For Over Fifty Years

Saving Wildlife and Wild Places

What we do

The North Carolina Zoo protects wildlife and wild places and inspires people to join us in conserving the natural world.

Giraffa camelopardalis

Explore More

What's New at the Zoo

Something NEW and exciting is always happening at the world's largest natural habitat zoo.

• Become a Member

• Brown Pelicans

• Visit the Desert

A woman holding a small child in her arms that is holding a leaf of lettuce out over a wooden deck railing. On the opposite side, a Giraffe stretches its long neck over and sticks its tongue out to get the leaf.

Plan Your Visit

Today at the Zoo

Feeding Times

View Full Schedule

Garden Friends Playground

Open daily

9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Every day

Connect with us

Instagram @NCZoo

Stay in touch with the Zoo! Follow us on social media for updates on everything from our wildlife conservation efforts to your favorite animals. Share your photos, stories, and videos with us as we celebrate 50 WILD years in 2024.

Visit the Zoo's Instagram

👀 Did you know? The North Carolina Zoo is OPEN year round?! This means we are OPEN through the winter! ❄️ During winter operations, you must park in North America and enter through the North America entrance. You can still access the entire Zoo through the North America entrance, including Africa!

Fall at the North Carolina Zoo is simply the best! Cooler weather + colorful leaves = the perfect Zoo day! 💅🍁

Pumpkin Palooza was a blast this past weekend!🎃 Some animals ate the pumpkins, while others tore open carved pumpkins containing their diet, creating an enriching challenge for each animal! 🌟

North American River Otters Bowser and Murphy got some extra pumpkin enrichment from their keepers! We think they enjoyed but see yourself! 👀🎃😂

Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

A Commitment to Excellence

Five Zoo volunteers wearing yellow shirts and black lanyards posing, arms around each other, for the camera in the lush Africa Plaza.

Volunteer Homepage

There are many rewarding ways to volunteer your time at our park. Opportunities range from gardening to greeting to helping guests feed giraffes!

An aerial view of the Akiba Bridge, a long wooden bridge with colorful designs and a pergola in the middle that leads from the parking lot, through dense trees, over a lake and ending at the African entrance of the NC Zoo.

Land Acknowledgement

The state of North Carolina is situated on the ancestral homelands of many American Indian tribes who have lived in this place, cared for these lands, and traveled throughout the region for thousands of years.

A woman with long dark hair, wearing a red shirt and seen from the back, holding a small child with curly hair on her hip, as they interact with a giraffe. The woman is holding a piece of green foliage which the giraffe is gently eating. The giraffe's spotted head and neck dominate the left side of the frame, and the scene takes place at a low wooden fence.

Outreach and Engagement

Our park serves and welcomes everyone, and it is our promise to value equity, respect, inclusivity, and kindness. Everyone can enjoy an unforgettable day trip here.