Wildlife Learning Center

Walk around the leafy grounds of this suburban Sylmar sanctuary to see everything from monkeys to foxes—and school trips and birthday parties. For hands-on photo ops, request a close encounter with a porcupine, a two-toed sloth or a giraffe. Make sure to say hi to Zeus, the starry-eyed blind owl in the gift shop. Unlike many other spots on this list, you can swing by without a reservation any day for general admission pricing—though private tours and animal encounters come with steeper fees.