Where: Alf Museum of Paleontology, Claremont
The place is kind of hidden, it is part of the Webb Schools.
Price: $6 per person, 4 and under FREE Parking is FREE
Have you ever heard of this museum in Claremont? It is a small museum so if you are in the area I suggest you stop by. My toddler loved it! Of course what kid doesn't like dinosaurs? As a parent I liked it myself and wished my son didn't rush through the exhibits so that I can read more of the information. With it being so inexpensive and a small museum it was perfect for a couple of hours of our day.
Upstairs or the main floor you will find artifacts, bones, and fossils. My son was scared of some of them, but he got over it after awhile. It took some getting used to from him. Encourage your kids to examine the size of these dinosaurs and based on their bones what do they think they ate or lived.
They also have this area where kids can tough fossils and my toddler's favorite where they have a dinosaur mouth and then you match the teeth to the mouth.
Downstairs was meant just for kids! They have a discovery section that you pull down a lever to hear the sound of a dinosaur, looking at the mirror and comparing the size of himself to the dinosaur, and digging for fossils. My son was frightened by some of the sounds and refused to go into any tunnels, but he had a blast digging and searching for fossils. We spent most of our time here.
The place is not crowded which is nice that you don't have to fight your way through an exhibit. It took us about 2 hours to see the whole place and that included the playing and discovery downstairs.
Each month on the first or second Saturday they have Family Science Discovery Days were there is hands on learning with a specific topic. They have learning stations and craft activities.
Once a year they have the Annual Fossil Fest! Again lots of hands on learning for the whole family with games and crafts.