Zoos, aquariums and sea animals with kids around Los Angeles

From elephants to sea otters, mountain lions to recovering sea lion pups, the range of animals within an hour of Los Angeles is wide, and several good options are free or nearly free, so it needn't be $100 at the gate every time.

For a big zoo, the LA Zoo in Griffith Park has free parking and goats to pet in the children's zoo; for a big aquarium, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach has a three-story tank and touch pools a 2-year-old will watch for an hour. Small and sweet: the OC Zoo in Orange costs $2 and takes an hour, after which you walk out to the little train, and the Santa Ana Zoo has 50 monkeys and a train of its own. The free ones are in San Pedro: the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium has a starfish touch tank with a waveless beach outside, and the Marine Mammal Care Center up the hill shows dozens of sea lion pups fighting over fish.

• 6 places
• 2 free
• 6 stroller-friendly
• closest is 25 min away