Western North Carolina Nature Center
add photos8 Reviews for Western North Carolina Nature Center
7
30 families found this helpful
"Good times"
We have been to the nature center several times and the kids always have a great time. It's a great place to take a stroll and check out some animals. There is plenty of shade so it's a nice place even on hot summer days. We will definitely return for future visits!
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It's helpful0 families found this helpful
"Fun"
This place was small in size but very informative. Smaller kids will love the hands on activities available to them. As with most of things in this area be prepared to walk but you will enjoy every moment. They have animals native to there local wilderness on display. The Bear habitat is nice with a boardwalk from above to view them. There are not a lot of signs marking this place so it was hard to find. Glad we made the trip and hope to visit again.
'10, '11
1 family found this helpful
"Worth A Visit!"
The Western North Carolina Nature Center, or WNC Nature Center, may be small in size but there’s plenty to see. We didn’t time our visit very well so we missed a few things including the butterfly house. Most of the animals were sleeping while we were there but the otters were active and entertaining. They have a peacock that just wanders around near the indoor exhibit area and contact yard. The animal habitats were nice…roomy enough for the animals to have plenty of space and designed in such a way that it was still possible to see the animals if they chose to nap at the back of the habitat. The boardwalk over/between the bear and white tail deer habitat was a hit with our family.
When we heard an announcement about a program at the amphitheater, we decided to go. That program turned out to be our favorite thing about the visit because we got to meet Arte, a barred owl who is part of the WNC Nature Center’s educational program. He was hit by a car and lost most of one wing years ago so he’ll spend the rest of his life at the Nature Center. The man who introduced the crowd to Arte and told us about him was very patient with the young kids who asked the same questions he had just answered for another kid.
The hands-on activities inside the Appalachian Station were fun and informative. Kids (and adults) could do things like pick up a snake skin, touch bear fur, check out rocks and feathers under a microscope and examine a deer skull.
I wanted to save the contact yard for last and ended up making us miss it altogether. Oops! I didn’t bother to check the signs or I would have seen that the animals take a break from being petted between 12 and 2. We arrived in that area at 12:10. Thankfully, my kids weren’t too upset about it. If you’re planning to go and the contact yard is important to your kids, be sure to check the times.
The Western North Carolina Nature Center has lots of neat things to see but it’s not somewhere you’re likely to spend an entire day. We were finished in approximately 2 hours.
0 families found this helpful
"Kids will love it!"
The Western North Carolina Nature Center offers an opportunity to study wildlife up close in its exhibit halls and along a nice wooded trail. The center is a living nature museum that shows visitors how animals, the environment, and people work together to shape the world.
The center’s World Underground exhibit demonstrates the importance of this unique environment; if you look really closely you’ll find more life than you could imagine. Other exhibits include spiders, snakes, and even the least weasel.
Along the trail you’ll come face to face with gray and red wolves, otters, mountain lions, a huge bear, deer, and more. The petting zoo gives the kids an opportunity to pet a goat or even milk a cow.
1 family found this helpful
"Very small but fun trails"
VERY small little place but has great walking trails! They also have a great little area where your really little one can play and pretend to be a bug. Other then that the place is about 4 rooms. Big kids probably will be bored within twenty minutes. I really only suggest going here if you have a reciprocal membership elsewhere. We have definitely had good times here though.
0 families found this helpful
"nature center"
ive only been here once and it's been quite a few years Nice and enjoyable way to spend a day away from the house. Most of the animals are visible and active it's definitly not as big or have the same level of excitement as the zoo but still is an. excellent day trip.
1 family found this helpful
"fun fun!!"
My mommies group goes here about once a week esp. when they do the butterfly exhibit its so neat! You can go and feed them sugar water and the kids LOVE that! With our yearly membership we also get discounts and other places as well! Also its not that hard to find like alot of other nature centers! and they are very hands-on with thier exhibits too!
0 families found this helpful
"Great way to get in touch with Nature"
The Nature Center is a great time everytime. In the summer, they host a butterfly exhibit that is just awesome. You can actually go and feed the butterflies sugar water and have hands on interaction with them. It is like a mini-zoo in Asheville. They also hold a free day for Asheville residents every so often. Out of towners with kids would enjoy this event because there are so many animals to see and pet!
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