If you are going to the zoo, it is hard to find a better one than the San Diego Zoo. They have an amazing range of animals -- you could spend the whole day here and maybe not see everything. Wear your walking shoes and bring your jogger stroller, though. The terrain is very hilly and kids will tire out easily. Also be prepared that there are a number of things inside the zoo that cost extra money. There is a bus ride that takes you around the zoo. We did it once, but I did not find it to be a very good value when paying for a family of six. Lots of people love it, though. There is a sky ride that is $4 each way -- that would be $24 each way for our family!-- that can take you down to the polar bear and artic exhibit. Last time we were at the zoo we saw the polar bears playing together in the water (there is a viewing area where you can see above and below the water) and it was amazing. You can also walk down to this area, which is what we do. Every October (in the past few years -- I can't promise for the future) the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park are free for kids 11 and under. I buy a membership for me and my husband in October, which will last until the next December. Memberships here are individual, not for the whole family. Then we visit both parks in October each year, for only the one year cost of the membership for me and my husband. Not a bad deal!

We live about 30 minutes from the Discovery Science Center and have a family membership. All four of my boys -- ages 9 to 3 -- love to go here. There are lots of great standing exhibits, plus one area switches out every few months. The exhibits are all very hands on, with well-written explanations for the older kids, if they care to read them. Last August, I took two of our cousins with us and we were there from 11 in the morning until the museum closed at 5! The cousins were 9 and 12 at the time. How many places can you take 6 boys and have everyone in such a big age range (3 to 12) engaged for such a long time? The Dinosaur Quest in the back requires an extra payment, so I had not let my kids do it before. But in August, I got a buy one get one free coupon for Dinosaur Quest when I re-upped my membership. I had the older four boys split into teams of 2 -- so I think it was $4 total with the buy one get one free. They had so much fun playing Dinosaur Quest for over an hour. You get a wand and special assignments to try and find different dinosaur parts all over the back area. After each set, you "check in" with the computer -- it is all automated. The boys thought it was so cool and the little ones had fun playing in the Dinosaur area. Other reviewers have commented that it isn't great for toddlers. Maybe if you are only taking a toddler, but if you have older kids, your toddler is sure to have a great time as well!