Best Zoos & Wildlife in California

California has 7 zoos & wildlife we would happily take our own kids to. Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens is the one most families start with. Meet newborn gorillas and orangutans and ride a carousel of 64 hand-carved animals. Oakland Zoo is the other name that comes up again and again. Ride the gondola up to the California Trail and meet native wildlife above the Bay. Orange County Zoo (Irvine Regional Park) rounds out the pick of the bunch. A small, kid-focused zoo of southwestern wildlife set inside 495-acre Irvine Regional Park. Also worth your time: San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Francisco Zoo & Gardens and Santa Barbara Zoo.

Published prices run from $2 at Orange County Zoo (Irvine Regional Park) up to $60 at San Diego Zoo. 2 of the 7 listed here quote a starting price. The others vary by season or by what you add on, so check before you travel.

The zoos & wildlife on this page are spread across San Diego (1), Los Angeles (1), Escondido (1) and Oakland (1), so it is easy to pair two into one trip.