The Greensboro Science Center (formerly known as the Natural Science Center of Greensboro, originally the Greensboro Junior Museum) is a science museum and

zoological park A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zool ...

established in 1957 and located in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

, United States. It has been accredited by the

Association of Zoos and Aquariums The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in ...

(AZA) since 2008, and is a member of the

American Alliance of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

(AAM).

History

The Greensboro Science Center (GSC) was established in 1957 as the Greensboro Junior Museum. By its 40th anniversary in 1997, it was attracting some 200,000 visitors each year, and attendance has continued to grow to 434,718 as of 2017. The current executive director, Glenn Dobrogosz, was hired in 2004 The facility received accreditation by the

in 2008, this allows for guests to utilize the AZA's reciprocity program where they can get discounts on their admission at the Greensboro Science Center when they have a membership with a fellow AZA organization. As part of a $20 million makeover, the GSC opened Time Warner Cable's Extreme Weather Gallery in May 2011, and the HealthQuest exhibit in June 2011, however, the HealthQuest exhibit is currently no longer on view to the public. On May 2, 2015, the Greensboro Science Center opened its tree top adventure park, Skywild. On June 4, 2021 the newest expansion to the Greensboro Science Center, Revolution Ridge opened to the public and is the largest addition in the Center's history.

Attractions

The Animal Discovery Zoological Park is home to animals including

red pandas The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...

, Sumatran tigers,

okapi The okapi (; ''Okapia johnstoni''), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. It is the only species ...

s, pygmy hippos,

maned wolves The maned wolf (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'') is a large canine of South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost extinct in Uruguay. Its markings resemble those of foxes, but it is neither a fox nor a w ...

serval The serval (''Leptailurus serval'') is a wild cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, except rainforest regions. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and hunting it is either prohibited or regulated in ran ...

sand cat The sand cat (''Felis margarita'') is a small wild cat that inhabits sandy and stony deserts far from water sources. With its sandy to light grey fur, it is well camouflaged in a desert environment. Its head-and-body length ranges from with a ...

white-nosed coati The white-nosed coati (''Nasua narica''), also known as the coatimundi (), is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae (raccoons and their relatives). Local Spanish names for the species include ''pizote'', ''antoon'', and ''te ...

, meerkats, fossa,

black howler The black howler (''Alouatta caraya'') or black-and-gold howler, is among the largest New World monkeys and a member of the '' Alouatta'' genus. The black howler is distributed in areas of South America such as Paraguay, southern Brazil, easte ...

monkeys,

silvery gibbon The silvery gibbon (''Hylobates moloch''), also known as the Javan gibbon, is a primate in the gibbon family Hylobatidae. It is endemic to the Indonesian island of Java, where it inhabits undisturbed rainforests up to an altitude of . It is liste ...

red ruffed lemur The red ruffed lemur (''Varecia rubra'') is one of two species in the genus ''Varecia'', the ruffed lemurs; the other is the black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata''). Like all lemurs, it is native to Madagascar. It occurs only in the ...

s, ring-tailed lemurs, cassowaries,

Aldabra tortoise The Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. It is one of the largest tortoises in the world.Pritchard ...

s, and

Nile crocodile The Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the central, eastern, ...

s, and is designed to showcase the "Science of Survival." Attractions within the zoo include the Friendly Farm, Kavanagh Discovery House, Revolution Ridge, and Davis Kelly Fountain of Youth and Discovery. The Museum includes Prehistoric Passages: Realm of Dragons, SciPlay Bay, Time Warner Cable's Extreme Weather Gallery, and touch labs that include live snakes, lizards, and invertebrates as well as

Komodo dragon The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant ...

s. The OmniSphere Theater is a full dome theater where visitors experience everything from the stars to coral reefs in 2D and 3D. The Wiseman Aquarium is an aquarium that features animals including stingrays, African penguins, Asian small-clawed otters,

fishing cat The fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'') is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declin ...

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

mata mata Matamata () is a town in Waikato, New Zealand. It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits. It is part of the Matamata-Piako District, which takes ...

s, moon jellies and several other species of fish. The Rotary Club of Greensboro Carousel is North Carolina's largest carousel featuring animals that showcase the science center (Red Pandas, Octopus,) along with state mascots (NC State Wolf, UNC TarHeel). The ride is an additional charge, but is built for all ages and abilities. Winter Wonderlights is Greensboro newest holiday attraction, that features a walkable holiday themed light display, which has been active since 2020.

Plans for the future

In 2009, Greensboro voters considered a $20 million bond referendum for the Natural Science Center. $10 million was used for the SciQuarium, a aquarium with more than 75 species of animals and a stingray touch tank. $10 million is planned for renovations and expansions of existing parts of the GSC. The master plan for this renovation was developed with the help of

Cambridge Seven Associates Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. (stylized as CambridgeSeven, and sometimes as C7A) is an American architecture firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Buildings designed by the firm have included academic, museum, exhibit, hospitality, transpo ...

and Moser-Mayer Phoenix & Associates, and phase 1 (the SciQuarium) opened in the summer of 2013. Phase 2 will include updates to the current museum, and phase 3 will include new animals such as pygmy hippos, cassowaries and red pandas in an exhibit called "Endangered Species Village." The final form of which turned into what is referred to today as "Revolution Ridge."

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greensboro Science Center Zoos in North Carolina Science museums in North Carolina Museums in Greensboro, North Carolina Natural history museums in North Carolina Aquaria in North Carolina Zoos established in 1957 Paleontology in North Carolina