The California Living Museum, known as CALM, sits on Alfred Harrell Highway in the hills east of downtown. Its focus is deliberately narrow: every animal, plant, and exhibit here is native to California. That constraint makes it one of the more intellectually coherent small zoos in the state. The animal collection includes mountain lions, black bears, gray wolves, bald eagles, condors, bobcats, and a range of California's reptile and bird species. The botanical garden section focuses on native plant communities — chaparral, oak woodland, desert scrub — with good labeling.
CALM works especially well for families with children, and the size (about 14 acres) keeps it from becoming overwhelming. It is not a large facility by the standards of major urban zoos, but what it does, it does well. The natural history museum section adds indoor exhibits on geology, paleontology, and the human history of the region. Budget two hours for a thorough visit; the drive from downtown along Alfred Harrell Highway through the Kern River canyon is attractive in itself.