The 10 Best Science Museums in North Carolina, United States

The Southeast's largest natural history museum features dinosaurs, whale skeletons, live animals, walk-through dioramas, special exhibits, hands-on science education and accessible scientists. IMLS National Medal Finalist, 2014.

This hands-on science Museum in Uptown Charlotte features exciting interactive exhibitions, a larger-than-life IMAX Dome Theatre and educational programs. We offer summer camps and birthday parties too.

Talk a Walk on the Wild Side at Carolina Raptor Center What will you find on your walk around the 3/4 mile Raptor Trail? Over 30 species of raptors and other birds of prey are featured on this walk on the wild side. Owls and Vultures. Hawks and Eagles. Falcons, Corvids and other species that just don't fall into any of these categories. Have you seen a Bald Eagle up close? The Raptor Trail features a nesting pair of Bald Eagles who live out back in the Eagle Aviary. Our Spectacled Owl just can't wait to tell you what she thinks about living here at CRC, but you might have to listen carefully to what she has to say - she's a shy one. Did you know that Vultures and Corvids are some of the smartest birds around. No bird brains here! Lots of human mythology surrounds both of these families of avian brainiacs. Crows have been known to drop nuts into crosswalks so that cars can crack them and then wait for the light to change and retrieve the goodies! Behind the scenes at CRC is our Raptor Hospital, where we see approximately 900 raptor patients a year (please no songbirds or possums!). If you can't make our behind the scenes tour, don't worry, the exhibit "A Day in the Life of a Raptor Hospital" will show you what goes on there - day and night.

Marbles Kids Museum is a hands-on, interactive destination that inspires children to be creative thinkers, active learners and confident individuals in today's world. With five galleries and two outdoor escapes, there is no shortage of activity for kids birth to 12 and their families. The campus also features the Wachovia IMAX Theatre at Marbles Kids Museum. This 267-seat giant-screen experience is the only 3D capable IMAX theatre in North Carolina.

The museum houses the region’s largest collection of decoys (old and new) along with changing exhibitions of workboats, community history, commercial fishing, and wildlife photography. It also offers a stunning view of Cape Lookout Lighthouse from the third-story tower. Willow Pond includes an interpretive hiking trail through maritime forest that leads to the Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitors Center next door.

Located just blocks from downtown Durham, the Museum of Life and Science is one of North Carolina’s top family destinations. Situated on 84-acres, our interactive science park includes a two-story science center, one of the largest butterfly conservatories on the East Coast, and beautifully landscaped outdoor exhibits which are safe havens for rescued black bears, lemurs, and endangered red wolves. Other popular attractions include over 60 species of live animals, Dinosaur Trail, Ellerbe Creek Railway, Into the Mist, Hideaway Woods, and Earth Moves. The Museum of Life and Science is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Kaleideum is an interactive museum of arts, sciences, and exploration formed by the merger of The Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem and SciWorks in July 2016. The two museums merged into a single organization to reimagine learning and better meet the needs of our diverse community by providing more access to informal science discovery and cultural experiences. Our Mission: Inspiring wonder, curiosity, and lifelong learning in our children and community through interactive play and discovery. We achieve this through the overlapping lenses of literacy, the arts, and STEM. Our Vision: We envision a creative, innovative learning ecosystem that equips and empowers us all to make a difference in our ever-changing world.