The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is the world's largest natural habitat zoo with 2,600 acres. Connect with wildlife from two different continents as you explore exhibits carefully constructed to resemble natural habitats. Discover more than 1,600 animals and 52,000 plants along five miles of shaded pathways.
Joshua Knight
Our family had a fantastic time. The zoo was clean and well laid out. Every employee we interacted with was friendly and helpful. I suggest arriving early, such as around 9am. That's what we did (on a Saturday) and we got great parking right near the exit. By ten though, all nearby parking was full. I recommend the ropes course. Or family of four did it, including my 9 year old and 15 year old daughters. It was really neat and worth the cost. It added a unique and exciting element to our trip. In addition to the animals, be sure to read the informational signage and speak with the staff working the various educational tables. We found these folks to be very knowledgeable and eager to talk with visitors. Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves and will def be back.
Gabby Beam
This zoo was a lot of fun! It was so interesting to see so many different types of animals in the North Carolina climate. The animals looked well kept and they had a lot of room to move about and enjoy their habitats. The prices weren't too bad and if you had an AAA or student ID you got an even better deal! There were a lot of fun things to do for kids and adults. This is definitely a place to bring the family.
Carrie Leone
I loved the NC zoo! It's a large zoo with a great variety of animals. We went on a very warm day, but it was so shaded, that it was not miserable. It felt more like a botanical garden or nature hike rather than a commercialized zoo. The zoo has a lot of hills - great for getting in your daily steps. If you don't want to walk the entire park, there are shuttles to and from the North America and Africa sections. We saw the entire zoo in about 5 hours, but we generally walk pretty quickly. I really enjoyed my time at the zoo and would definitely go back!
Kelli Arney
Took my family and we loved it! I haven't been since I was younger and I was so excited to take my 5yr old and 2yr old. I loved how the park was spread out. It was like a nature walk and zoo all in one. We did the North America side first then had lunch in the middle of the park and then traveled through the Africa side. The food was really great, staff were so nice and the park was very well maintained. We will definitely be back soon!
Holly Lamonds
Love seeing animals! My favorite is the polar bears and seals. I seen the zoo keeper at the lemurs and she was talking about them. Come to find out that lemurs are smart. The female gets in her vet taxi ( cage) (for a vet visit) by herself shuts the door on her own. I know she get treats for it but hey I never knew. Its actually cool with all the fun facts and how the treat the animals there. They have sign post on was going on at each animal. Kinda wished they give a scheduled out by the time I get one way there something on the other end. Not really sure if they do never pay attention to the front that much. Im always in a hurry to see everything I dont why I do have a yearly past. On that note if you live in the area and like going to the zoo. Id recommend the yearly past. Id already payed for itself in more ways then one. I also visited other places for free or half off win- win! Overall NC ZOO is awesome!
Melissa C
Very beautiful zoo. Everything was clean and well maintained. My son had a blast! Theres lots of walking involved, my son is usually one to complain about too much walking but he didnt complain once. He was too interested in everything. Theres playgrounds and play structures along the walking path too. My only complaint is I felt so bad for some of the animals. The safari animals such as the giraffe, zebra, elephants all had plenty of room but other animals dont have so much room. The seals pretty much just have a circle to swim around. The gorillas didnt look too happy at all. The poor wolf was sitting against the back fence just staring out. They have so much space to work with, I wish they would give some of the animals more room!!
Michael Bailey
My family loves the NC Zoo. There are a good number of exhibits and a wide variety of animals to see. The Zoo doesn't feel like a typical Zoo as it is laid into the natural landscape of the property instead of creating lots of concrete infrastructure. There is a bit of walking but there are a ton of rest spots along the way and when you walk all the way to the other end there are tram buses to bring you back so you don't have to walk all the way back which is fantastic if you have little ones. All exhibits are wheelchair or stroller accessible making it great for growing Families. There are also a great number of Cafe's and or eateries on site so if you didn't pack lunch you can find something to eat.
Brett Daviau
First time visit. Drove in from Charlotte to find half of the zoo closed due to cold temperatures. So, tickets were half price. This seemed fair. However, the polar bears were also not out, the grizzlies were under renovation, bobcats were nowhere to be seen. I understand warm weather animals may need extra care in cold weather, but not the North American animals too. I was looking forward to polar bears in the cold weather. We were able to see cougars, seals, elk, puffins, bison, and arctic foxes. Everything else was closed temporarily, closed for the season, or just not out for public display. Maybe its better in the summer?
Nick Fasciano
Our first visit to the NC Zoo, and it was wonderful. With 4 young kids, we decided to get the year family membership. Great bargain. We couldn't even see it all in one day, and there was never a full moment. The exhibits and animals were very enjoyable. Can't wait to keep going back all year.
Xiame Pha
When I went to the zoo, it was so much fun. It's really big so be prepared to walk a lot although they do provide trellises to ride. Plenty of things to do here and very informative! I love the feeding times for the animals!
