Museum of Life + Science

Museum of Life + Science

Museum of Life + Science
5
Speciality MuseumsScience MuseumsChildren's Museums
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
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.
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

See what travelers are saying

  • SteelCity13
    Austin, Texas902 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This place is amazing for kids
    This place is incredible for families! I mean you could spend 8 hours there and still not get through everything. The place was so diverse from space travel to play areas to dinosaurs to live animals to boat races to building damns or playing with magnets and weights to weather! Honestly this place has it all and its so hands on for kids. I wish i lived in the area cause it would be a place I would want to frequent like all the time!!!
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written November 17, 2023
  • Jennifer M
    Matthews, North Carolina94 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good way to spend the day
    We enjoyed all the hands on items in the main building. The exhibits were interesting and let the you play and explore the ideas with engaging activities. We also like the animals in Explore the Wild. The enclosures are spacious and good at modeling the natural environment. The staff helped us find the hiding animals and answered questions. The Sprout Cafe has a good selection of lunch and snack items and the prices are reasonable. We especially enjoyed the Butterfly House. There were lots of insects and the butterfly area is really nice.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written June 25, 2024
  • James H
    Sierra Vista, Arizona16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    No lions, no tigers, bit Dinosaurs oh my!!
    A delightful paradise for young children to play, experience and explore. It has it all. Building wood play, a caboose to hide in, a miniature zoo and lots and lots of interactive exhibits. Even dinosaurs!! The restaurant service leaves much to be desired though and waiting times are long.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 4, 2024
  • Topaz-VT
    Brattleboro, Vermont27 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Loved their Outdoor Exhibits & Cafe
    First off although this attraction is family friendly, we were all senior citizens with no children along and all of us loved our many hours exploring the exhibits there & will go back next trip to the area! Loved their many outdoor exhibit areas & cafe with very good food. If you drink alcohol, they also have a section for that. We enjoyed their expresso bar off the gift shop. Especially loved the very large, naturalized exhibits for Bears, Red Wolves and Lemurs as well as the water focused areas and a butterfly- insect building. They also have a farm animal section and a few other areas for exploring. Learned a lot about the lives of red wolves, too! Highly Recommend for all ages; easy walking!
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 25, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles925 reviews
Excellent
744
Very good
149
Average
17
Poor
12
Terrible
3

Joanie and Jenni B
Crestview, FL659 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
On a recent trip to Durham, NC we had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Life & Science- what a treat. Our visit was during COVID, so we were not able to visit the inside portion, however the outside portion kept us busy for hours.
The outside part of the museum is a life & science wonderland for all ages. I loved watching the children exploring the different hand on exhibits. The parents all seemed happy and relaxed, which says a lot.
They had life size dinosaurs area, which was really well done.
I enjoyed the Farm area, where you could walk around and see all of the farm animals.
Now, as an adult with no young children in tow, I enjoyed leisurely walking around checking out each exhibit. It was a very nice place to just hanging out and enjoy nature.
Written September 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bambi12345
185 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021 • Couples
The museum is quite small, but contains good exhibits. Most seem for children, but this results in many interactive ones. If you are visiting adults only, I recommend focusing mostly on the animals part. Do not miss the butterflies room, with many colorful and beautiful butterflies flying around you.
Written September 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wesley S
9 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2021 • Family
The science exhibit should adopt a new policy that recognizes people with disabilities and medical conditions. When visiting with the family, we were confronted by staff and management regarding one of our family members having a condition that prevented them from wearing a mask. Instead of recognizing that there are indeed people with circumstances that would prevent them from wearing a mask, they were berating, and inconsiderate. Even when we attempted to meet the policy in a way that was comfortable for our family member, the staff including management asked us to leave the premises. Leadership should train their staff on recognizing and respecting people with disabilities.
Written March 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lisa C
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Family
This was an amazing experience! We were visiting from out of town and used a reciprocate membership from our science center. They also honor a discount for zoo memberships. We had a group of college, high school, and elementary school age kiddos and everyone enjoyed their time here. There was so much to do! Everything was hands on. The sections outside were all so different, that it made it exciting to see what came next. It was a very hot day, so the mist area and the water play was a welcome sight. We took others' advice and brought a change of clothes. The butterfly house was full and all of the different species were available to see. There was also a zoo area, a barnyard, a dinosaur trail, and building area. We did not get to the treetop area, but it looked like a lot of fun.
Make sure you check out the inside educational exhibits as well!
Written August 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ransom007
Anaheim, CA1,116 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
The museum has free parking. The museum has an indoor area that is more like a discovery center than a museum. There are many hands on exhibits. There is a NASA section which includes actual size rocket engines and a lunar lander. There is an ant farm that looks like something that would be built to live on the moon. The gift shop and dining are available inside as well. There is a vast outdoor area which includes life sized dinosaur models, fossils, and zoo exhibits.
Written September 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jennifer M
Matthews, NC94 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2024 • Family
We enjoyed all the hands on items in the main building. The exhibits were interesting and let the you play and explore the ideas with engaging activities. We also like the animals in Explore the Wild. The enclosures are spacious and good at modeling the natural environment. The staff helped us find the hiding animals and answered questions. The Sprout Cafe has a good selection of lunch and snack items and the prices are reasonable. We especially enjoyed the Butterfly House. There were lots of insects and the butterfly area is really nice.
Written June 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Donna M
Durham, NC9 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021
So many wonderful things have been added since I last was here . The outdoor exhibits are varied and have something wonderful for every age! The second floor exhibits were not as interesting as in the past. Prices aren't cheap. We had three adults, one 9 yr. old and a 2 yr. old. Even with the dad's military discount for all of us, we paid $109 (included the train ride) The train ride was disappointing. Perhaps the gentlemen "engineering" were volunteers, but there was no interaction with the children and I was even beginning to wonder if they would toot the horn - but they finally did. Because we passed dinosaurs and other animals, it would have been nice if they had pointed them out and got a little excited, for the kids sake.
Written November 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Erin S
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
From Greensboro and wanted to do something new and different. MLS was worth the drive; our 3 year old loved it. The inside was mostly designed for older kids, but she found plenty to keep her entertained. The outside was phenomenal and I wish we had gone on a cooler day when we could have stayed outside longer (it was high 90s and "feels like 105" that afternoon). It got too hot to stay outside so we missed several parts. We will definitely visit again when its in the 70s or 80s so we can spend most of the day outside.
Written August 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

James H
Sierra Vista, AZ16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
A delightful paradise for young children to play, experience and explore. It has it all. Building wood play, a caboose to hide in, a miniature zoo and lots and lots of interactive exhibits. Even dinosaurs!! The restaurant service leaves much to be desired though and waiting times are long.
Written July 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Topaz-VT
Brattleboro, VT27 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2024 • Friends
First off although this attraction is family friendly, we were all senior citizens with no children along and all of us loved our many hours exploring the exhibits there & will go back next trip to the area! Loved their many outdoor exhibit areas & cafe with very good food. If you drink alcohol, they also have a section for that. We enjoyed their expresso bar off the gift shop. Especially loved the very large, naturalized exhibits for Bears, Red Wolves and Lemurs as well as the water focused areas and a butterfly- insect building. They also have a farm animal section and a few other areas for exploring. Learned a lot about the lives of red wolves, too! Highly Recommend for all ages; easy walking!
Written September 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 912
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Museum of Life + Science - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

All Durham HotelsDurham Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Durham
All things to do in Durham
RestaurantsFlightsVacation RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars