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    Orange County Historical Museum

    3.8 (4 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

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    4 months ago

    Knowledgable staff. Well arranged and interesting displays. A great assortment of lectures throughtout the year.

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    11 months ago

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    North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

    North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

    4.7
    (312 reviews)
    32.8 mi
    $

    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 lived in NC for almost 4 years and this was the first time I visited NCMNS! My friend had won…read more4 tickets to the whale exhibit and invited my husband and me to join. We met at 10am right when they opened. We easily found street parking and since it was on a Sunday, it was free to park. The museum is huge! I was so surprised by how large and open it was. All of the staff were friendly and knowledgeable here. We interacted with an employee in the whale exhibit and he was fantastic. The museum is incredibly clean and well maintained. There's so much to see and do. You can easily spend over 2 hours here. I especially loved the geology section, taxidermy/skulls room, and my favorite...the dueling dinosaurs!! It was SO incredible watching paleontologists work on this massive fossil. This part of the museum absolutely made it to be a wonderful experience. This is a great museum and it's free! I donated a little to the museum and also made a few purchases, one being a magnet and another being a beautiful $75 sulfite mineral. This was definitely worth our time and I'm so happy we finally visited!

    Photos
    Exterior of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, focused on the SECU Daily Planet, with the NEC to the left and NRC to the right.
    Exterior of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, focused on the SECU Daily Planet, with the NEC to the left and NRC to the right.
    North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
    North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

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    Kidzu Children's Museum

    Kidzu Children's Museum

    3.9
    (36 reviews)
    11.0 mi

    Always a fun interactive experience when you visit Kidzu. They have lots of places to explore and a…read moregreat craft room. Today we are a 3D dinosaur and cute puppets. They are expanding and will have a new location in a few years. This is always a fun afternoon.

    As a family new to the area, we were on a mission to find kid-friendly spots that could help my…read morelittle ones burn off their endless energy (because let's be honest, parents understand the struggle! ). This place is like a magical wonderland for kids! They have the largest art room I've ever seen--seriously, it's big enough to host a small art heist! And guess what? Everything in there is free to use with the cost of admission! I felt like I hit the jackpot! Plus, there's a rock climbing wall, which is a nice touch. Nothing says "family fun" like watching your kids scale a wall while you sip your coffee and contemplate your life choices! The place is decked out with fun artwork and quirky characters that make it feel like a playground straight out of a storybook. And they even have a treehouse! I half-expected to find a squirrel in a top hat serving snacks up there! Located in a shopping plaza, this spot is perfect for hitting up before or after errands. Who knew you could combine grocery shopping with a mini adventure? I highly recommend taking your kiddos here for a day filled with fun and laughter. It's a win-win for parents and kids alike--because a tired child is a happy child!

    Photos
    Kidzu Children's Museum
    Kidzu Children's Museum
    Kidzu Children's Museum

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    North Carolina Museum of Art

    North Carolina Museum of Art

    4.6
    (361 reviews)
    28.9 mi

    This art museum was on par the Getty Museum in LA. While the museum is smaller it was curated…read morebeautifully, with well organized and thoughtful placement. It was a lovely experience.

    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.

    Photos
    Gratitude art
    Gratitude art
    North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina.
    North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina.
    North Carolina Museum of Art

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    Science of Sour

    Science of Sour

    4.0
    (1 review)
    11.7 mi

    I always have a good time at the Museum of Life and Science's "adult after hours events". They…read moreusually have the events set up through the two stories of the main building, with local vendors, museum volunteers and employees at different booths and tables throughout. The Science of Sour event had everything from pickle tasting tables to local restaurants [Mixed Korean Bistro] passing out kimchee/sauerkraut samples to sourdough versus rye bread tastings [Boulted Bread] to build you own pickle derby cars. While full drinks are available for purchase, they also had a handful of beer/liquor vendors passing out samples: Haw River Farmhouse Ales, Bull City Burger & Brewery passing out a Golden Pickle ale, Mystic and Fair Game Beverage Co. handing out liquor samples and even a couple business with kombucha samplings. Joe Van Gogh was also passing out some iced coffee upstairs! In addition to the local business, there were lots of "science" stations: make your own sauerkraut workshop, a hands on station to see dough with gluten versus no gluten, and the Fermentophone was awesome! A multi-sensory installation in which an algorithmically generated musical composition is performed by LIVING cultures of bacteria and yeast! The after hours events are always laid out with lots of space for the large crowd that gathers. I do think the tickets for these events are a little steep for what you get [$25/non-members & $20/members]. It's convenient because you get a lot of information, but you also might find yourself trying to be sold products by some of the local vendors. Also, make sure you "plan" out your evening when you get to the event and check the handout they give you. They usually have special Q&A's or sign-up required activities, so you'll have to make sure you're on top of that. Overall, the after hours events remind me of a pop-up shop that you have to pay to get into BUT get the benefit of being guaranteed a tasting/testing of products. AND in addition to the local pop-up shops, you also get science "how-to" lessons on the subject being discussed. If this is your idea of a good night, then you'll love these events.

    Photos
    Fermentophone.
    Fermentophone.
    Fair Game Beverage Co. Sampling.
    Fair Game Beverage Co. Sampling.
    Pepper festival vendors.

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    Pepper festival vendors.

    Orange County Historical Museum - museums - Updated July 2026

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