A Wealth of Other Experiences

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

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

California Science Center, 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, Griffith Park, 2800 E. Observatory Road, Los Angeles 90027, (323) 664-1191, https://www.griffithobservatory.org. Exhibits, demonstrations, lectures, telescope viewing. Winter hours: 2-10 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 12:30-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Closed Monday. Free parking. Free admission, except to planetarium ($2-$4) and laser shows ($6-$8). Children under 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 noon-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, closed Monday and holidays. Free parking. Admission $5-$8.50, free for children under 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 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily 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, 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 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except holidays, Admission, $2-$8, children under 5 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, including mammoths, saber-toothed cats, lions and dire wolves. Watch paleontologists working in their laboratories and, during summer, view actual excavations. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, closed Monday. Admission $2-$6, children under 5 free. Free admission first Tuesday of each month. Parking $5 with museum validation.

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont 91711, (909) 625-8767. Native California flora with activities, classes and workshops on 86 acres. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Donations requested. Free parking.

ORANGE COUNTY

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 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday. 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 not permitted on cruises or tide pool tours.

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 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission $4-$7.50, children under 3 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 educational programs. Open daily including holidays at 9:30 a.m.; closed Wednesday-Saturday at 9 p.m.; Sunday at 8 p.m.; Monday-Tuesday at 5 p.m. Admission, $3-$5. Imax shows, $5-$8. “Scitours,” $5-$7. No charge for children under 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. Open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. dailyexcept Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission $2-$6; active military and children under 6 free. Free parking.