By exploring the state's geography, prehistoric past, geology, plants, and animals, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences helps over a million visitors a year learn about the natural world. The museum has four floors of displays, live animals, and hands-on activities. At the Nature Research Center, you can watch scientists working at research labs through floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Researchers also give regular presentations at the center's three-story, multimedia space, which is also used to show spectacular scenes from nature. Use our Raleigh travel planner to visit North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on your trip to Raleigh, and learn what else travelers and our writers recommend seeing nearby.
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North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences reviews
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Went solo as a science interested adult, it was a fun hour or two! The whale skeletons are incredible. Some other unique things like the dinosaur stuff and the paleontology lab on site. Super cool...
Went solo as a science interested adult, it was a fun hour or two! The whale skeletons are incredible. Some other unique things like the dinosaur stuff and the paleontology lab on site. Super cool... more »
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The museum is a fun family experience. The exhibits were hands on. It was engaging for my young elementary student and my middle school student. There was a lot to explore but exhibits structured in..... more
The museum is a fun family experience. The exhibits were hands on. It was engaging for my young elementary student and my middle school student. There was a lot to explore but exhibits structured in..... more »
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Amazing, amazing, amazing place!!! Fun, educational, exciting, so well organized, friendly staff and best of all FREE for everyone! There was a paid exhibit too but plenty to do and see without paying! Beyond impressed! Wonderful service provided to the people. My kiddo (8) and I spent hours exploring all the exhibits on 2 different days and we "almost" saw everything. Such a great space!! Highly recommend visiting and taking your kids. Fun for all ages! Great job museum staff!
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Very well put together museum. Nice and clean. It has 2 sides (research and exploration). You can walk from one side to the other via a bridge on floors 2 and 3. It's small enough to get through it all in a few hours depending on how much you like to read and look at certain things. The exploration side has a 3D theater show and a butterfly room exhibit. Entry is free for everyone except for the attractions which you do have to buy tickets for. It is downtown Raleigh so parking is very easy and convenient. You can spend sometime at the museum and walk downtown for a bite, shopping or site seeing. Unfortunately I didn't get a lot of pictures this time because it was busier than last time we went, but still very enjoyable.
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