Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Laguna Beach

If a sea lion mother gives up on feeding her child in order to save herself, and the baby sea lion is rescued, it is brought to Pacific Marine Mammal Center. Here it is taken care of until it is old enough to return to the sea, usually about one year old. It would be fun to come see the sea lions, but they are behind barbed wire and an extra fence keeps you a few feet back from the barbed wire, so you really can't see much. You can hear them barking, which is cute, but that is about it. 

There are some displays about marine mammals, with exhibits of their skulls. The buttons you can press to hear the calls of different animals are broken. Disappointing.
The drive to the center is on a gorgeous winding road with mountains, wildflowers, and flintstone-style rock formations. It ends at Main Beach, a wonderful place for a stroll along the beach and then north up to the clifftop park, Heisler Park, with walkways above the sea. Kids like to explore the tide pools at Cleo Street Beach, just south of Main Beach.
While in Laguna Beach, don't miss out on seeing the Rapunzel Tower on the rocks at Victoria Beach.

Directions

Pacific Marine Mammal Center is located at 20612 Laguna Canyon Rd, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. There is a free parking lot. Admission is free.

Click on map for interactive view