Technically speaking, the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek's Larkey Park is three facilities in one.
The place began in 1955 as a natural history museum, a spot where Bay Area families could go to learn about local animals and observe certain species. Since then, it also has become a working wildlife hospital and rehabilitation center that treats sick and injured animals from all over the Bay Area, as well as an environmental learning center.
"People don't realize everything that's in here," says museum spokeswoman Julie Ross. "We might be small and relatively unheard of, but we've got a lot going on."
The museum is perhaps the biggest attraction. A new exhibit about raptors leverages video screens to make kids experience the world from the perspective of a hawk, as the bird soars over Mount Diablo. Across the hall, kids can see a live hawk (and eagle and owl) in the flesh (or is it feather?).
A young boy gets a close-up look at a live great horned owl at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum's exhibit hall.
Elsewhere in the museum portion of the facility, kids can participate in a "petting circle" and touch a rabbit, guinea pig, hamster or rat.
Lindsay's wildlife hospital ranks as one of the largest rehabilitation centers in the United States. The hospital works exclusively with animals that are brought (by the public) from across the Bay Area. At this time of year, the facility is teeming with babies.
As part of an exhibit that opened in the fall, the Lindsay has set up two-way glass outside the main operating room, so visitors can watch veterinarians perform emergency surgeries and other procedures. Treatments are administered daily at 2 p.m. and on weekends at 11:30 a.m. They also can be performed whenever the need arises.
Finally, through the Lindsay's environmental learning center, families (and individuals, for that matter) can sign up for classes that delve into a variety of local wildlife topics.
Moving forward, Ross says the museum's next big push will be to acquire a beehive by the end of the summer so visitors can see exactly how bees work together for the greater good of the colony. She adds that at some point this fall - provided the facility can get funding - the museum hopes to add a replica of Balancing Rock on Mount Diablo and set up a belay system for kids to learn (or practice) mountain climbing.
Our advice? Bring a picnic lunch for Larkey Park and stay awhile. Once families pay admission ($7 for adults; $5 for kids 2-17), they have in-and-out privileges all day. That should provide plenty of time to see everything and still spend some quality time on the playground before heading home.