Local Links for Biodiversity—Durham, NC

Museums and Nature Centers:

North Carolina Zoological Park
4401 Zoo Parkway
Asheboro, NC 27203-1425
Phone: 336-879-7000
http://www.nczoo.org
The North Carolina Zoological Park, with more than 500 acres in its African and North American continental regions, is the country's largest and finest walk-through, natural-habitat zoo.

Western North Carolina Nature Center
75 Gashes Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28805-2529
Phone: 828-298-5600
http://wildwnc.org
The mission of the nature center is to educate the public to the natural history and ecology of the Southern Appalachians.

Imagination Station Science Museum
P.O. Box 2127
202 W. Nash Street
Wilson, NC 27893
Phone: 252-291-5113
http://www.imaginescience.org/
This learning center for eastern North Carolina operates live science programs daily on topics including rainforests, space exploration, chemistry, cryogenics, and more.

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 W. Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27601-1029
Phone: 877-4NATSCI
http://www.naturalsciences.org
The museum concentrates on collecting and preserving the state's biological diversity, promoting environmental awareness, and relating the natural sciences to everyday life.

Discovery Place Nature Museum
301 North Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: 704-372-6261
http://www.discoveryplace.org/
The Nature Museum is an urban nature science center that exhibits the animals and plants of the Piedmont. Included is the ever-changing Butterfly Pavilion.

The Triangle Metro Zoo
Route 1-A & Harris Road
PO Box 1106
Wake Forest, NC 27587
Phone: 919-562-8899
http://www.trianglemetrozoo.com
Contains more than 30 acres of exotic animals, including Watusi cattle, Himalayan bears, ring-tailed lemurs, and one of the largest petting areas in the state.