North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

About this adventure

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 exhibits, live animal programs and educational films for all ages; the Nature Research Center (west side) has working laboratories, interactive exhibits and live presentations by scientists. For young children, the Discovery Room on the 2nd floor of the Nature Exploration Center lets families touch fossils, feel bird wings, smell tropical scents, watch a working beehive, try on costumes, play with puppets and hunt for hidden animals in a dead-tree 'critter hotel'. Older kids can head to the Naturalist Center, the VisLab and the Investigate Lab in the Nature Research Center. The Living Conservatory butterfly room is closed until summer 2027. Two cafés and museum stores are on site.