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Science Museums Cape Fear Museum: Wilmington. Exhibits combine history and science; the Michael Jordan Gallery presents the ecology of the Cape Fear area.
Catawba Science Center: Hickory. Web site has information on current exhibits, membership, and the schedule of special events.
Colburn Gem and Mineral Museum: Asheville. Part of the Pack Place museum complex, Colburn has become an important museum of earth science. School tours available.
Discovery Place: Charlotte. Extensive web site includes information on the science museum itself, the Omnimax Theater and Planetarium, and the Nature Museum.
Exploris: Raleigh. More than a science museum, but includes science exhibits and programs.
The Health Adventure: Asheville. Regional health and science education center, open daily.
Imagination Station: Wilson. The museum is back in its original building after surviving a major fire in January 2000.
Museum of Coastal Carolina: Ocean Isle Beach. MOCC is known for its shell collection and Native American exhibits.
Natural Science Center of Greensboro: Greensboro. Site has information on exhibits and events, community programs, and school programs. Museum includes a planetarium.
NC Museum of Life and Science: Durham. The museum offers programs for teachers and students; its new Magic Wings Butterfly House is unique in the state.
NC State Museum of Natural Sciences: Raleigh. Site includes an interactive tour and information on public, school, and research programs. The new museum building opened in April 2000.
Rocky Mount Children's Museum: Rocky Mount. Science is a major emphasis at this regional museum. Closed by Hurricane Floyd in September 1999, the museum reopened November 11, 2000.
Schiele Museum and Planetarium: Gastonia. The museum's web site has complete information on exhibits and programs.
SciWorks: Winston-Salem. Site has complete program information. The museum includes a planetarium and a 15-acre environmental park.

Corporate Science Centers Aurora Fossil Museum: Aurora. Operated by PCS Corporation, the museum displays fossils found in the giant PCS phosphate mines. School tours available.
Energy Explorium: Lake Norman. Duke Power visitor center at the McGuire nuclear plant. Exhibits, wildflower garden, nature trail. School tours available.

Science History Museums
NC Maritime Museum: Beaufort. The Museum's program combines history and science. Site has complete information on programs and exhibits. The museum has branch locations at Manteo and Southport.
NC Transportation Museum: Spencer. Best known for its railroad exhibits, the museum concentrates on the technology of transportation.
Reed Gold Mine: Stanfield. In Cabarrus County: the first U.S. gold mine (1799). Exhibits and tours feature geology as well as history.
Wright Brothers National Memorial: Kill Devil Hills. In addition to visitor information, this web site has extensive information on the Wrights and their accomplishments.

Archaeological Sites Fort Raleigh National Historic Site: Manteo. Well known as the site of the Lost Colony, Fort Raleigh is also the scene of continuing archaeolgical research.
Horne Creek Farm: Surry County. Research here has provided information on the life of early Piedmont settlers.
Somerset Place: Washington County. Archaeology at this plantation has revealed much about slave communities in eastern North Carolina.
Town Creek Indian Mound: Mt. Gilead. In Montgomery County: Indians of the Pee Dee culture occupied this site about 1200 AD. Museum of archaeology and anthropology.

Planetariums
Edward R. Zane Planetarium: Greensboro. Part of the Natural Science Center of Greensboro. Site includes show information and schedules.
Morehead Planetarium: Chapel Hill. Site includes information on public and school programs, a teachers guide, and the Guide to the Universe.

Observatories Cline Observatory: Jamestown. Operated by Guilford Technical Community College. Offers courses and public programs.
Craven E. Williams Observatory: Boiling Springs. Located at Gardner-Webb University; hosts school groups for observing and educational programs.
Lucile Miller Observatory: Maiden. Located at Maiden High School, this is an outstanding resource for school and amateur astronomy.
Morehead Observatory: Chapel Hill. Offers public observing nights and has a program allowing students to make solar observations by remote control.
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute: Rosman (Transylvania County). Non-profit institute at a former NASA tracking facility. Portable planetarium available for school use.

Aquariums North Carolina Aquariums: Fort Fisher, Manteo, Pine Knoll Shores. The state's three aquariums share this site, which includes online tours, visitor and event information, and a description of the ongoing project to expand the three facilities.
North Carolina Estuarium: Washington, NC. This aquarium focuses on the sounds and estuaries of eastern North Carolina.

Botanical Gardens and Arboreta Airlie Gardens: Wilmington. Now owned and managed by New Hanover County, this botanical garden is being redeveloped and improved as an educational institution.
Cape Fear Botanical Garden: Fayetteville. Web site has general and visitor information and directions to the garden.
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden: Belmont. A relatively new botanical garden in the Charlotte area. Site provides background on development and current programs.
J. C. Raulston Arboretum: Raleigh. The NC State University Arboretum has been named for its late founder and longtime director. Site includes a photographic tour, visitor information, calendar of events, and a database of plantings.
North Carolina Arboretum: Asheville. Located in the Bent Creek Research and Demonstration Forest of the Pisgah National Forest, the Arboretum offers a variety of educational programs.
North Carolina Botanical Garden: Chapel Hill. The Garden specializes in native North Carolina plants and manages a large natural area.
Reynolda Gardens: Winston-Salem. Web site includes descriptions of the exhibits, trails, and educational programs available.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens: Durham. Site includes visitor and event information, a photographic tour, and a calendar of bloom.
UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens: Charlotte. Visitor an event information as well as a description of the gardens. The Van Landingham Glen showcases native plants.
UNC Wilmington Arboretum: Wilmington. In addition to thematic gardens, the Arboretum includes the Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve and Bluethenthal Wildlife Preserve.

Zoos North Carolina Zoo: Asheboro. A colorful site, with visitor information, information on education programs, a species index, and other valuable information.
Western North Carolina Nature Center: Asheville. The center introduces visitors to the natural wonders of the mountain environment through a variety of indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Nature Centers
Blue Jay Point County Park: Wake County. Located on Falls Lake. Environmental Education Center offers programs for kids and adults.
Charlotte Nature Museum: Located near Freedom park, this branch of Discovery Place features plants and animals of the Charlotte area.
Chimney Rock Park: Chimney Rock (Rutherford County). Geology is the biggest attraction, but plants and wildlife are also featured at this site in the Blue Ridge.
Cradle of Forestry in America: Pisgah Forest. Located near Brevard in Transylvania County, this is the location of the first forestry school and research program in America.
Educational State Forests: Chapel Hill, Clayton, Elizabethtown, Hendersonville, Lenoir, Mt. Holly, Purlear. These seven state forests have environmental education centers, rangers trained in education work, and special guided trails.
Foothills Equestrian Nature Center: Tryon. Center has an extensive program of environmental education activities, both in-school and on-site.
Grandfather Mountain: Linville. A privately-owned preserve jointly managed with the Nature Conservancy; includes a nature museum, exhibits, and trails. Comprehensive web site, with information on ecology, plants, animals. and weather.
Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve: Nags Head. A Nature Conservancy site preserving a rare maritime forest on the Outer Banks. The visitor center offers a variety of educational programs.
Stevens Nature Center: Cary. Located at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, the center has exhibits, classroom space, and public programs.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve: Southern Pines. Visitor center houses a natural history museum and provides programs for the public and school groups.
Wildlife Conservation Centers Cape Fear Serpentarium: Wilmington. This new, privately-owned facility houses snakes and other reptiles from around the world.
Carnivore Preservation Trust: Pittsboro. CPT shelters more than 200 animals of 16 endangered species. Not a zoo, but it offers in-school programs and guided tours for school groups.
Carolina Raptor Center: Charlotte. The Center cares for injured birds of prey. It's open to the public and to school groups. The site includes a featured species as well as information on what to do if you find an injured bird.
Duke University Primate Center: Durham. This center, open to school tours, promotes the conservation of lemurs, tarsiers, and other prosimians (rare and endangered primates). The site has a wonderful collection of photos and information.
Edenton National Fish Hatchery: Edenton. The hatchery has a small aquarium, wetland trails and other educational facilities; tours offered for school groups
NC Wildlife Education Centers: Pisgah Forest and Corolla. Operated by the NC Wildlife Commission. A third center is under development in Raleigh.
Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center: Topsail Island. The center assists turtles found injured or ill along the North Carolina coast.