# Investigate Lab and Naturalist Center at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences > Place to go for families in the Raleigh–Cary area (NC). Times are Eastern Time. - When: Open during museum hours (downtown museum Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm); the labs' own… - Where: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences — Nature Research Center, 121 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27603 - Ages: All ages; Naturalist Center main collection areas 8 years and older; Investigate Lab topics middle school and up - Price: Free general admission - Schedule: Open during museum hours (downtown museum Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm); the labs' own public hours are not printed on their pages. - Organizer: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences - Official page: https://naturalsciences.org/learn/investigate-lab - Last checked: Sat, Oct 24 Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/investigate-lab-and-naturalist-center-at-the-nc-museum-of-natural-scie--listing-85039c776048ef6af81d48dd ## About Two drop-in science spaces in the museum's Nature Research Center. In the Investigate Lab (3rd floor) visitors work through up to seven self-guided, hands-on activities at a time — microscopes and experiments in chemistry, nature and physical science — with staff on hand to answer questions; topics are pitched at middle school and up, and the lab also keeps moon jellyfish. In the Naturalist Center (2nd floor) families can examine an extensive specimen collection of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, insects, plants, fossils, rocks and minerals, use two interactive computer field guides and get help from staff. The Naturalist Center's main collection areas are for children 8 and older, with a separate activity area for younger children and mixed-age groups; room capacity is 35. ## Similar picks in Raleigh - [North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/north-carolina-museum-of-natural-sciences--listing-b50eada0e37bbe95a3f37a14) — Downtown museum Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm. Closed 2026 dates in the window: Thursday Nov… · North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. The largest natural history museum in the Southeast fills two connected buildings in downtown Raleigh. The Nature Exploration Center (east side) holds permanent and special… - [Trunk-or-Treat and Pumpkin Parlor at the Top Greene Center](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/trunk-or-treat-and-pumpkin-parlor-at-the-top-greene-center--listing-37e46c9d3613b539b2fc8dfa) — Sat, Oct 31 · 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM · John P. "Top" Greene African American Cultural Center · Free · checked Oct 24. Halloween afternoon at the John P. 'Top' Greene African American Cultural Center. It starts with trunk-or-treating in the parking lot alongside the NC Black Women Empowered 50+… - [Teen Science Café: Rhino Conservation](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/teen-science-cafe-rhino-conservation--listing-b07d63d8537fcb49e9a28b40) — Fri, Nov 6 · 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM · North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences · Ages 11–17 · Free · checked Oct 24. Teen Science Cafés are free first-Friday evenings for teenagers at the Natural Sciences museum's Daily Planet Cafe. This month Dr. Liz Kierepka, head of the museum's Genomics and… - [Creepy Critter Month at Lake Crabtree](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/creepy-critter-month-at-lake-crabtree--listing-71d4de729c639eac1c7bcab3) — Oct 24 – Oct 31 · Lake Crabtree County Park, Morrisville · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. Lake Crabtree County Park celebrates Halloween with a month of creepy-critter fun. Through Oct 31, families can follow the self-guided Creepy Crawly scavenger hunt along the… - [Smashing Pumpkins: Composting Your Jack-O-Lanterns](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/smashing-pumpkins-composting-your-jack-o-lanterns--listing-fe482a2538f39385c82e6fbb) — Sun, Nov 1 · 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM · Beech Bluff County Park, Willow Spring · Free · checked Oct 24. Bring your carved Halloween pumpkins to Beech Bluff County Park's Harvest Hub the day after Halloween. In this drop-in workshop families learn the dirty details of composting and… - [STEAM Lab: Building Bridges — Northeast Regional Library](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/steam-lab-building-bridges-northeast-regional-library--listing-2c1258583ab8c13cf4b2a18e) — Sat, Nov 7 · 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM · Northeast Regional Library · Free · checked Oct 24. Northeast Regional Library's STEAM Lab is a hands-on series for 3rd through 5th graders that blends science, technology, engineering, art and math. In this Saturday-afternoon… ## More for families - [This weekend in Raleigh](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/this-weekend.md) - [Things to do with kids in Raleigh](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh.md)