North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
add photosFeaturing an array of permanent and special exhibits, live programs and educational films that appeal to audiences of all ages, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences encourages visitors to explore the natural world and their connections to it.
General Admission is free, although donations are cheerfully accepted. There is a cover charge for Special Exhibits. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
13 Reviews for North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
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1 family found this helpful
"My Children's Favorite Museum"
My entire family LOVES, LOVES, LOVES this museum. My 3 year old son prefers the dinosaurs and walking "under water" and looking up to see the models of various sea life. My daughter, who is 5, runs straight to the snakes and tries to differentiate venomous from non-venomous. They both enjoy walking with the butterflies in the Living Conservatory. My husband and I enjoy everything about the museum. The best part is that it is a free educational experience that the children beg for!
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"nice but small"
While the museum is nice and enjoyable it is definitely lacking in size. Which is something i dont expect when heading to a larger city museum. We were able to go threw the museum twice in the 4 hours we had to spend there on our sons class trip. All in all its a good museum and a nice place to spend a bit of time, its just very small in size.
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"Nice Museum"
We actually attended a wedding reception here, but got to enjoy the exhibits on the 2nd floor - lots of interesting things for kids to look at, but not a ton for them to do hands-on - maybe there is on the other levels? We enjoyed all the animal exhibits most.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun and educational"
This downtown museum is a great day out with the family. There are lots of interesting exhibits. We really enjoy all the displays and information. I definitely recommend this activity for families with young children! Parents will find it fun, too.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun Family time"
My family and I went to the Museum together on a Sunday. We had a great time. First off its free admission. Not only that but there are many Free exhibits for all ages throughout the museum. Some things run all day, while other are scheduled once or multiple times. There are things aimed at younger and older children, and as an adult you'll enjoy it even without kids. They have educational movies on the first floor. The Cafe' has a pretty good selection of items from snacks to meals at moderate prices. They have new events starting all the time some of these do charge admission.
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"Fantastic!"
We really enjoyed this museum on our trip to NC. It has something for everyone to enjoy from the young to the old alike. We really enjoyed the butterflies and the live animal shows. The best part is that it is free. Definitely worth taking the time to enjoy, whether you're just passing through or live in the area!
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"Best Deals for the Money"
The state zoo is one of the best deals for the money, but since the state opened this facility after extensive renovations in April 2000, the Museum of Natural Sciences runs a close second. Visitors here get an opportunity to take a look at the natural world by looking at things that are uniquely North Carolina. Among the most amazing exhibits is a “Prehistoric North Carolina” one that includes Willo, a sixty-six million year old dinosaur with a fossilized heart and the only acrocanthosaurus on display in the world. (You can teach the kids to say akro-cantho-saurus on the way.) Live animals are part of the “Mountains to the Sea” exhibit that presents North Carolina’s five distinct habitats. Many of the collections from the old museum once located on Edenton Street are also part of the new facility.
1 family found this helpful
"Another great museum! "
This was actually the first museum we went to, when we moved here from New York. We love that there are 2 separate museums, and both have very well laid out exhibits. We always have to buy something from the gift shops, as there are so many great things to buy!
0 families found this helpful
"Awesome day!"
This place was ENORMOUS. My daughter loved checking out all the cool exhibits, especially the butterfly room. We must have stayed in there for 15 minutes! The whale bones were really cool and the static displays of habitats were awesome. We went to the "Story Time" and read a story about Alligators and after we were done, the staff member pulled a real alligator out of a bin! My daughter went crazy and was so excited to pet the gator. We will definitely go here again when we visit my sister in the fall. Cafeteria was kind of expensive. Bag lunch it...you don't want to get stuck paying $3.75 for an uncrustables sandwich...
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"Wonderful learning experience!"
Offers a great learning experience for the whole family! With four floors, you are sure to find something for everyone! From dinosaurs to sea life to bugs, its an adventure from start to finish. Plus you can't beat FREE! There is even a cafe on the fourth floor that has pretty good food!
1 family found this helpful
"Fun and Free"
We go to the Museum for a fun, free excursion. It is great when you don't have alot of time because you can just pick one area to explore and not feel pressured to get to everything because it is free. They also have interesting special exhibits. We like the bugs the best!
0 families found this helpful
"Great for children of all ages"
During a trip to Chapel Hill we decided to go to this museum. My two young girl's loved it, especially in the room they get to dress up like all sorts of animals and insects. They had just opened the exhibit to the dinasour bones. Where children could not only look around at the bone, they also had lots of hands on items and projects.
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"Fun for all ages!"
My husband and I are big museum buffs. Every time we vacation in NC, we make the rounds at all the great museums in the Raleigh area. Very rarely do we find that all four of our children, with their varying ages (10,9,5 and 3) enjoy every museum we visit.
Not the case with this museum! There are plenty of exhibits for our elder two to explore and learn from as well as hands-on activities for our younger two to enjoy. The many levels of this museum provide ample space for patrons - and their strollers - to meander around. There is also a reasonably priced cafe near the butterfly observatory (a GREAT attraction!), with options for vegetarians.
This museum is conveniently within walking distance to restaurants and other museums in the downtown Raleigh area.
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