Summary: 4.0 - Free and art go hand-in-hand here. If you like both, NC MoA is worth your time…read more Free admission to the NCMA to see art and history is a gift. If one doesn't mind the West Building (although new, it felt old to me), the different galleries containing historical art pieces (new and old, and very old) organized by continents are educational and surprisingly full of variety. The East Building (original one) hosts both permanent and limited-time collections. I've enjoyed a car exhibit, but my favorite limited-time exhibit featured Academy Award winner Ruth E. Carter's costumes for the movies "Black Panther", "Selma", "Amistad", and others. Her showcase exhibit was well worth the price of admission. A huge museum park provides miles of trails and places for picnics. If one plans accordingly, a series of trails connects all the way from the museum to downtown Raleigh! MISC Opened in 1956. Has pieces that originate from about 5,000 years ago (but thankfully it doesn't take that long to go through the museum). The museum is accessibility-friendly. A museum store and café are onsite. Tours are available. Outdoor concerts are on hiatus at the time of this review for "facility improvements." Be sure to check the museum's website for updates.

The North Carolina Museum of Art is free to visit, although special exhibits may have a fee. The…read moremuseum is divided into two buildings. The East Building is the original museum, and the West Building is the newer building. There are galleries in both that you can view. The East Building is on multiple levels and there is a glass elevator available with views to the letters outside that spell a message. I like that the museum has a variety of artwork to view, so you can see your favorites or explore and discover new pieces. With the redesigned building, some of the exhibits were made more interactive. I am still learning where my favorite pieces were moved, but I do enjoy finding new favorites as they try to showcase more of the collection.

Very interesting for all ages. Great use of the natural landscape for animal enclosures and…read morehabitats. My personal favorite was the butterfly house. Especially loved the pollinator garden outside the insect building. Climbing feature was well loved by the little in our group. The digging for artifacts and fossils was appreciated by the teen in our group. Red wolf exhibit was awesome once we spotted the mom dad and baby on video. Also appreciated the sensory room.

First time coming here, and I would give 5 stars if not for the exorbitant pricing. Adults costing…read moremore than kids at that, for a kids museum has always rubbed me wrong. But this place is quite expansive with several areas including wildlife, butterfly and insect garden, a train tour that takes 2 laps around (might as well get it for the $6 a ticket), and several outdoor play areas including a tree house and mist/water areas. Place was crowded, but there were still plenty of spaces available at 10:30 in the garage. If I lived closer, I might consider a membership to save costs, but I live too far currently to justify that. The cafe food was mid, and again too expensive. The pricing for me knocks a star off, but if you've never been and are prepared to spend a couple hundred bucks for the day on a family of 4, you'll probably enjoy!

Lovely spot to go for a walk! So many different areas to explore…read more Also lots of open lawn space to hang out for a bit! They even have little robot lawn mowers out sometimes.

Beautiful free gardens located on the campus of Duke University. You do have to pay for parking,…read morethough. There are several different sections. They include the historic gardens, the Blomquist garden of native plants, the gateway gardens, and the Culbertson Asiatic arboretum. There is also a gardens Cafe.

The NC Museum of Natural Sciences was the perfect way to spend a very cold, wet, afternoon in…read moreRaleigh. It was a few miles from our AirBNB, so while we had to drive, there's a large parking lot right across the street. I'm not sure if parking is normally free, but it was on this particular Saturday. No one was monitoring the gate or could figure out how to pay, so we didn't. I *think* the sign said it was normally $5 on days they do charge or monitor. VERY reasonable. The museum itself is FREE unless you want to see an IMAX movie, which is reasonably priced. If you're into dinosaurs, plants, geology, or natural science in general, you'll enjoy yourself here, but the museum definitely adds a local flare and incorporates NC history and geography. While the museum is kid-friendly, it is not kid-focused. It is family focused and for all ages. My husband and I are child-free and had a great time. Of course, we are nerds and had science classes together in college. I do think this is a great museum for kids who are school aged and able to read well and ask questions. It is probably not the best option for toddlers or preschoolers when it comes to museums. The museum hosts birthday parties, and a group was there for that- what a fun idea! If you visit, plan to spend a morning or afternoon here- it definitely takes a few hours to see everything but not the full day.

I've never been here, so wanted to check it out. It was phenomenal! The admission price was great…read more(free!) and the exhibits were breathtaking. It's a wonderful place to take the whole family or to just a great place to explore for those interested in science, especially dinosaurs. The staff and scientists were super helpful and knowledgeable. With two buildings and multiple exhibits, pro tip: give yourself enough time to explore. You won't regret it.

Although the museum was small, at least admission was free. I noticed that all of the paintings on…read moredisplay were created by artists who are from North Carolina which adds a local touch to the typical art museum.

This is a very small but charming free contemporary art museum in Raleigh. We really enjoyed the…read morelocal artists from Western NC featured during our visit. The space is intimate, which makes for a personal and unique experience. We're looking forward to their reopening and can't wait to check out the new exhibits. Definitely worth stopping by if you're in the area -- a true hidden gem!

Did not enjoy my experience here. You get charged $10 at the door. However, some people in my group…read moregot charged $5 and others got charged none. Seems weird. The girl who got charged none was told to write a Google review to get in for free. The inconsistency is a bit bothersome. The bartenders were nice, but also pushed Google reviews in exchange for a stronger drink. They did not follow through with their word ... my drink was nearly just sprite and grenadine, maybe a tiny splash of vodka. It was clear these bartenders did not have much bartending experience. Wish I would've saved the $25 I spent to get in for one disappointing drink.

Great vibes every visit music on point funky lounge area in the back and food vendors rotating so…read morenever the same.

As on campus art museums go, this was a nice one, both in the classic construction and in the…read morevariety of the collection. Only one floor was open covering half a dozen rooms or so. I did get the sense occasionally of "hey, didn't I see that at the North Carolina museum in Raleigh?" having stopped there just before coming here (it was a rainy day), but that's not a terrible thing as both are solid museums in their own right and there were plenty of historically intriguing and unique pieces here. The building complexes with an art library that was closed for the holidays when I was here. There is no charge to get in, and a small amount of museum parking was hidden behind the building.

My family decided to check out the museum while visiting Chapel Hill. We had a great time. It is a…read morefree museum, which is nice. They had a large variety of paintings and artifacts throughout the museum. The staff was nice. I would check out the museum again while visiting Chapel Hill.