You don’t need to spend a lot to have new experiences and have fun together as a family. Here in the US, there are plenty of free museums, parks, and even free zoos. Yep, free zoos! We went to our first free zoo this past summer as part of our family camping trip. Our toddler loves animals! However, if you have a toddler, you know things often don’t go as planned. I really didn’t want to spend a lot on tickets if my toddler would lose interest or be too tired from traveling to enjoy it. But with a free zoo, we were free to relax and stay as long or a little as we wanted.
I’ve been day dreaming of what we’ll do as a family this summer. So I started searching and I found free zoos, nature centers, farms, wildlife refuges, and more across the United States, and I’m sharing that list with you! There are also a few that aren’t free, but are low cost and worth a visit. I hope that as you look through this list you find some inspiration for your family as well!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
ALABAMA
George H. Carroll Lion Habitat
The George H. Carroll Lion Habitat is on the University of Alabama Campus and it houses their mascot, a lion named Leo. You can come and visit Leo for free. Just be aware there are no guarantees that Leo will be in the outdoor area of his enclosure.
Alabama Nature Center and NaturePlex
Alabama Nature Center and NaturePlex includes a theater, discovery hall and traveling exhibits. On Saturdays there are special educational programs and guided nature hikes. Weekend programs topics listed on their website include snakes, salamanders, frogs, turtles, birds, hydrangeas, and fishing. Everything is included in your admission fee. You can also bring your own picnic lunch to enjoy on site.
Cost: $5 per person, children 3 and under are free, and there is a max fee of $20 per family.
ALASKA
William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery
This facility raises over 6 million sport fish each year, including Chinook and coho salmon, rainbow trout, and Arctic char. The facility is open to visitors and free to visit! Indoors you can watch videos, look at informational displays, and check out the whole operation from an observation deck. Outside, there is a foot path to Ship Creek, where you can see adult salmon returning in July, August, and September.
ARIZONA
Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park
Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park is home to animals native to the Southwest, and it is completely free! They have over 50 different species of animals, and the zoo also contains the Golden Eagle Sanctuary. This zoo started with an orphaned bear, and all the animals have either been injured or orphaned and are unable to return to the wild. A visit here is also a great way to learn more about the Navajo culture, as there is information throughout the zoo about the meaning each animal species holds for the Navajo people.
ARKANSAS
Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center
This nature center contains lives fish, turtles, snakes and alligators, as well as taxidermied animal displays. You can take in a video in the theater and walk through a trapper’s cabin. On Wednesdays, you can enjoy Wild Tales Story Time and Fish feeding, and on a Friday you can see the alligator feeding. Outside you can enjoy their wildflower and butterfly garden. And it is all for free!
CALIFORNIA
Parnell Storybook Zoo
Parnell Storybook Zoo is a free petting zoo in Whittier, California. Come see potbelly pigs, miniature horses, alpacas, a tortoise, and more. Children can also play on the playground in Parnell Park. While you’re in Whittier, you can also visit the Whittier Museum which is free too!
Orange County Zoo
Orange County (OC) zoo is low cost, and located inside the Irvine Regional Park. This zoo is home primarily to animals native to the American Southwest. Some of the newest additions are mountain lions and a jaguar, but there are many others including beavers, porcupine, and black bear. You can take a cell phone audio tour for free. Just dial in to the number on their website and you can listen to zoo staff talk about where the animals came from and their day-to-day care.
Cost: $3 per vehicle on weekdays ($5 on weekends) to enter Irvine Regional Park, $2 per person Orange County Zoo admission, children 2 years and under are free
COLORADO
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
There is more than one way to enjoy the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. The visitor center has a discovery center for kids, and exhibits including taxidermied bison and other wildlife. Outside the visitor center, you can find a butterfly garden and visit with black-footed ferrets in their ferret exhibit. Next, you can take a hike or drive along an 11-mile route through the preserve. Along this route is a bison viewing area, and you may even get to see the bison herd very close to your vehicle! There is no fee to enter the preserve, so you can experience all this for free!
Denver Zoo
The Denver Zoo is generally costs $24 per adult, with reduced rates in the off-season from November to March. But did you know that the Denver Zoo has several free admission days each year? In order to take advantage of this, you need to get your Free Day tickets online ahead of time. For 2024, the Free Days are: January 21, February 11, April 7, November 3, November 9, and November 17. Find the upcoming free admissions dates here.
CONNECTICUT
Westmoor Park
Westmoor Park is a free education center on 163 acres. It has a demonstration farm with animals, as well as wildflowers, vegetable and herb gardens. Watch the workings of a farm, and pet some of the animals if you like. Take a walk on the trails and around the pond. The reviews of this park are glowing, it is a favorite of kids of all ages!
DELAWARE
DuPont Environmental Education Center
The DuPont Environmental Education Center is located in the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge. This refuge contains 212 acres of freshwater tidal marsh, and it’s free to visit year-round. The DuPont Environmental Education Center has exhibits with live and taxidermied wildlife. Outdoors, there are a boardwalk and viewing platforms to take in the beauty of the marsh and look for wildlife. There is also an access point to a bike/hike trail.
Brandywine Zoo
Brandywine Zoo is home to animals from around the world, and this zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Admission for Brandywine Zoo is normally $9 per adult, but from December through mid-March, admission is FREE!
FLORIDA
Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
The Busch Wildlife Sanctuary is dedicated to rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals, with the goals of release back into the wild. About 6,000 animals a year are brought to this sanctuary, and you can come and see them for free! On your visit, you will see everything from small songbirds to Florida panthers and alligators. Check out their schedule of free daily educational programs, so you can get a closer look at some of their wildlife.
Fudpucker’s Gator Beach
Gator Beach is a free admission gator park, where you can take a walk and look around or even watch an Alligator show for free. If you don’t mind spending a little bit, you can even buy food and feed the alligators for $5. Don’t worry, you’ll use a cane pole to feed them so you and the kids will be safe!
Tampa Electrics Manatee Viewing Center
Tampa Electric circulates warm water into the Tampa Bay for cooling, so the manatees come to Tampa Electric’s discharge canal every winter. Because of this, they have built a Manatee viewing center and are designated as a manatee sanctuary. The viewing center is open from November through mid-April, and they have a webcam on their website to check if the manatees are in Tampa Electric’s canal. There’s also a rays touch tank, where you and your children can see and touch cownose rays. Admission is free, and there is free parking as well.
Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary
The Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary is home to more than 100 birds that are unable to return to the wild. Resident birds include hawks, owls, vultures, pelicans, gulls, and songbirds. Admission is free, and any donations support the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center.
Florida Museum of Natural History
There aren’t any live animals here, but the Florida Museum of Natural History is still a fascinating and fun place to visit as a family. Best of all, admission is free! In this museum, you’ll find fossils, artifacts and history of the people of South Florida, videos, and drawers of the museum’s collection. For younger children, the Discovery Zone is full of activities and touchable exhibits.
GEORGIA
Bear Hollow Zoo
Bear Hollow is a small zoo, located inside Memorial Park. It is still a great destination for family fun, and the zoo is completely free. You may see bear, alligator, otters, skunks and other wildlife. Within Memorial Park, there is also a playground, walking trails, and a fishing pond. There is a pool in Memorial Park, with a very reasonable admission fee of $1 per person, so you may even want spend most of your day there.
HAWAII
Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens
Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens is the only zoo in the USA that is located in a tropical rain forest. This is a free zoo and petting zoo, but what really makes it special is the way exhibits have been created to integrate with the existing plant life. When you’re done visiting the Bengal tigers and anteaters, your child can play on the zoo’s playground where they can climb on a 7.5 foot high butterfly.
IDAHO
Morrison Knudsen Nature Center
Like the other nature centers on this list, the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center contains taxidermied wildlife and educational exhibits. There are two extra special attractions at this nature center that are pretty unique. First, they have an observation bee hive so that you can really see the bees at work. And my favorite, they have a StreamWalk, underwater viewing windows along the stream walk that allow you to get a good view of the fish in their environment! Admission is free, and they also hold free events from time to time. Their most recent event was an outdoor photographer who shared tips for using your digital camera to capture the best images. I wish I lived closer, because I absolutely would have gone to that event!
INDIANA
Thistlethwaite Falls Fossil Hunting
Thistlethwaite Falls is a man-made waterfall that once powered a sawmill. The waterfall was actually voted as one of the top waterfalls in Indiana. While the waterfall is beautiful, it is also a great place to find fossils. Check out the rock outcroppings and see what fossils you can find!
Columbian Park Zoo
Columbian Park Zoo is home to about 200 animals, and it is very affordable. You may not find all the large, exotic animals of a bigger zoo, but there’s still plenty to see. Come visit the emu, wallaby, penguins, spider monkeys, farm animals, and more. For an additional fee you can take a train ride or a pedal boat ride.
Cost: $2 per person, 2 years and younger are free. You can also take a train ride for an additional $2 per person or a pedal boat for $4 per person.
IOWA
Osborne Nature Center
The Osborne Nature Center is a great place for family fun because they have a variety of things to do for free. First, there’s a live native animal exhibit that includes a cougar, a wolf, a bobcat and a bear as well as other native animals. Next, check out the Pioneer village, replicating a small 1800s town in Iowa. When your children need to get out some energy, play on the playground, take a hike or walk, or go fishing.
Osborne Nature Center also has a disc golf course. If you’ve never played disc golf before, you should give it a try! Our family loves it, even my 2 year old! He asks to play disc golf and loves to throw his discs even if he doesn’t really understand the rules! Very basically, it’s a lot like regular golf but with special frisbees. Many disc golf courses are free to play, so it’s cheap family fun. If you don’t have discs, Osborne Nature Center does have disc rentals.
KANSAS
Lee Richardson Zoo
The Lee Richardson Zoo is home to over 300 native and exotic animals. This zoo covers 50 acres, and it has playgrounds and picnic areas. It is always free to walk through, but you can also drive your car through for a $10 fee per vehicle. On certain Wednesdays you can also drive through for free, so check out their website.
David Traylor Zoo
The David Traylor Zoo is a small zoo, but it’s still a great place to visit as a family. It is home to nearly 400 animals, and it is another accredited zoo with free admission! The David Traylor Zoo is located inside Soden’s Grove park, and there’s more to see and do with your family in the park. There are the Soden’s Dam Falls, a walking bridge, and a mini train that is only 50 cents per person to ride.
Hutchinson Zoo
The Hutchinson Zoo is another small but completely free zoo in Kansas. It may be small, but you can still see fascinating animals including a zebu, ocelot, pronghorn, and otter. This zoo is less than an hour from Wichita, Kansas, the home of other tourist attractions like the Museum of World Treasures and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House.
Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo
Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo is yet another free admission zoo in Kansas. Here, you can see a great variety of native and exotic animals including serval, lions, binturong, gibbons, lemurs, axolotl and so much more.
Clay Center Utility Park and Zoo
The Utility Park has an interesting history, as it was initially made through the work of local people during the Great Depression as a way to pay their utility bills. Utility Park now includes a fishing pond for children 14 years and younger, a playground, and the Clay Center Zoo. The zoo started with a pair of ducks, and it is still quite small. While it is not a destination, if you are nearby you can stop in and visit the bear, emu, sika deer, red fox, and others.
Riverside Park and Ralph Mitchell Zoo
Riverside Park is another place with great attractions at a very low cost for young families. The Ralph Mitchell Zoo is part of Riverside Park, and the zoo is free! While the zoo is small, you can still see spider monkeys and capuchins on Monkey Island, bison, cougar, emus and more. In the Riverside park, there is a playground, train rides for 50 cents, mini golf for $2, and a carousel ride for only 5 cents!
KENTUCKY
Louisville Nature Center
Louisville Nature Center is a great free nature center. It has a sensory garden, a rain garden, a nature play area, and terrariums. They also have a bird blind, where you can watch birds at the feeders through one-way glass. Louisville Nature Center is adjacent to Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve, where you can take advantage of 2 miles of walking trails in this urban forest.
Audubon Museum and Nature Center
The Audubon Museum may not appeal to the younger children, as it contains collections of art, manuscripts and items from John James Audubon. It is, however, one of the largest Audubon collections. The Nature Center is fun for everyone, with wildlife, exhibits, a theater, and education programs.
Cost: $15 admission per family of 4, but it is free every Wednesday
LOUISIANA
Audubon Nature Center
Located in New Orleans, the Audubon Nature Center is one of the top 5 US urban nature centers. The Nature Center is free and free parking is available. Inside, you’ll find educational exhibits, live wildlife, and a teaching greenhouse. There are also walking trails through a forest.
Cypress Zoo
Cypress Zoo started out as a petting zoo, but it is now a small zoo and wildlife rehabilitation center. While it’s not free, it is very affordable to visit. You’ll be able to see more than 30 animal species at their facilities. This zoo is also located within the Cypress Black Bayou Park, which has a visitor center with wildlife exhibits and live fish.
Cost: $5 per person per day for entry to the Cypress Black Bayou Park
MAINE
Gilsland Farm Audubon Center
Gilsland Farm Audubon Center is an environmental education center and a sanctuary along the Presumpscot River. In addition to the 65 acre sanctuary with trails through marshes and forest, there is also a Children’s Discovery Center, an apple orchard, and a community garden. Inside the Children’s Discovery Center, kids can see live turtles and taxidermied Maine wildlife. There are exhibits, puzzles and games, and kids can use binoculars for bird-watching. And it’s free!
MARYLAND
Salisbury Zoo
Salisbury Zoo is a small zoo, but it has free admission! We were at this zoo this summer, and it was a lot of fun. Not all the animals were in the outdoor part of their enclosure when we visited, but my son loved the Andean bears, tamarins and spider monkeys, and especially the flamingos. It was a relaxed atmosphere and great for our toddler. Right outside the zoo is a fabulous playground that was designed by children: Ben’s Red Swings Community Playground. We were having so much fun on the playground that we hated to leave for lunch! If you have young children, plan some extra time to check out this special playground.
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary
Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary is a free Nature Center with exhibits on native wildlife and birds. Something unique to do there is is to borrow a birding kit including binoculars and guidebooks and head out on the trails through the sanctuary to see what you can spot.
MICHIGAN
Chippewa Nature Center
The Chippewa Nature Center is packed with things to do and see, and it’s a free nature center. You can learn about the ecosystems on the property, watch wildlife that come to the feeders through the one-way glass, see a puppet show and look at taxidermied mounts, play games, or take in a video in the theater.
Boardman River Nature Center
Boardman River Nature Center has exhibits about Michigan’s plants and wildlife, and it is free admission. This Nature center is great for young children, because of its nature playscape. The Playscape includes a mud kitchen, eagle’s nest, rock river, beaver dam and spider web for climbing.
Indian Springs MetroPark Environmental Discovery Center
This Environmental Discovery Center has touch tables with fossils and nature artifacts, and taxidermied mounts and nature exhibits. But a special and unique feature of this Environmental Discovery Center can be found outside at their Discovery pond. They have an underwater pond dome, allowing you to observe fish in their natural habitat. And of course, it’s free!
MINNESOTA
Como Park Zoo & Conservatory
Here is another free zoo, and it’s a gem. In my opinion, Como Park Zoo has the most exciting variety of animals of any of the free zoos on this list. Besides land animals, there are also sea lions, seals, and seahorses, and you can get a close look at some of these during their free shows in the Como Harbor area. They also have free Zookeeper talks and Gorilla programs where you can learn more about the animals.
MISSOURI
Lakeside Nature Center
Lakeside Nature Center is a wildlife rehabilitation center that is open to the public and free admission. It is home to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and even fish. You can see some of these animals in their live animal exhibits and aquariums, or you can attend a wildlife program or nature walk with one of their staff.
St. Louis Zoo
St. Louis Zoo was voted the 8th best zoo in the USA. It is a free zoo, and it is a BIG zoo with around 16,000 animals. Unfortunately, you will still have to pay for parking. But given the size and quality of the zoo, paying $10 parking for the day for the whole family to enjoy this zoo is very reasonable. There are additional attractions inside the zoo that are not included with the free admission. Paid attractions include a bird show, stingrays, sea lion show, carousel, railroad, theater, and dinosaur exhibit.
Cost: $10 fee for parking
MONTANA
Montana WILD Education Center
The Montana WILD Education Center is a free nature center that neighbors a wildlife rehabilitation center. At the Education Center, you can see wildlife exhibits and an aquarium with native fish. Every morning, volunteers bring ambassador raptors from the wildlife rehabilitation center to meet visitors at the Education center. In addition to meeting the raptors and their handlers, you can also attend free educational programs on reptiles or amphibians. For an outdoor adventure, you can borrow a fishing pole or pair of binoculars from the Education Center.
NEBRASKA
Crane Trust Nature and Visitors Center
There is so much to see at the Crane Trust Nature and Visitors Center. Here you can find native wildlife exhibits, murals and local artwork. Outdoors at the Crane Trust there is a butterfly garden, walking trails, a footbridge, and a 35-foot observation tower. From that observation tower, you may see Whooping cranes or Sandhill cranes, and there is also a herd of American bison!
NEVADA
The Flamingo Wildlife Habitat
If you’re near Las Vegas and looking for something fun for kids, check out the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat. It is a free, 4-acre garden with water features, birds, turtles, and fish. You will see not only flamingos, but also hummingbirds, pelicans, and other water fowl. Some of these animals are actually rescued and rehabilitated animals that cannot return to the wild. There are also 2 educational keeper talks each day, where you can learn a bit more about the residents of the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Great Bay Discovery Campus
The Great Bay Discovery Campus is a great place to spend an hour or 2 as a family. This is another free nature center, with indoor and outdoor attractions. Inside, there are exhibits about Great Bay, estuaries, and salt marsh farming, as well as a touch tank! I love touch tanks for kids; it’s a great way to learn and experience nature. Your family can touch horseshoe crabs, oysters, mudsnails, and others. You can also listen to an audio tour with your phone as you explore the Discovery campus. Outdoors, you can walk through a replica Native American camp, play in the natural play area, or walk on paths along the water, through woods or gardens.
NEW JERSEY
Cape May County Park & Zoo
Cape May County Zoo is a free admission zoo! And it is pretty large for a free zoo! This zoo is over 85 acres, and it’s home to over 550 animals. You can see native and exotic animals, including a cheetah, Ankole watusi, golden headed lion tamarin, and more. The Cape May County Park surrounding the zoo is a good place to spend some time, with it’s playground and free disc gold course.
NEW MEXICO
Carlsbad Caverns and bat flight
Carlsbad Caverns is a US national park, and while the caverns themselves are impressive, these caverns are also known for their bat flight! While you do have to pay for entry to the park (unless you go on a fee-free day), seating in the outdoor Bat Flight Amphitheater is free. Each evening during the summer, a ranger will give an educational talk about the bat flight, and then the Brazilian free-tailed bats will leave the caverns to find food. If you are an early riser, you could come to the park to catch a sunrise and watch the bats return to the Carlsbad Caverns. Check the website before you go, to find out what time of day the bat flight is occurring.
Cost: $15 per person (16 years and older), children 15 years and younger are Free
Carlsbad Caverns does have fee free days each year. The remaining fee-free days for 2024 are: April 20th, June 19th, August 4th, September 28th, and November 11th. Check here for an updated list.
NEW YORK
Queens County Farm Museum
Queens County Farm is an historic site and it is also a working farm that is free to visit. There are livestock, crops, and also some woodland. Some of the animals you can see on the farm are chickens, steer, alpaca, sheep, goats, and pigs. If you don’t mind spending a few dollars, you can buy bags of feed and feed their sheep and goats. You can also buy eggs, honey, fruit, and vegetables.
Bear Mountain Trailside Museums and Zoo
Trailside Museums and Zoo describes itself as a self-guided nature trail. You can see live wildlife exhibits, as well as a geology museum, herpetology museum, nature study museum, and historical museum. The wildlife here is native to New York, and they are primarily orphaned or injured animals that cannot return to the wild. You can see a variety of native wildlife, from tiny frogs to bobcats and black bears. The Trailside Museums and Zoo are free, but you will need to pay to park.
Cost: $10 per vehicle
Bronx Zoo
Bronx Zoo is a huge zoo, and normally admission is $28 per person for adults. But on Wednesdays, if you reserve a ticket in advance, you can free admission for 4 tickets! That’s an amazing opportunity to experience this zoo without spending $100. Just make sure you go online the Monday before at 5pm and reserve those tickets.
NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences has multiple locations, all with free general admission. The biggest location is in downtown Raleigh. It contains interactive exhibits, theaters, and live animals. Check the schedule and watch the live feeding of the snakes, snapping turtles, and the fish and lobster in the Our Changing Oceans aquarium. One particularly beautiful area of the museum is the Living Conservatory, an area designed to mimic a tropical dry forest that is home to a two-toed sloth along with other animals and insects.
NORTH DAKOTA
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve is a US national park that is free to enter. Drive through or take a walk, and see the wildlife. There is a large animal enclosure containing bison, elk and deer, and the drive-through route takes you right through it. You may also see fox, coyote, and prairie dogs here.
OHIO
MetroParks Farm
MetroParks Farm is a 402-acre working farm that is full of things to see and do. And it’s totally free to visit! In addition to the livestock and fields, you can also take a Farm tour, fish in the pond, and visit the sunflower field. Play a round of disc golf on one of their 2 courses, or go to their Agventure barn to learn about farming through games and activities.
OKLAHOMA
Zoo Safari USA
Zoo Safari USA is home to a wide variety of rescued animals, from African Serval to Long-Tailed Texas Skunk. They are dedicated to their mission of caring for wildlife and education. Because they feel very strongly that people shouldn’t have to pay to learn about their animals, you can visit and even receive a guided tour for FREE!
Grey Snow Eagle House
Grey Snow Eagle House is owned by the Iowa Tribe, and eagles are important to the Iowa Tribe’s culture. Here eagles can receive medical care and rehabilitation, and may return to the wild or remain as residents. The facilities include an ICU, x-ray, rehabilitation and flight cages. Tours are by appointment only, but tours are free even for a small group or individual.
OREGON
Bonneville Lock and Dam: Bradford Island Visitor Center
The Bonneville lock and dam provides hydropower generated by 2 powerhouses, and it is a sight to see. There are 2 visitors centers, one on the Oregon side and one on the Washington state side, and both are free admission. The Oregon side has the Bradford Island Visitor Center, and you can learn about history of the lock and dam. While that won’t keep the attention of young children, there is an attraction here that will: the Fish ladder! From a rooftop observation area, you can watch salmon, sturgeon, shad, and Pacific lamprey “climb” over 60 feet from pool to pool of the fish ladder. There are also underwater windows inside to give another vantage point for watching the fish. For your best visit, come between June and September to catch the fish migrations.
PENNSYLVANIA
Upper Schuylkill Valley Park
The Upper Schuylkill Valley Park is home to a wildlife center with animals native to Pennsylvania. You can visit with mammals like raccoons and bobcats, birds including owls and hawks, and farm animals like donkeys. More live wildlife exhibits are indoors, with amphibians, reptiles, and quail. Best of all, it’s free and it’s only about a half hour from Philadelphia.
RHODE ISLAND
Wright’s Dairy Farm
Wright’s Dairy Farm is unique in that in addition to milking their cows, they also pasteurize and bottle their milk themselves. You can watch the milking, take an audio tour, and stop by to visit the calves. Your visit is free, and if you want a treat you can stop by their creamery or their bakery.
Museum of Natural History and Planetarium
The Museum of Natural History is very budget-friendly and family-friendly. Current exhibits include James Webb Space Telescope, Urban Wildlife, Seismic Shifts, Flight of the Dinosaurs, and Circle of the Seas. For an extra fee, you can see a 30 minute show in the Planetarium, with the night sky displayed in a big dome theater.
Cost: $2 per person for museum admission, $5 per person Museum + Planetarium admission
SOUTH CAROLINA
Walhalla State Fish Hatchery
The Walhalla State Fish Hatchery is a cold water hatchery for brown, brook and rainbow trout. Nearly 500,000 fish are raised here each year, and you can come and see them for free. You can walk through the hatchery and employees are willing to answer your questions.
Mace Brown Museum of Natural History
At the campus of the College of Charleston, you can visit the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History with free admission. There aren’t any live animals here, but there’s still a lot to see. Their exhibits include fossils and dinosaur bones, cave bears, and more.
SOUTH DAKOTA
D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery
The D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery is one of the oldest in the country. Enjoy the Hatchery itself, feeding the fish and watching them through an underwater window. Then, stop by the Von Bayer Museum of Fish Culture to see artifacts from fisheries and hatcheries. Did you know fish were once transported on rail cars prior to refrigerated tanker trucks? D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery has a federal fisheries rail car exhibit as well, featuring a replica of Fish Car No. 3.
TENNEESSEE
IJAMS Nature Center
The IJAMS visitor center is free, and home to 20 animal ambassadors including turtles, snakes, birds, and a possum. Check out the exhibit hall or the trails outdoors. For the younger kids, you can play in their two outdoor areas: Jo’s Grove and IJAMS Nature Playscape.
Tennessee State Museum
Tennessee State Museum has exhibits on the Civil War, Tennessee Music, and other topics that will appeal to the adult and teenager. It also has natural history exhibits and a Children’s gallery for the younger children. Best of all, it has free admission. Unfortunately, there are no live animals, but it’s still a great free family destination.
TEXAS
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center offers trails and Field Stations to observe native plants and wildlife. Indoors, the nature center had exhibits, live animals and interactive educational activities. While the Arboretum and Nature Center are free, there is a $5.50 charge for parking Friday through Wednesday. On Thursdays, parking is free and you can visit without spending a dime!
Fort Worth Stockyard
Fort Worth Stockyards is an historic district that takes you back to the days of the Wild West. Twice a day, there is a cattle drive of the Fort Worth herd that you can watch for free. It’s not something you can see just anywhere these days, and your children will love watching real cowboys drive the longhorn cattle through the street. The Herd Experience is a free program where you and your family can talk with the cowboys, watch grooming and saddling of horses, roping, branding, and take some great photos.
Houston Zoo
The Houston Zoo is home to over 6,000 animals. Normally, an adult ticket is $24 even in the off season. But on the first Tuesday of every month, you can get into the zoo for free. Just make sure to reserve your free admission ticket in advance online.
Cost: free the first Tuesday of every month
UTAH
Wheeler Farm
Wheeler Farm is a working farm with an historic farm house, activity barn, playground fort, and outdoor education center. A machinery barn showcases farming equipment that would have been used in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is free to visit the Wheeler farm and meet their animals, but for an extra fee you can try your hand at milking a goat or cow, take a wagon ride, or get a tour of the farm house.
Monte L. Bean Life Museum
Monte L. Bean Life Museum is on Brigham Young University campus, and it is free admission. This is a spectacular free museum with taxidermied wildlife exhibits, live animal shows, educational nature and environmental exhibits, and more. For the younger children, there is a play area that teaches about animals homes, Family Home Evening programs and Discovery Reading programs that sometimes include live animal visitors.
Scipio Petting Zoo
Scipio Petting Zoo is a completely free petting zoo. You can see and touch red deer, donkeys, llamas, chickens, geese, peacocks, ducks, emus, and a camel.
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary offers free guided tours, where you can see some of the 1,600 dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, horses, pigs and other rescued wild animals that live the the sanctuary. This is the largest no-kill sanctuary, with the goal of rehabilitating animals for adoption or return to the wild when possible. In addition to meeting all the animals, you can also take a walk or hike through the sanctuary’s canyons, caves, and red rock vistas.
VERMONT
Merck Forest and Farmland Center
Merck Forest and Farmland grounds are open every day to visitors for free. You can take a hike through the forests or explore the 60-acre farm. In addition to crops, the farm raises pigs and sheep and also has draft horses. They also produce maple syrup here, so you can see their sap lines and Sap house.
VIRGINIA
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge/Assateague Island National Seashore
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague Island National Seashore are unique and beautiful national parks for the nature lovers. There is the beach for the water-lovers, the Assateague lighthouse, migratory birds to observe, and of course, the wild ponies! We were at Assateague Island National Seashore this past year, and we saw the horses as soon as we entered the park. It was worth the visit, and I definitely want to go back again soon!
Cost: Both national parks are free for walkers or bicycling. There is a $10 fee for vehicle entrance to the refuge.
Bluebird Gap Farm
Bluebird Gap Farm is a working farm with over 150 animals, both typical farm animals as well as birds of prey, deer, llamas, alpacas, tortoises, and peacocks. There is a playground, an arboretum, and a duck pond. Admission is free, but if you bring some change you can feed some of the animals.
WASHINGTON
The Aquarium at the MaST Center
This aquarium is run by Highline College, and while the facility is for teaching in their institution, it is also open to the public on Saturdays. The aquarium consists of 15 saltwater tanks, and they have over 250 species native to the Puget Sound. Some favorites with visitors are their 2 touch tanks and their octopus tank. Admission is free!
SEA Discovery Center
SEA Discovery Center is a free, public aquarium with Puget Sound multimedia exhibit and tide pool touch tank. It’s not a big aquarium, but it is a fun and educational place to visit.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Smithsonian National Zoo is a beautiful zoo and home to over 1,600 animals. This was ranked as #2 on the best zoos in the USA according US News and World Report, and… you guessed it, it’s free! I visited when I was young, and it is a great experience. The zoo’s Conservation Biology Institute also works to protect endangered species and to reintroduce animals into the wild. In fact, 20-25% of the animals in the zoo are endangered species. If travelling to Washington D.C. isn’t in your plans or budget this year, keep it in mind for the future.
WEST VIRGINIA
Crimson Shamrock Ranch
Crimson Shamrock Ranch is a working farm that raises sheep and alpaca for wool/fiber. Their farm also has draft horses and working dogs. Come learn more about it with their free tours, just remember to schedule it in advance.
West Virginia Wildlife Center
The West Virginia Wildlife Center is basically a zoo full of native wildlife. Besides the wildlife, they also have a stocked pond with trout, bass, catfish, and bluegill. The path through the zoo weaves through the forest, with animals in very natural environments. Some of the larger animals you may see include whitetail deer, black bear and mountain lion.
Cost: $4 for Adults 16 and older, $2 for children, ages 5 and under are free
Wisconsin
Henry Vilas Zoo
Henry Vilas Zoo is a community zoo and it is free! Polar bear, rhinos, seals and more can be seen in the outdoor exhibits. Indoor exhibits include the herpetarium, aviary, discovery center, and primate building. They also have a children’s zoo with red pandas and aardvarks. This free zoo is definitely worth your time to visit.
Ochsner Park Zoo
Ochsner Park Zoo is a small community zoo with 30 species of animals with free admission. The majority of their animals are rehabilitated and unable to return to the wild, or rescued exotic pets. Come and see the lynx, wolves, prairie dogs, and artic fox among others. Ochsner Park Zoo also has daily keeper talks where you can learn more about the resident animals.
Menominee Park Zoo
Menominee Park Zoo is located along Lake Winnebago, and it is home to macaws, badgers, elk and more. The zoo has a small admission fee, but per the Menominee website, a couple generously paid ALL ADMISSION COSTS. That means that you can still visit the Menominee Park Zoo for free!
Irvine Park Zoo
The Irvine Park is home to a Zoo and Red Barn Petting Zoo, as well as an historic log cabin and schoolhouse and the Glen Loch Dam overlook. You can see a variety of wildlife at the Irvine Park Zoo, including tigers, bison, and bobcats, and the admission is completely free.
Wisconsin Rapids Municipal Zoo
Wisconsin Rapids Municipal Zoo that contains 22 different species, and while it’s not a large variety you can still find some exotic animals like kangaroos, zedunk, and lemurs. This is also a free admission zoo.
Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo
Along the Little Manitowoc River, the Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo is a sweet place for family fun. It is free to visit, and you can see Asiatic black bear, cougar, Dall sheep and other wildlife. The Zoo also has a Big Red Barn where you can visit with farm animals, a fish rearing pond, and a playground.
Concord Zoo
Concord Zoo is home to domesticated animals that you might find on a farm, like alpacas, cows, donkeys, goats and such. It is free to visit. There is a general store where you can buy cones or carrots to feed the animals if you want.
Wyoming
National Elk Refuge & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center
The National Elk Refuge is home to more than just elk. In this park you can see bison, wolves, bighorn sheep, and trumpeter swans. Admission is free, and the National Elk Refuge also offers free wildlife driving tours and educational programs. You can also stop by the Greater Yellowstone visitor center for more displays and exhibits on local wildlife, particularly elk.
