Museum of Childhood: 0131/529-4142 42 High St. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; during the Edinburgh Festival, also Sun 2-5pm Free Admission The world's first museum devoted solely to the history of childhood is located just opposite the John Knox House. Contents of its four floors range from antique toys to games to exhibits on health, education, and costumes, plus video presentations and a small activity area. Because of the youthful crowd it naturally attracts, on weekends and school holidays it can be "the noisiest museum in town."

Edinburgh Zoo: 134 Corstorphine Rd. 0131/334-9171 Apr-Sept daily 9am-6pm; Oct and Mar Mon-Sat 9am-4:30pm, Sun 9:30am-5; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 9am-4:30pm Bus: 2, 26, 69, 85, or 86 Admission charged. April to September, a penguin parade is held daily at 2pm. This zoo is Scotland's largest animal collection, 10 minutes from Edinburgh's city center on 80 acres of hillside parkland offering unrivaled views from the Pentlands to the Firth of Forth. It contains more than 1,500 animals, including many endangered species: snow leopards, white rhinos, pygmy hippos, and many more. The zoo boasts the largest penguin colony in Europe, with four species, plus the world's largest penguin enclosure.