What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4pm Thursday 9am - 4pm Friday 9am - 4pm Saturday 9am - 4pm Sunday 9am - 4pm

CALM

Established in 1983, the California Living Museum is a beloved, accredited zoo in Kern County. Visit us from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am - 4pm.
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Since 1983, the California Living Museum (CALM) has grown from a grassroots effort to a beloved, accredited zoological facility that brings California wildlife and conservation to the forefront of the Kern County community. Acting as both a wildlife rehabilitation center and zoo, CALM exists to educate the public on the amazing flora and fauna that thrives in California. Admission:
Adults $10.00
Seniors (60+) $7.00
Children (3-12) $6.00
Children under 2 are FREE

12/10/2024

The 2024 HolidayLights at CALM, proudly presented by Adventist Health (), is officially underway! This magical event wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support of our generous sponsors, including Adventist Health as our Presenting Sponsor. Thank you for helping us celebrate 22 years of HolidayLights and for showing your dedication to our community. We encourage you to support these local businesses that make this tradition possible.

HolidayLights at CALM has returned as a stroll-through event, running now through January 4, 2025 (closed Christmas Day). Gates open at 5:30 PM and close at 8:30 PM Sunday through Thursday, and at 9:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. Don’t miss out—purchase your tickets today at calmholidaylights.org!

12/10/2024

Dash, Scruggs, and Coco made friends with the Raising Canes plush toy this week! As a reminder, you can buy a plush toy at any participating local Raising Canes and all net proceeds will go to CALM. 🐕❤️

12/09/2024

Join us for a festive New Year’s Eve party at CALM during our HolidayLights Event! Enjoy live music from from 6 PM to 9 PM as we set the perfect atmosphere for a new year celebration.

This family New Year’s Eve celebration is being sponsored by Entruity Wealth. Just before 9 PM, we’ll countdown to the New Year—celebrating the ball drop at midnight East Coast time! Gather with friends and family for a family-friendly, alcohol-free evening filled with joy, music, and holiday cheer.

Tickets can be purchased on calmholidaylights.org. We can’t wait to ring in the New Year with you!

12/08/2024

Give the gift of holiday magic this season! We are selling gift certificates in our gift store that allow your loved ones entry to HolidayLights on any night. We think it’s the perfect white elephant gift or raffle item for your parties, what about you? 🎁

Questions? Call our office at (661) 546-8940.

12/06/2024

Where are the bears?!

If you’ve noticed Cinnamon and Louie staying cozy in their dens, it’s because they’re enjoying their winter rest! Our bears have entered torpor, a hibernation-like state, and may not be active for several weeks or even months.

Take a guess below for when you think the bears will emerge from their dens 🐻💤

12/04/2024

Like so many other deer species, ours are often mistaken for reindeer every winter. And while our deer are pretty awesome, so are actual reindeer. While reindeer DO exist, they do not naturally live in California and only some of them live at the North Pole. Reindeer, also known as Caribou, are native to the Arctic tundra in areas like Greenland, Canada, Russia, and Alaska.

In our mule deer species at CALM, only the boys have antlers. In reindeer, both the boys and the girls have antlers. There are 43 species of deer and 8 subspecies of reindeer. The most famous subspecies of reindeer are Santa’s Reindeer and they are the only known deer in the world who can fly. ✨🦌🎅🏼

12/04/2024

Did you know that when you buy a 2024 Holiday Plush Puppy from Raising Canes, 100% net proceeds go to CALM?! We bought one and showed him around our HolidayLights event. We wonder where he’ll end up next…

12/02/2024

It’s cold outside, but it is nice and warm in the reptile house! For the sake of the animals within, we keep the reptile house about 80 degrees all year long.

One of the residents within is Weezie, our Gila monster (pronounced HEE-la). She has been at CALM for 20 years and came to us from another zoo. It is suspected she is around 29 years old.

Gila monsters are venomous reptiles. The venom is made by a row of glands in the lizard’s lower jaw. When she bites, small grooves in the teeth help the venom flow into the prey. Weezie does like to sleep a lot and is sometimes seen sleeping upside down. This does worry guests that she is not well, but she just likes to sleep on her back.

Any of our staff who work with Weezie are given special training so that we can safely care for her. She is primarily fed mice with occasional eggs. Stop by and see her in the reptile house any time you need to warm up from the cold!

12/02/2024

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday! Give your time or your money - we are grateful for either. Visit calmzoo.org/donate-to-calm for more information on donating or calmzoo.org/volunteers to learn how to volunteer. ✨

12/02/2024

We had such a great time today during our Christmas Tree Lot Mini Photoshoots with ! While she was capturing magic with families, our incredible Animal Keepers brought out several animals to come visit.

To each family who purchased tickets, we want to say THANK YOU! We are grateful for your support. All profits made will go back to supporting these animals 💛🌲

12/01/2024

The animal art reveal is now here! Did you know you can buy these masterpieces in our CALM gift store? Which one is your favorite? 🎨

11/30/2024

It’s finally here - opening night of the 2024 HolidayLights show presented by Adventist Health with designs by Josh Barnett’s Lightamsic! We are incredibly proud of the work we put into making this the best show yet.

Haven’t gotten your tickets yet? Visit calmholidaylights.org to buy tickets. As a reminder, Fridays and Saturdays have timed ticketing options of 5:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. entrance time. All vehicles will need to enter using the Lake Ming Road entrance.

Have questions? We have developed an FAQ on our calmholidaylights.org website.

Can’t wait to see you there! ✨

11/27/2024

A friendly reminder that CALM will be closed on Thanksgiving. We will reopen again on Friday, November 29, at 9 a.m. Have a happy and safe holiday with your loved ones!

11/25/2024

We are still looking for volunteers for HolidayLights! Each volunteer who successfully completes a full shift will receive a ticket to come back and enjoy the show for free. This volunteer opportunity is open to anyone and everyone, including students needing community service hours. You can even start a new holiday tradition with your family!

For more information and to sign up, visit calmzoo.org/volunteers.

11/24/2024

Who’s the Artist? 🐾🎨

Our CALM residents have been busy creating masterpieces, with the help of our CALM staff, and now it’s your turn to match the artist to their work!

Can you guess who painted what? Let’s see if you and your family are art experts by sharing your answers in the comments below 👇🏽

11/22/2024

Spread holiday cheer and make a difference! Starting Monday, Nov. 25, you can purchase your Christmas tree at CALM and directly support our mission to help wildlife!

Tree sales hours:
🌲 Daily, 10 AM – 3 PM (except Dec. 1 & Christmas Day)
🌲 Plus, shop for your tree during HolidayLights starting at 5:30 PM

Thanks to Teen Challenge volunteers, hot cocoa and goodies will also be available during the day on Fridays through Sundays. If you’re looking for a sign to start a new holiday tradition, look no further for one that also gives back to CALM!

Address

10500 Alfred Harrell Highway
Bakersfield, CA
93306

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm
Saturday	9am - 4pm
Sunday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

+16618722256

Website

http://calmzoo.org/visitcalm

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when CALM posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

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Videos

Did you know that bears experience winter dormancy? This is a natural period where they enter torpor, becoming inactive for days or months. It’s vital for their health and well-being to embrace this seasonal cycle. During dormancy, our bears will have full access to their dens and habitat. You might see them getting a little sleepy and spending most of their time snoozing, or they could stay completely dormant for weeks to months. Take a look at this helpful video that KCSOS’s KETN team helped us create to explain these natural cycles. During this time, CALM staff have created detours around the bear habitat that will help reduce noise. We appreciate the public’s understanding and patience if the bears aren’t always viewable during the winter as we navigate this pilot year of winter dormancy. 🐻

Our CCCRR volunteers get a lot of fan mail and we decided it was time to showcase these wonderful letters. Thank you to all the students who send us sweet messages after your visit - we sure do appreciate it! 🎊

Make your mark in the California Coast Room at CALM! Commemorative plaque opportunities are now available, with all donations directly supporting our mission to care for CA wildlife. Comment with a 🌊 emoji and we’ll send you more information! #VisitCALM #SupportCALM #WildlifeConservation #CaliforniaWildlife #CommemorativePlaques #Fundraiser #GiveBack #ProtectWildlife #CoastalConservation #MakeADifference

Ice Cream Zoofari is only a couple days away and we wanted to make sure you knew of the zoosicle presentations schedule. Which animal presentation do you look forward to most at Ice Cream Zoofari? 🍨

Good morning Kern County! Tula, the deer mouse, hopes you all have an amazing week 💕 #deermouse #tula #calmzoo #bakersfield #california #zoo #calm #goodmorning

🎁✨ Get ready to unwrap some holiday magic! 🎁✨ We're bringing the festive spirit of Christmas in July with a special announcement: our Holiday Lights fundraiser, presented by Adventist Health, will light up your season from November 30 to January 4, 2025. This year, we're unveiling a brand-new look to our logo but we are eager to showcase the same enchanting light designs created by Josh Barnett's Lightasmic! that the community loves. Tickets will go on sale on November 1. We look forward to sharing more holiday surprises soon - stay tuned!

Water is flowing once again at CALM! Both the pond near shorebirds and the water feature near the Reptile House have been turned on, much to the appreciation of the wildlife who come visit CALM. Given our proximity to the river, we are a natural ecosystem for a lot of native wildlife in the area. The trees, plant life, ponds, and creeks also attract animals from insects to mammals. Come check it out next time you come out to CALM 🌿

When nature calls…. Thanks Do the Math for welcoming Rex the Skink, Animal Keeper Mindy and CALM Community Engagement and Volunteer Facilitator Elizabeth Graff. It was a memorable visit! Do the Math