North Carolina Zoo

North Carolina Zoo The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, NC is the World's Largest Natural Habitat Zoo, with over 2,800 acres.
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Official account of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Celebrating our Golden Anniversary of 50 wild years! 1947-2024 ✨

World's largest natural habitat zoo. At the North Carolina Zoo, connect with wildlife from two different continents as you explore 500 acres of animals in natural habitats. Walk from Africa’s grasslands to North America’s Arctic coast. Escape to the

forests and streams of North Carolina’s beautiful Central Piedmont. Located at the foot of the Uwharrie Mountains, the Zoo is just outside the charming southern town of Asheboro. Discover more than 1,700 animals and 52,000 plants along five miles of shaded pathways.

09/05/2026

Our incredibly creative Exhibits Team recently created a new enrichment “rib cage carcass” for our King vultures! Keepers placed diet items in different hiding spots throughout the rib cage, encouraging the vultures’ natural feeding behaviors. Ham was ALL about it! This was her first time interacting with it, and she was so curious! 👀

Vultures get a bad rep for the things they eat, but they’re just trying to survive! Vultures help prevent the spread of disease by being able to stomach carrion. This International Vulture Awareness Day, we encourage you to take a moment to become aware of the positive impact vultures have on the ecosystems in which they live! You don’t have to love them, but we hope you can respect them and their importance! ✨🪶

09/04/2026

the sneakiest of peeks…👀🤭✨⛩️

Tommy is calling YOU to the Zoo this weekend! North Carolina Zoo is open on Labor Day. The Zoo operates year-round and i...
09/04/2026

Tommy is calling YOU to the Zoo this weekend! North Carolina Zoo is open on Labor Day. The Zoo operates year-round and is open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. During peak season (March 15 - November 15) we’re open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with last entry at 4:00 p.m. Come see us! 💚

Join us on October 3rd at Solar Pointe for an American Indian Cultural Showcase!Experience a cultural celebration featur...
09/03/2026

Join us on October 3rd at Solar Pointe for an American Indian Cultural Showcase!

Experience a cultural celebration featuring Native American traditional dancing, singing, arts, and crafts. Learn about the indigenous people of North Carolina with representatives from the Lumbee, Coharie, and Waccamaw Siouan. This event is in collaboration with the North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission and the Guilford Native American Association.

🕚 Dances at 11:00 & 1:30pm
📖 Storytelling with Animal Ambassadors at 12:00pm
🎨 Interactive craft stations
📚 Educational tables with hands-on learning

This event is a FREE public event and takes place outside of Zoo admission gates. Zoo admission sold separately.

🗓️ When: Saturday, October 3rd from 10:00am-3:00pm.
📍 Where: Solar Pointe Picnic Area Near North Carolina Zoo's North American Entrance

🔗 nczoo.org/experiences/events

09/02/2026

A visit to the Zoo connects people to wildlife & wild places. From first field trips to family weekends, the Zoo can be the start of a lifelong love for nature. We hope your next visit to the North Carolina Zoo will inspire a deeper appreciation for the natural world. 💚 ✨

Share a favorite Zoo memory in the comments below!⬇️

Inspired by our friends at NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island

September 1st is International Primate Day! Did you know that all monkeys are primates but not all primates are monkeys?...
09/01/2026

September 1st is International Primate Day! Did you know that all monkeys are primates but not all primates are monkeys?! 👀 🙊

Here’s the breakdown of primates at the North Carolina Zoo:

➡️ Gorilla: Primate ✅, Monkey ❌, Ape ✅
➡️ Chimpanzee: Primate ✅, Monkey ❌, Ape ✅
➡️ Red-ruffed Lemur: Primate ✅, Monkey ❌, Ape ❌, Prosimian ✅
➡️ Mouse Lemur: Primate ✅, Monkey ❌, Ape ❌, Prosimian ✅
➡️ Hamadryas Baboon: Primate ✅, Monkey ✅, Ape ❌
➡️ White-cheeked Gibbon: Primate ✅, Monkey ❌, Ape ✅

Keep this in mind next time you’re at the Zoo! 💭

Fall is near!🍂We’ve got your fall plans covered.😉Swipe to see upcoming events at the Zoo! ➡️ 🔗 nczoo.org/experiences/eve...
08/31/2026

Fall is near!🍂
We’ve got your fall plans covered.😉

Swipe to see upcoming events at the Zoo! ➡️
🔗 nczoo.org/experiences/events

If you could lick your eyeball, would you? 👀🦎Knob-tailed geckos must lick their eyes to clean and moisten them since the...
08/31/2026

If you could lick your eyeball, would you? 👀🦎

Knob-tailed geckos must lick their eyes to clean and moisten them since they lack moveable eyelids, meaning they cannot blink! They do have a clear permanent scale that covers each of their eyes called “spectacles.” Their tongues act as windshield wipers to wipe dust and debris from their eyes! 👅

08/29/2026

Volume up! 🔈 Check out this alligator feeding session, where you can hear distinctive “chomps”. The sound is a result of a powerful bite force, which can occur when an alligator closes its jaws onto its prey. Alligators cannot chew their food! Instead, they swallow small prey whole or tear larger prey into smaller pieces. 🐊

08/28/2026

Sq**rt is here to make sure everyone hears loud and clear that he is the ONE AND ONLY Parakeet Auklet under human care in North America, so you must come to the North Carolina Zoo to see him! 🐧📢

We love Sq**rt, and you shoudl too! 🫶 He can be seen in the seabird habitat in Rocky Coast with the horned puffins! ✨

Address

4401 Zoo Pkwy
Asheboro, NC
27205

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(800) 488-0444

Website

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