Getting Wild at the Lindsay

A couple of months ago I saw a local program on the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, one of those poorly produced shows where the interviewer and all of the guests appeared gray. I still thought it would be a fun place to take the boys, and meet up with my parents who live in the East Bay. I was right.

The Lindsay Wildlife Museum is located in Walnut Creek next to Larkey Park. Looking at the website all of the pictures are of small children, up close and personal with wildlife local to California. Part of the complex is a wildlife rehabilitation center, which treats approximately 6,000 animals a year. Fifty species of unreleasable animals are part of the exhibits at the museum, including a bald eagle, hawks, owls, squirrels, lizards, snakes and a bob cat.

If you have a child who loves animals, big and small ... the Lindsay is a great place to visit. It is a small museum, so perfect for small kids. Everyone who works at the museum from volunteers to staff are really nice, and open to answering questions. During our visit volunteers pushed carts around with small animals inside ... we saw a woodpecker and a tarantula. We also participated in petting circle, my boys got to pet a rat.

Some of the special events, like feeding the bobcat and the eagle can get packed. We avoided them, especially when adults picked positions up front 10 minutes before the event started blocking the view of the 4 foot and under set. However, avoiding the presentation didn't mean that we didn't get to see those animals, we just came by later.

The boys favorite part was the Children's Discovery Room. It was a large play room with animal oriented toys and games. There was a barn with stuffed animals (of the taxidermy variety) hidden in the floor, under the bench, on the roof.

The boys also liked Larkey Park. It gave them a much needed outdoor break, and then they wanted to go back and "see the animals." The park has three playgrounds, one with a train.

We arrived before 10:30 am. On Saturdays the lots are full by 11 am. It is a small museum and there is a lot of turnover, so don't despair if you arrive at 2 pm. Cost-wise the museum is very reasonable anyway ($5 for kids, and $7 for adults) and parking is free. I also didn't realize it in planning the trip or picking the date, but this past Saturday was a free day at the museum.