October 21: Reptile Awareness Day

Snakes! Turtles! Lizards! Oh my! Celebrate Reptile Awareness Day by taking the kids to a local venue that features some of these scaly, cold blooded creatures. Visit them in their terrariums indoors at local nature centers or zoos, and then head outdoors to see if you can spot any in their natural habitat. Here in Southern California you can find lizards scampering along almost any trail or sunning themselves on park fences. But depending on your location, you may find other reptilian sightings are more common.

Places to explore indoors and out:

OC Zoo at Irvine Park: 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869

For $2 you can see a few reptiles, bears, mountain lions and more. Enjoy the petting area and when you’re done here, explore the rest of Irvine Park.

El Dorado Nature Center: 7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach, CA 90815

You’ll see lots of turtles in the lake and lizards on the trails. Head inside the nature center to see more reptiles up close!

Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center: 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

You can see snakes, turtles and a bearded dragon here. Then, take a walk near the water’s edge and see if you can spot a lizard or a water snake slithering across the surface of the stream.

Prehistoric Pets and the Reptile Zoo (indoors only): 18822 Brookhurst Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Hands down, the best place to go if you want to see some serious reptiles. Alligators, snapping turtles, the world’s largest snake and a two headed snake are a few of the awesome reptiles you’ll find here.  If you live in the area, this place is a must-see! Visit their website for fun facts and activities for kids, too: http://www.thereptilezoo.com/.

To find a nature center in your area visit:

http://www.naturefind.com/

http://www.koddler.com/directory.aspx/dir/special/nature-centers