California Events for People Who Love Reptiles, Bugs, Spiders & Other Creeping Things

Love Creeping Things? California Has Some Seriously Cool Events Coming Up

I love finding cool & unique events that align with my passions, and I thought it would be fun to put them all together in one master list for anyone else who might be a little like me. 😂

So if you love reptiles, amphibians, spiders, insects, other invertebrates & all the other little “creeping things” we share this planet with, I’ve been hunting down neat things to do around California from now through March 2027.

Some of these are big expos that are easy to find, but others are tiny local events, guided tarantula treks, museum programs, monarch gatherings, bioblitzes & other things you might never know were happening unless you happened to stumble across them.

My goal is to keep adding to this list as I find more, so check back often! Dates, times & event details can change, and I’ll continue updating things as new programs are announced.

And don’t worry if creeping things aren’t your thing. I’m also going to put together another California master list specifically for mammals & birds, so stay tuned for that one too!

SEPTEMBER 2026

September 20–December 6, 2026

Spider Pavilion

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007

Walk among hundreds of free-roaming orb-weaving spiders inside the seasonal pavilion, with additional enclosed spiders including tarantulas and other species.

Price: $10 Spider Pavilion add-on, plus regular museum admission

Spider Pavilion website⁠

September 20, 2026

Tarantula Trek

Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve
4289 Casa Loma Rd., Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Time: 4:30–7:00 PM
Distance: 2 miles

A slow, gently paced walk along the flat Longwall Canyon Trail searching for the California ebony tarantula, Aphonopelma eutylenum. Family friendly.

Open Space Authority events⁠

September 26, 2026

Science Saturday: Microworld

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
165 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Time: 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
Price: Free

Pacific Grove Museum events⁠

September 27, 2026

Tarantula Trek

Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve
1895 Geary Rd., Sunol, CA 94586

Time: 6:00 PM
Registration: Required
Hike length/duration: Not currently listed publicly

The September 27 trek is currently listed by East Bay Regional Parks.

Sunol Wilderness programs⁠

OCTOBER 2026

October 2, 2026

First Friday: Museum of the Macabre

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
1305 East Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Time: 5:00–8:00 PM
Price: Free

A spooky natural-history night featuring real snakes, a special Cabinet of Curiosity exhibit, live taxidermy demonstrations, crafts & more.

Museum of the Macabre event page⁠

October 10, 2026

Tarantula Fest

Henry W. Coe State Park
9000 E. Dunne Ave., Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Price: Free event admission
Parking: State park parking fee applies

Live tarantulas, snakes, wildlife presentations, guided tarantula hikes, citizen science, bee demonstrations, exhibits & activities.

Henry W. Coe State Park events⁠

October 11, 2026

Tarantula Trek

Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve
1895 Geary Rd., Sunol, CA 94586

Registration: Required
Hike length/duration: Not currently listed publicly

Sunol Wilderness programs⁠

October 17–18, 2026

San Luis Obispo Reptile Expo

Madonna Inn
100 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

Saturday: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Price: TBD
Parking: Free

Central Valley Reptile Expo⁠

October 24, 2026

Annual Tarantula Awareness Festival

Coarsegold Historic Village
35300 Highway 41, Coarsegold, CA 93614

Time: 10:30 AM–5:00 PM
Price: Free

Tarantula education, activities & plenty of appreciation for one of California’s most misunderstood seasonal wanderers.

Tarantula Awareness Festival information⁠

October 25, 2026

Tarantula Day at Del Valle

Del Valle Regional Park, Livermore

This one gives you an entire day of creepy-crawly programming:

Snake Talk: 11:00 AM
Tarantula Meet & Greet: 12:30–1:00 PM
Tarantula Meet & Greet: 2:00–2:30 PM
Tarantula Trek: 5:00 PM

East Bay Regional Parks currently lists the snake talk and both tarantula meet-and-greets for October 25.

East Bay Regional Parks calendar⁠

October 25, 2026

Tarantula Trek

Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve
1895 Geary Rd., Sunol, CA 94586

Time: 5:15 PM
Registration: Required
Hike length/duration: Not currently listed publicly

Yes, this one competes with the Del Valle Tarantula Trek happening the same evening!

Sunol Wilderness programs⁠

October 30, 2026

Halloween Bug Costume Contest Party

Presented by Entomemeology
Elixart
203 York St., Nevada City, CA 95959

Meet & greet: 7:00 PM
Party: 8:00 PM–1:30 AM
Price: $20

Entomology lecture & raffle, bug vendors, live music, food & prizes for the best bug costumes.

Entomemeology⁠

October 31, 2026

Science Saturday: Spooky Science

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
165 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Time: 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
Price: Free, including museum admission

A day celebrating creepy crawlies, nocturnal wildlife, scavengers & the spookier side of nature.

Pacific Grove Museum events⁠

MONARCH SEASON

Mid-October 2026–mid-February 2027

Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary

250 Ridge Rd., Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Best viewing: November–January
Price: Free

Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary⁠

Mid-October 2026–mid-February 2027

Natural Bridges State Beach Monarch Preserve

2531 W. Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Best viewing: Late October through November

California’s only State Monarch Preserve.

Natural Bridges State Beach⁠

November 2026–February 2027

Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove

445 S. Dolliver St., Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Best viewing: Late November–January
Price: Free to visit the grove

Pismo Monarch Butterfly Grove⁠

NOVEMBER 2026

Bohart Museum of Entomology

UC Davis
455 Crocker Lane, Davis, CA 95616

You don’t have to wait for a special event to visit!

Regular public hours: Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 1:00–4:30 PM when UC Davis is in session
Price: Free
Parking: Regular UC Davis weekday parking rates & rules apply

Bohart Museum visitor information⁠

November 7, 2026

Bohart Museum of Entomology Open House

455 Crocker Lane, Davis, CA 95616

Time: 1:00–4:30 PM
Price: Free
Parking: Weekend parking rules apply

This open house focuses on UC Davis graduate & undergraduate research.

Bohart Museum⁠

November 28, 2026

Science Saturday: Monarch Magic!

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
165 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Time: 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
Price: Free

A whole Science Saturday devoted to monarch butterflies, their life cycles, ecosystems, conservation & other threatened and endangered creatures.

Pacific Grove Museum events⁠

DECEMBER 2026

December 20, 2026

Family Tidepool Bioblitz

The Great Tidepool, Pacific Grove

Time: 2:30–3:30 PM
Price: Free
Registration: Not required
All ages

Join Pacific Grove Museum naturalists for an iNaturalist bioblitz searching for & identifying tidepool wildlife, with a special emphasis on sea stars. Expect the possibility of crabs, mollusks, anemones & lots of other marine invertebrates.

Family Tidepool Bioblitz details⁠

YEAR-ROUND

California Academy of Sciences: Osher Rainforest

55 Music Concourse Dr., San Francisco, CA 94118

A four-story living rainforest filled with free-flying butterflies along with beetles, ants, spiders, reptiles, amphibians, tropical fish & other animals.

Price: General admission varies by date.

California Academy of Sciences⁠

DATE TBD

A Herpetological Heyday in the Hills

East Bay Regional Park District Wildlife Volunteers

Upcoming date: TBD
The current program page says to check back for new dates.

This may be one of the coolest programs on this entire list for people interested in actual field herpetology. Participants learn about lizards, turtles & frogs and may participate in field activities involving species such as Northwestern Pond Turtles, California Red-legged Frogs & local lizards.

The larger Wildlife Volunteers program can also lead to opportunities with their Turtle Telemetry Team, Amphibian Ambassador & Lizard Legionnaire programs.

Registration: Required when sessions are offered.

Herpetological Heyday & Wildlife Volunteers⁠

FEBRUARY 2027

February 27, 2027

UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day

UC Davis
One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616

Time: TBD
Price: Free

A campus-wide biodiversity celebration involving multiple museums, collections & research programs.

UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day⁠

MARCH 2027

March 27–28, 2027

BUGTOPIA: Insects & Plants Expo

Roebbelen Center @the Grounds
700 Event Center Dr., Roseville, CA 95678

Saturday GA: 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Sunday GA: 11:00 AM–5:00 PM

Adults 13+: $20 + fees
Kids 4–12: $15 + fees
3 & under: Free
Parking: $15/day

Insects, beetles, butterflies, moths, mantises, preserved specimens, terrariums, rare plants, natural-history displays, vendors & more.

BUGTOPIA⁠

Know about a California creeping-things event I missed? Send it my way! I’d love to keep growing this list so we can all find more opportunities to learn about, appreciate & spend time with these incredible animals.