Admission is free, though donations are encouraged. Parking is plentiful in paid lots across the street. We paid $2/hour. There is free on street parking, if you get there early enough to find a spot. I wouldn't count on it.
Tuesday was Brother's first birthday so we decided to take the day off from unpacking and do something fun as a family that didn't involve thinking about how many boxes we had unpacked, how many boxes we need to unpack, or otherwise involved thinking about boxes. New town means lots of new places to visit and blog about, lucky you! So after some deliberation, we decided on the North Carolina Museum of the Natural Sciences.Hours
Monday-Saturday: 9am - 5pm
We arrived on the later side so we started at the top and worked our way down the museum's four floors. On the top floor is a butterfly exhibit that closes at three and we didn't want to miss that. The exhibit is a model of a tropical dry forest. A tropical dry forest is similar to a tropical rain forest, they both receive similar amounts of annual rainfall but dry forests experience dry and rainy seasons whereas rain forests are rainy year-round. In the exhibit are a number of different varieties of butterflies from Costa Rica as well as a sloth, a tarantula, and a milk snake (in separate enclosures within the exhibit). Also on the fourth floor are a number of other insects in the Arthropod Zoo and the Naturalist Center. The Naturalist Center is for children 8 and up, so we didn't get to go in, but it looked pretty cool. There were microscopes, and different animals and other natural items to look at and explore. Younger children can play in the Discovery Room on the second floor, but we were too late by the time we got there as they are only open 11 am to 3 pm on weekdays. I can't wait to go back and discover!
The third floor was definitely a favorite! This is home to the dinosaurs. Mommy thought she was never going to get Tot and Brother out of the "Terror of the South" room. We had so much fun playing in the giant dino footprint we almost didn't want to leave to see the rest of the dinosaurs.
Also on the third floor is a snake exhibit (another one of Tot's favorites) and an exhibit depicting a mountain cove habitat. We had fun seeing how many animals we could pick out in the exhibit. The last exhibit on the third floor is the Tropical Connection exhibit which illustrates how we depend on tropical habitats every day even though we may never step foot in the tropics at all. Products as varied as coffee and aspirin have roots in the rainforest.
Sunday: noon - 5 pm
First Fridays: On the first Friday of every month (except as noted) the Museum stays open until 9 pm.
Note: The Discovery Room, Naturalist Center and Living Conservatory are closed on Mondays and close at 3 during the week.
First Fridays: On the first Friday of every month (except as noted) the Museum stays open until 9 pm.
Note: The Discovery Room, Naturalist Center and Living Conservatory are closed on Mondays and close at 3 during the week.
We arrived on the later side so we started at the top and worked our way down the museum's four floors. On the top floor is a butterfly exhibit that closes at three and we didn't want to miss that. The exhibit is a model of a tropical dry forest. A tropical dry forest is similar to a tropical rain forest, they both receive similar amounts of annual rainfall but dry forests experience dry and rainy seasons whereas rain forests are rainy year-round. In the exhibit are a number of different varieties of butterflies from Costa Rica as well as a sloth, a tarantula, and a milk snake (in separate enclosures within the exhibit). Also on the fourth floor are a number of other insects in the Arthropod Zoo and the Naturalist Center. The Naturalist Center is for children 8 and up, so we didn't get to go in, but it looked pretty cool. There were microscopes, and different animals and other natural items to look at and explore. Younger children can play in the Discovery Room on the second floor, but we were too late by the time we got there as they are only open 11 am to 3 pm on weekdays. I can't wait to go back and discover! |
| Mommy, don't take my picture! |
The third floor was definitely a favorite! This is home to the dinosaurs. Mommy thought she was never going to get Tot and Brother out of the "Terror of the South" room. We had so much fun playing in the giant dino footprint we almost didn't want to leave to see the rest of the dinosaurs.
The second floor is home to the Mountains to the Sea exhibit. It illustrates the habitats across our state from the mountains to the piedmont to the coastal plain. The second floor also houses traveling exhibits and the Discovery Room which we can't wait to come back and visit.
By the time we got to the first floor, we were exhausted and ready for a snack. So we didn't really have much of a chance to explore before the meltdowns began. The first floor has a Coastal NC exhibit and NC's Natural Treasures. Definitely a place we want to get back to when we have more time and energy to explore. Keep watching for another post with more info about the museum!
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