Prehistoric Pets - Free Family Fun

Prehistoric Pets is a must visit for any family with a little dinosaur or reptile enthusiast. They have hundreds of snakes, lizards, turtles and tarantulas - even better than the zoo for creepy, crawly & slithery stuff! Plus, it is free to visit. Be nice and donate a few bucks on your way out if you can though.

There is a large pond with turtles and fish that children can feed with metal tongs and it only costs a couple bucks for a large cup of worms.

Another draw is that you can rent out the back of the space for "Jurassic" birthday parties, where children can get up close with animals and the workers give talks and demonstrations. So fun and would seriously be the dream party of many little kids who dig dinosaurs or reptiles. My husband is keeping his fingers crossed that our son will want to have a party there - either that or perhaps we'll do his next big one there.

If you should want to buy a reptile (especially iguanas) these are the healthiest we've ever seen in Los Angeles. Or should I say "my husband has ever seen" since he is the one who used to keep iguanas - I don't know jack about them. Many of the animals here are not for sale and they take very good care of them.

The folks who work at Prehistoric Pets are very friendly, and if you go when it isn't busy (although it usually is) you can get some one on one help from the knowledgeable staff. These people really love what they are doing and it shows. There is no guilt buying from here, unlike most pet stores.

I have to warn you, it might be hard saying no to pet requests since it is after all, a pet store. They do have many "entry level" lizards and snakes that might be right for your son or daughter as a first pet and the staff is happy to help you pick something out and get the right set up.

The kids will love this place and it is very "kid-friendly" but please keep them from running around wild or tapping on the glass and making the animals nervous. We're dealing with huge ass snakes here, people. Don't piss them off. please.

Since it is a bit of a drive, we always combine the Prehistoric Pets visit with a stop at Camelot Books which is a used bookstore in the same strip mall - just a few doors down to the right. This used bookstore is a jam-packed tresure trove of books. It looks small from the outside but the amount they cram in there is amazing. Boxes and boxes line the floors since it doesn't all fit on the shelves. On Saturdays, they have a "50% off" on all children's books and they have everything from vintage to new popular stuff!

Yes, this is in Orange County (not even Los Angeles County!) but not too far and firmly on our "worth the drive" list for free family fun.