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Greensboro Science Center

Greensboro Science Center

Greensboro Science Center
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Experience the wonders of an aquarium, science museum, zoological park, and immersive 3D theater all in one attraction! See sharks, penguins, otters, stingrays, a fishing cat and other amazing animals from around the world in the Wiseman Aquarium. Get eye-to-eye with tigers, meerkats, gibbons, lemurs and other unique animals in the Animal Discovery Zoo. Walk among dinosaurs in Prehistoric Passages, experience extreme weather, and have fun in SciPlay Bay in the Museum. Watch amazing 3-D shows that make science come alive in the OmniSphere Theater.
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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.

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  • Elaine B
    Sanford, North Carolina157 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a great place to visit with kids!!
    This Science Center was amazing!! They have an Aquarium, the science center and a Zoo! Also , a Carousel to ride for fun. My husband and I loved it. Wish we had our grand kids with us!! Everything is amazing!! The aquarium had everything a kid would like to see, and you can pet a ray!! The animals in the zoo are seen in natural habitats as you walk along a raised wooden boardwalk!! Oh, I forgot about the Wild Sky Ride which we were too chicken to do. The science museum has a great dinosaur room where dinosaurs are projected on the walls above you and they are moving!! Makes a great video. They have a nice little food place with lovely tables outside. The Gift store if filled with wonderful thigs to buy!! As a former elementary teacher , I would highly recommend this Science Center!!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 20, 2023
  • Pioneer21793530861
    4 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great place.
    Awesome place to take your child when schools not in session. Field trips make it hard for younger children to enjoy themselves with older kids running wild!! When leaving we hit up the souvenir shop and that’s unfortunately where all the kids from the field trip! We literally had to get out of line and wait for them to leave. They were loud, pushy and skipping ahead of others to get checked out. We stood to the side and waited. Talked to management/staff. They had more patience than I and were awesome with apologies and we even received a discount on our purchase!!
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 14, 2024
  • Cat girl64
    11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The perfect place for kids and adults.
    I love this place. The photos are out of date, but there’s so much to do there. It can get a little crowded but it’s a really great place for little kids. There’s also activities for older kids such as sky wild but you do have to pre-book. The aquarium and there’s little play areas indoor and outdoor for small children. There is a bunch of cool shows and if you’re lucky you’ll get to see one of the events in the events in the special room where they put up mazes and fun things the animals are really cute and the food is decent all and all an amazing place there’s also a nice gift shop. If you’re local, you can buy a membership.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written May 1, 2024
  • Abigale N
    Greensboro, North Carolina92 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic Penguin experience
    We had a fabulous time today doing the behind-the-scenes Penguin experience. Our guides, Dalton and Crystal, were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. We all learned so much, and it was delightful to have the chance to see these playful penguins up so close.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written June 14, 2024
  • Erica
    Grandville, Michigan1,407 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Plan a trip here if you are in the area!
    We stopped here while traveling on a 12 day road trip with our 12-year-old granddaughter and we are so glad that we did! This is a great place to bring kids of all ages. It’s an aquarium, zoo, and science museum in one place! Ticket prices are $21 for ages 14 and up and $20 for children 3-13. They also have lower rates for families on the SNAP, EBT, WIC. $7 for adults and $6 for children. It is also completely wheelchair accessible. They even have a fun little treehouse area that is wheelchair friendly! Everything is beautifully maintained, the animals are well taken care of, and there are guides everywhere to answer questions. They even have an area set up where you can watch surgeries and autopsies on the animals while they are happening. They also have a fantastic butterfly area and other areas for kids to learn, do puzzles, etc. the little restaurant has food and drink options and it’s actually affordable to get a bite to eat there. Overall, this is a fantastic stop and I love that they try and make it affordable for all families.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 9, 2024
  • Linda B
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great visit
    Loved it but walked so much, we were exhausted. Try to park as close to admission area. Butterfly garden is great. Treehouse climbing gir kids was awesome. Areas for animals were great and clean. Inside clean. Aquarium nice. Carousel was adorable. Very impressed. I'd say we walked 3 miles to see it all, maybe more.
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 22, 2024
  • Pamela P
    Greensboro, North Carolina21 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Hippos and Sting Rays and Otters - oh my
    The Greensboro Science Center has something to interest most everyone. There is an excellent zoo on a pleasant winding walk ranging from hornbills to tortoises, tigers and Pygmy Hippos. Inside the center hosts a large aquatic center complete with Sting Ray petting pool, penguins, otters, jellyfish, shark tank and more. The large butterfly enclosure was great but it will now be closed until spring to allow a new season of colorful winged creatures to emerge. The interactive dinosaur game exhibits are always a hit with my grandson. Extend your visit by having lunch or a snack at the Meerkat Cafe. There’s adult and kid friendly items at very reasonable prices! The gift shop is always worth a stop and Grandma’s pocketbook appreciates a broad selection in a wide price range.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written September 20, 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

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,324 reviews
Excellent
921
Very good
319
Average
63
Poor
17
Terrible
4

Stephanie S
Fayetteville, NC118 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
This place was way more than I expected. We stopped by to allow the kiddos to run around after visiting the civil rights museum. I did not expect it to be nearly as large as it was. At first, I felt that it may have been higher priced than what it would be worth, but there is actually a lot to this attraction. First, there is the aquarium which is fairly on par with the other NC aquariums, maybe just somewhat smaller, but well-done. We absolutely loved the penguins; each had a name band on their wings. There is a small exhibit where you could touch small stingrays; however, this exhibit was closed. Next, there is the science center. While perhaps less interactive than other children's museums there were a number of exhibits and different topics to get small gears going and satisfy the needs to run around and touch things. There are multiple auditoriums to play various educational films, at least 2 of these were closed while we visited. Next, there was the zoo. I really didn't expect the zoo to have as nice enclosures, walk spaces, and interactive areas for the kids as it did. While it is definitely smaller than the North Carolina Zoo, there are many species here that were not at the NC Zoo and it is not nearly as much of a walk. There is a farm exhibit where it appears to be a petting zoo exhibit, however, this appeared to be closed, although you could still see the animals and help feed the goats. There is an animal health station where you can see the veterinarians providing medical care to the animals (or even a necropsy). Throughout the zoo park, there is also a high ropes course ($extra) which looked pretty neat. Last, there was a really nice carousel with unique animals (okapi, hummingbird, fish, t-rex, seahorse...) that you typically don't see on a carousel. Normally this is extra, but we got a free ticket when we purchased science center tickets. There is a cafe area which was rather small for the number of people in attendance, but it was fairly reasonably priced.
Written July 24, 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.
Thank you SO much for the thorough review. We hope to see you again!
Written October 8, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Nancy D
High Point, NC843 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
A group of friends toured the Greensboro Science Center. We arrived early in the day to try to escape the rising temperatures later in the day. We toured the outside exhibits. We were impressed with the improvements made to the Science Center. We found that early in the day many of the animals were still sleeping or were hidden inside their enclosures. Perhaps they would be more active later in the day. If you are visiting in the summer, take preventative measures that will protect you in the heat outside. During this visit, most of the group stayed outside. We will have to visit the indoor exhibits on another trip.
Written August 8, 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.

cheryl h
Durham, NC57,989 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
This center is made up of a museum, small zoo (animals inside and out), reptile house, Omni Sphere Theater, Time Warner Cable's Extreme Weather Gallery, treetop adventure park, dinosaurs, and aquarium. You can see everything in less that 2 hours. They also offer on-hands exhibits for kids of all ages. The walk to the outdoor zoo is about 1/4 mile and is a very easy walk. When you walk past the tiger exhibition please pay attention to the signs. If you stop in certain areas you could be sprayed by the tigers and believe me, that would not be pleasant.

We have been many times and have never been disappointed. They also have plenty of parking so that should never be a problem. You can grab a quick snack or a sit down lunch at the Meerkat Cafe.
Written January 9, 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.

Taylor N
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2020 • Family
My family with our 5 year old daughter tried to go to the Christmas lights and we were turned away. Website says that tickets are recommended but not required. We did not purchase tickets ahead of time because it says it is not required (meaning you can get in if you just show up) and my 5 year old was crying in disappointment when the rude employees told us we were not allowed to enter. There was not a bit of empathy for a child from any of these employees including the “manager” behind the desk. Highly disappointed and do not recommend going here for anything if this is how they treat a crying 5 year old after it was not required to get a reservation or ticket online. Would understand if they had other suggestions or thoughts, but they wanted nothing to do with us since we did not purchase tickets online.
Written December 5, 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.

TravelingDad
Huntersville, NC21 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Family
First time to visit and was impressed. Our 2 yr old really enjoyed the aquarium area. The zoo area is really good & nice setups for the animals. Very interactive farm area. Bring a stroller for young kids while not a long walk 3/4 way around the zoo area our kid was super tired after already walking around inside. The skywild area looked like it would be lots of fun although we didn’t try it. The carousel area seemed really nice as well.
Written March 16, 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.

bttldblndegrl
Knoxville, TN42 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Family
We went to Greensboro with the sole intention of going to the NC Zoo, but we needed something to do Friday afternoon. Reviews seemed decent. We loved this place!!! How many times in your life do you have the opportunity to see a Great Pacific Octopus??? The adventure course was sold out for the day, but it looked very challenging and a lot of fun. The dinosaur exhibit was fun and the free range chickens cracked me up. We really enjoyed our afternoon there. Very glad we decided to add to our stop.
Written April 11, 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.

AussieinNC
35 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021
Overpriced and underwhelming. We drove from Charlotte, NC specifically for the Omnisphere shows and it hadn’t been working for two/three weeks. The shows and times were still advertised on the website. Due to COVID and age of exhibits? many experiences were either closed or no longer active. Overall, $33 for one adult and child could have been spent elsewhere. Cannot recommend in its current state.
Written April 11, 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.

Wiley Koyotes (Nia)
Dorothy, NJ20 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
As a full-time RV family we love visiting local establishments for our homeschooled children. We've visited the science center twice so far while in town. The first time we didn't visit the zoo because it was rainy and cold, but did the second time and it didn't disappoint. We were able to participate in one of their show (with Dinos) and it was really entertaining for my younger children (ages 5 & 6).

I will say that the price to enter is a little on the pricier side. It would be ~$90 for two adults and three children. Fortunately for us because we travel full-time we have a membership that offers reciprocity.

We've also enjoyed the food inside and wasn't disappointed. I feel it was reasonably priced and the staff was pleasant.

Overall, my family would definitely recommend the science center for those who love science. We learned lots while visiting. We'd love to see something online or available at the museum for homeschoolers. That makes the visits more intentional.

We do plan to visit one more time before leaving town.
Written February 22, 2023
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.

MPDavie
Winston Salem, NC44 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
We had a great time at the Zoo and Aquarium Trek yesterday. Lots of opportunities to feed the animals and a chance to see some of the center before the public opening. Our guide, Katie, was entertaining and informative. It's a well-run, lovely place. Some activities aren't available due to COVID-19 but still well worth the cost. Wear your mask and follow the social distancing guidlines (posted very cutely - i.e. stay 6 lemurs apart) and you'll have a great experience.
Written October 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.

LHN0320
Greensboro, NC277 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Family
Took my sons here since we haven’t been since Christmas. I love the rotating / seasonal exhibits. We decided to go check out the new butterfly exhibit which was pretty cool. You can use the app to wait virtually in line and the line moves very fast. The new mini zoo of animals was a nice treat but it gets hot on the paths without much shelter. There’s also a cool Swiss family Robinson type playground that the kids enjoyed and it has some shade too. Will definitely go back.
Written July 17, 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.

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