Wow! Did not expect such a nice place in the middle of downtown Raleigh to be free and entertaining. Family of 4 (ages 25-58) went to Raleigh on Saturday August 8th and decided to visit this museum and we were glad we did. Go on the weekend (parking is also FREE nearby in the lot) and you have to walk... more

I had fun on a recent trip to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. The museum is free (major bonus!) and very, very kid-friendly. There is a great deal to look at here for younger people. The museum also has a number of exhibits that adults will find fascinating as well. The museum has the only-known fossilized... more

An interactive museum that has some of the best fossil and dinosaur displays that I have seen. My husband and I enjoyed it, particularly learing more about NC. We didn't go to the special dinasaur exhibit, just enjoyed the standard exhibits. We were somewhat disappointed that the butterfly house was closed but were treated to some lovely visitors while we... more

We visited Raleigh this past week, and our hostess took us (adults and kids ages 5 and 8) to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. What an unexpected treat - admission is free, so I was expecting old and rundown state museum. Instead, what we found was 4 floors of well-maintained, varied exhibits showcasing all sorts of science and nature... more

A surprising museum that entertains both kids and adults. Lot of unusual permanent exhibits and great temporary ones highlighted by the annual Bugfest exhibit where you can eat real bugs. This is a great find in downtown Raleigh. more

The Museum of Natural Sciences is quite impressive. And it's free of charge. Donations accepted; if you're like me you'll want to give them some $. I got there a little too late so I had to rush through parts of the museum and skip a few things but I enjoyed every part that I visited. The museum focuses on... more

A friend and I discovered this museum while walking around downtown Raleigh. What a treat! The museum is full of interesting exhibits about nature and North Carolina. We especially enjoyed the live exhibits throughout, and natural habitat on the top floor of the buliding more

We live in the Raleigh area. I have visited this museum several times. There are 4 floors of bright colorful interesting real-life exhibits. My son's favorite part is the huge dinosaur on the 3rd floor and the Discovery Room. The Discovery room is an area where the kids can play and learn with one on one stuff. The Discovery room... more

We visited Raleigh on a sunday and almost everything in town was closed! We were so fortunate to come to this free! museum downtown and what a treasure it is! The exhibits were fascinating and so interesting. There is a room on one of the higher floors that you can actually go in (and your children too if they are... more