As a mom of two I’m always on the lookout for fun things to do with my kids. My oldest is currently in school so I’m especially looking for places to go on Spring break and day trips to take during the Summer. I’ve gathered this list not only for myself to use, but for you to use too! The NC Science Museums are a great family day trip destination and I’m currently planning a trip to visit a few this Summer. Let me know below which one should we visit first?
The NC Science Museums hold a special place in my heart. Many of the North Carolina museums listed below I can remember visiting as a kid and now I’m taking my kids which is absolutely wild.
Please remember as you read through this list that this guide to the North Carolina Science Museums is constantly changing. This list contains the NC Science Museums that we have personally visited and we are aware that there are many more out there. If you don’t see your favorite please comment below or you can contact us on Instagram (@ncfunfoodfamily) or you can email us (ncfunfoodfamily@gmail.com).
Table of Contents
- Eastern NC Science Museums
- Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, NC
- Central North Carolina Science Museums
- Western North Carolina Science Museums
- Time To Plan Your Next Day Trip To A NC Science Museum!
Eastern NC Science Museums
NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Address: 1 Roosevelt Blvd, Pine Knoll Shores, NC 28512
The NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is perfectly nestled in between Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle. This makes the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores the perfect Summer destination for families vacationing or day tripping to the area. This popular NC Aquarium does an amazing job of walking the visitor through the different terrains of North Carolina. Starting out in the mountaintop and quickly moving down to the coast of North Carolina you, the visitor, can see many different fish, amphibians, reptiles and even mammals of that specific habitat.
Some of our favorite must see exhibits at the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores are the snakes located along the marsh boardwalk, the North American Otter exhibit which is HUGE and of course we love to see the living shipwreck ocean habitat.
In order to visit any of the NC Aquariums you will need to purchase a ticket ahead of time online and also don’t forget that if you are a member of the NC Aquarium Society you get FREE admission.
Check out this article: “Our Best Tips and Tricks for Driving on NC Beaches”.
NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island in Manteo, NC
Address: 374 Airport Rd, Manteo, NC 27954
The NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island may hold some of my favorite memories of my little family. This beautiful aquarium is one of our favorite stops when we are on a day trip to the Outer Banks. I have captured many pictures throughout the years of my girls playing on the turtle statue. My girls have also loved making music with the song birds and they have always enjoyed being mesmerized by the sharks swimming above them at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island. It’s definitely one of those places in North Carolina that captures the magic and wonder of the ocean.
One of the ways that the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island is different than it’s sister aquariums is that you are able to tour through where they actively help and rehabilitate sea turtles that have been injured by boats or fishing gear and even some very small baby sea turtles that just need a helping hand once they’ve dug out of their nests. Once you walk through the rehabilitation tanks you can grab a “toy” sea turtle of your own. Then you can learn about the many ways the staff and volunteers at the NC Aquarium of Roanoke Island help care for our beloved sea turtles.
Overall, l I could gush about why this NC Aquarium is one of my favorites. BUT…in reality you just need to experience it for yourself! If you’d like to learn more about the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island you can click here.
NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher in Kure Beach, NC
Address: 900 Loggerhead Rd, Kure Beach, NC 28449
I know some may find this crazy, but I think one of the highlights of our Carolina Beach trip last year was finally getting to visit the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher! I’m not sure if what I’m about to say is correct or not, but this particular aquarium feels like the largest of the NC Aquariums. This beautiful aquarium may feel like the largest due to the beautiful glass room that houses the many of our favorite habitats. These habitats include the classified vulnerable Asian Small-Clawed Otters, the American Alligators and tons of fresh water fish and amphibians.
My girls absolutely loved the outdoor play structure! We do highly suggest wearing appropriate shoes as the mats below the play structure gets extremely hot in the Summer. I have a hard time keeping shoes on my girls so it was a hard lesson for my youngest.
Overall we LOVED this NC Aquarium and can’t wait to visit again! If you’d like to learn more about the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher or explore their many events that they have going on you can click here.
Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, NC
Address: 7223 South Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head, N.C. 27959
Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Alyssa, Jennette’s Pier is NOT a science museum.” I beg to differ. Jennette’s Pier is very much a science museum and I would dare say one of my favorites! Inside this beautiful pier house there are public restrooms, a gift shop and a free walk through of the history and conservation efforts that Jennette’s Pier is known for. The two large tanks of salt water fish on display inside Jennette’s Pier are my girls favorite part of Jennette’s Pier. Plus everything I’ve stated so far is FREE!!!
To walk onto the pier there is a small fee of $2 per adult and $1 per child. If you want to fish the fee’s are higher. Also did I mention that this beautiful pier is apart of the NC Aquariums? You can walk on for free with your NC Aquarium Society Membership or NC Zoo Society Membership?
These are just a few of the reasons why anytime we visit the OBX we have to swing by Jennette’s Pier. You can find more about Jennette’s Pier by clicking here along with the Jennette’s Pier fishing report and their multiple webcams!
The Aurora Fossil Museum in Aurora, NC
Address: 400 Main St. Aurora, NC 27806
Growing up I can remember my dad finding the most unique places all around North Carolina. Most of these places were rich in history, science and wonder. The Aurora Fossil Museum held my dad in a trance. I can remember many times my dad would pack us up early on a Saturday morning to make the long drive from Wilson, NC to Aurora, NC for a quick day trip. We would sit outside for hours across the street from the museum, digging in their fossil pit. For those few hours we were amateur paleontologists searching for the next big Megalodon tooth.
The Aurora Fossil Museum is perfect for all ages and is one of the few NC Science Museums with FREE Admission. The town of Aurora also hosts the Aurora Fossil Festival which happens during the month of May.
Finding shark teeth can be kind of tricky, but we have a few tips. First, it can be helpful to have a soil sift which will sift out all of the smaller teeth and particles. Second, if you don’t have a sift you can draw a circle about eight inches in diameter with your finger and then only look within that circle for shark teeth. I promise you’ll find a few!
You can find more about the Aurora Fossil Museum at their website: Click Here.
The North Carolina Estuarium in Washington, NC
Address: 223 E Water St, Washington, NC 27889
Little Washington (Washington, NC) is definitely in my top five North Carolina Small Towns that I believe everyone should visit at least once! They have the cutest little historic downtown with many wonderful food spots and shops. Little Washington is located along the Pamlico River which is known for being close to where the river meets the ocean. This is called an estuary and The North Carolina Estuarium does an amazing job of show casing and educating about why estuaries are such an incredibly important ecosystem for our native plants and animals.
I loved seeing the art installation in the lobby of the North Carolina Estuarium. This beautiful artwork shows how a rain drop travels through the clouds, down onto a mountain, along the streams back to the ocean where it will float back up into a cloud again. I can remember watching the rain drop (a ball) travel through this same art piece when I was a young pre teen on a homeschool field trip.
My girls loved all of the hands on exhibits such as tasting the ocean water, brackish water and fresh water (they did this one three times!). You can also look for the items on the North Carolina Estuarium’s scavenger hunt.
The North Carolina Estuarium is one of our favorite NC Science Museums and we highly recommend you visit them on your next family day trip! You can learn more about the North Carolina Estuarium by clicking here.
Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck, NC
Address: 500 Sylvan Heights Park Way Scotland Neck, NC 27874
Nestled away in Scotland Neck, NC is one of the most unique displays of conservation in North Carolina. Sylvan Heights Bird Park is home to more than two thousand birds including the endangered Whooping Crane. This makes it the second largest bird collection in the United States!
The Sylvan Heights Bird Park is organized by continents. You can travel through North America, South America, Africa, Eurasia and specialty areas such as the Wings Of The Tropics. One of the unique things about Sylvan Heights is that as you are exploring many of the exhibits you are actually in the exhibit with the birds.
Sylvan Heights also has a special area called the Landing Zone where you are encouraged to feed flamingos and parakeet by hand. A few years ago they had a baby flamingo in there too! You will need to purchase your flamingo feed a parakeet sticks when you purchase your admission.
My girls LOVE visiting Sylvan Heights Bird Park. We usually bring lunch and make a day of it, but you could easily walk through the park in less than three hours.
You can find more about Sylvan Heights Bird Park and their amazing conservation efforts by clicking here.
The Imagination Station in Wilson, NC
Address: 224 Nash St, Wilson, NC 27893
I grew up in Wilson, NC and my mom would often take us to visit the Imagination Station located in downtown Wilson. I can remember having many fun playdates and homeschool field trips to visit there. Now that I’m a mom I have watched my girls explore many of the same exhibits that I can remember exploring when I was their ages. There are a few exhibits that are new, but the Imagination Station hasn’t changed much since my childhood years.
The first floor consists mainly of the Body-ology exhibit and the Science on a Sphere exhibit. You can also view their indoor beehive and build with blocks as well. The second floor is the herpetarium where you can see many different kinds of snakes, turtles, an alligator and their newest exhibit an axolotl!
You can find more about the Imagination Station and how to visit by clicking here.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences In Greenville, NC
Address: 226 W 8th St, Greenville, NC 27858
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Greenville, NC was such a fun little day trip. My girls loved being able to learn about pirates, play on the sand table and look at different nature specimens under the microscope.
This museum is known as A Time For Science, but is also an extension of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh (we’ll talk more about that wonderful NC Science Museum below). A Time For Science encourages it’s visitors to learn more about science by exploring nature and having fun!
You can learn more about A Time For Science by visiting their website here.
Central North Carolina Science Museums
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC
Address: 11 W Jones St, Raleigh, NC 27601
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC is no doubt the most well known NC Science Museum on our list. This FREE science museum is located in the the heart of downtown Raleigh, NC and is a favorite among North Carolinians.
This NC Science Museum boasts four levels of interactive science. The main floor is all about wildlife and plants native to North Carolina along with exploring the ocean and beaches of NC. The second floor explores the forest floor which includes an exhibit on the soil composition of North Carolina and native Gemstones of North Carolina. It also has the Discovery Room which my kids LOVE! The third floor does a great job of explaining the importance of the forest canopy. You can also walk through their amazing dinosaur exhibit on the third floor. The fourth and final floor is where you will learn about the insects of North Carolina and you can walk through the Butterfly Room.
You can learn more about the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences by reading our article, “A Day at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (10 Exciting Things To Do While You’re There) or you can visit their website by clicking here.
Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC
Address: 433 W Murray Ave, Durham, NC 27704
The Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC has the perfect mix of indoor and outdoor exhibits. This awesome NC Science Museum is located on eighty acres of land. It houses Red Wolves, Black Bears and Lemurs in it’s outdoor animal exhibits. You can see many more native North Carolina Wildlife in their indoor exhibit.
My girls love the Dinosaur Trail along with the Earth Moves outdoor exhibit. You can read more about how much we love the Durham Life and Science Museum by clicking here. What’s your favorite exhibit?
I always tell people that this is one of those NC Science Museums where you can’t possibly see everything in one day, but that’s part of the beauty of the Life and Science Museum. You will always find something new at this amazing North Carolina Science Museum.
Enjoy this article: “A List of North Carolina Children’s Museums + Our Tips For A Great Travel Day With Kids!”
Greensboro Science Center in Greensboro, NC
Address: 4301 Lawndale Dr, Greensboro, NC 27455
For almost a year Andrew traveled to Greensboro for work and often the girls and I would tag along. I had never been to Greensboro other than to drive through it on the way to the mountains. In the early days of our many stays in Greensboro I stumbled upon the Greensboro Science Center. What I thought was a small science museum turned out to be one of our favorite kid friendly destinations in Greensboro!
What if I told you the Greensboro Science Center is a science museum, children’s museum, aquarium and zoo all under one roof? Would you believe me? It is!
My kids absolutely loved watching the sharks and rays in the aquarium along with the penguins and jelly fish. I enjoyed seeing the fishing cats, pygmy hippos and the okapi. If you have older kids they will love the Skywild rope course!
We have spent many fun filled days exploring the Greensboro Science Center that my girls regularly ask to go back. I’m planning to surprise them with a day trip soon. The Greensboro Science Center is the perfect Summer Day Trip Destination.
I can’t say enough about the Greensboro Science Center so you’ll need to just visit for yourself! You can visit their website here.
The North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro, NC
Address: 4401 Zoo Pkwy, Asheboro, NC 27205
Growing up when my siblings or I had a birthday my parents would let us pick what we wanted to do for our birthdays. Some of my siblings would pick places like Marbles Kid’s Museum or bowling or whatever…but I almost always chose a trip to the North Carolina Zoo.
The NC Zoo has always been one of my favorite places to visit. It’s ever changing and we see something new just about every time we visit. They’re currently working on bringing the continent of Asia to life and I am so excited! It is expected to be open to visitors sometime in 2025! We went to the North Carolina Zoo a few weeks ago and let me tell ya’ll the continent of Asia is going to be gorgeous and breathtaking!
The North Carolina Zoo is the world’s largest natural habitat zoo. This zoological park is known for it’s beautiful and spacious animal habitats. The NC Zoological park is situated on 2,600 acres of rolling hills, 500 of which have been developed into habitats and walking areas (you are definitely going to get your steps in at this zoo!).
Some of our favorite animals to see are the polar bears, American alligators, the red wolves, the ocelots, the African lions and the elephants. My kids LOVE the Kidzone located in near the North American Plaza. I do suggest visiting this last, because if your kids are like mine they’ll want to spend hours playing here.
You can find more about the North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro, NC by visiting their website here. Don’t forget to use your NC Zoological Society or NC Aquarium Society Membership for FREE ADMISSION!
Western North Carolina Science Museums
The WNC Nature Center in Asheville, NC
Address: 75 Gashes Creek Rd, Asheville, NC 28805
Ya’ll, I keep begging Andrew to go back to the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville, North Carolina! We took our oldest years ago and it was a blast! I loved seeing all of the Appalachian (App-a-LATCH-un) wildlife especially the critically endangered American Red Wolves.
The WNC Nature Center focuses on educating it’s visitors about the wildlife of the southern Appalachian mountains which includes it’s current and past wildlife such as Turkey Vultures, American Black Bears, American River Otters and Grey Wolves. They also have Red Pandas who are a distant cousin to the Bristol’s Panda whose fossils were found in the Southern Appalachian mountains.
The WNC Nature Center is also a member of the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In 2023 the Western North Carolina Nature Center happily welcomed a litter of Red Wolves by their mated pair Oak and Gloria.
The Western North Carolina Nature Center is the perfect spot to add to your summer travel bucket list! Remember to use your NC Zoological Society or NC Aquarium Society Membership to get 50% off admission!
You can learn more about the WNC Nature Center including admission, open times and special events by visiting their website here.
Time To Plan Your Next Day Trip To A NC Science Museum!
Now it’s time to get out there and experience North Carolina’s awesome Science Museums! We hope you found a NC Science Museum that peaks your interest and has you planning your next North Carolina adventure. Many of these North Carolina Science Museums are located a short day trip from many of North Carolina’s metropolitan areas such as Raleigh, Charlotte, Asheville, Greensboro, Greenville and the Outer Banks.
Check out this article: “The Museum of Life And Science in Durham, NC (Why It’s One Of Our Favorite Museums!)”
Many of these NC Science Museums are apart of the AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums). This means that the zoo or aquarium has been inspected and evaluated by industry experts whose main focus is the welfare and management of the animals at the institute applying or maintaining it’s AZA membership. We at NC Fun Food Family look for the AZA logo. We appreciate the time and effort that the NC zoos and aquariums take to actively acquire and maintain this membership.
If you found this article “Why We Love The Science Museums of North Carolina (12+ Amazing NC Museums You Need To Visit!)” helpful or have NC Science Museums you suggest please let us know in the comments below or email us at (ncfunfoodfamily@gmail.com). We love hearing from you!
Enjoy this article: “Our Best Tips and Tricks for Driving on NC Beaches”.