Fun Center- Murrieta
Go-karts, mini-golf & small rides. Amusement center features go-karts, batting cages, an arcade, mini-golf & small rides for kids.
Heritage Museum of Orange County
Restored buildings from the 1890s. Attraction featuring restored homes & buildings from the 1890s set amid extensive floral gardens.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Museum of Making Music
Galleries of instruments & live events. A museum about making music with galleries of instruments, special exhibitions & live events.
Fun Town
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Temecula Valley Museum
Regional history & author memorabilia. Historic museum featuring city artifacts & a permanent exhibit on author Erle Stanley Gardner.
Pennypickle's Workshop
Hands-on children's museum & gift shop. Family-friendly venue with an on-site gift shop offers interactive exhibits for kids of all ages.
SEA LIFE Aquarium
Oceanic exhibits & play areas. Family-friendly exhibits featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures, plus a play area & group packages.
LEGOLAND California
Vibrant Lego-themed hotel with a pool. Vivid Lego-themed quarters in a lively hotel offering dining, an outdoor pool & free breakfast.
Alta Vista Botanical Gardens
Botanical park integrating art & gardens. Botanical gardens dotted with works of art offering native plants, a lotus pond & ongoing classes.
Bowers Kidseum
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.
Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum
Longboards & other historic memorabilia. Museum dedicated to the aquatic sport offers a look at old longboards & other surf memorabilia.
Discovery Cube
Rotating displays & interactive exhibits. Educational museum with a focus on kids offers over 100 hands-on exhibits, plus special programs.
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