North America | North Carolina Zoo

Spring Break Alert
The Zoo anticipates high attendance, especially on warm, sunny days. For safety and guest experience, the Zoo may temporarily limit admission once parking reaches capacity. This will not only help with crowd management but will also provide a more relaxed and enjoyable visit for guests and their loved ones. Consider arriving early or carpooling, and check our site / social pages often for more updates!

The year 1994 was memorable at the Zoo as it’s when the North America region opened and when three polar bear siblings arrived, creating a statewide buzz. Our current polar bear stars are joined by black bears, red wolves and hundreds of other animals in this diverse region.

A whimsical, hobbit-hole-like earthen structure with a rounded archway entrance is nestled into a hillside in a lush green forest, blending seamlessly with the surroundings. To the left of the entrance, a stone wall is integrated into the structure, and a vibrant purple rhododendron bush with green leaves blossoms atop the earthen roof.

Uwharrie Vision

A large stone with the shape of a bird that appears to be in flight carved into the middle of it. A canopy of trees and a clear sky are visible through and around the stone.

Stone that Stands in an Empty Sky

Roger P. Halligan

Zoomed in view of a tall, round, wooden pole that is covered with different colorful images that have been carved into the wood. This image features carvings of a lynx, butterflies, and various plants and flowers.

Piedmont Totem

Montgomery Community College Ceramics Class

A life-sized bronze statue of a Bison that showcases its shaggy, furry body and its short, upturned horns as it stands in a mulched area surrounded by trees.

Black Dog: An American Bison

Donna Dobberfuhl

A gigantic statue of a worker bee stands on the ground at the Garden Friends Playground with its wings tucked back. A mosaic wall stands behind it with tiled words that read "Bee Kind" and various small flowers.

Worker Bee

A large, dome-shaped walk-through exhibit designed to look like a natural beehive. The exterior is textured brown, and the interior, visible through a large archway, is covered with a pattern resembling honeycomb cells. The exhibit is outdoors on a paved pathway, surrounded by trees with late-autumn foliage. A hexagonal informational sign is visible to the right.

Honey Bee Skep

Crista McGee and Joel Payne

An up close view of the face of a bronze bear statue.

Bear and Shaman

Jonathan Kingdon

A series of swirly blue lines painted on a concrete path. They flow together to resemble the look and movement of stream water.

Streamlines

A bronze statue of several otters poised mid-frolic as they would be in the water.

River Frolic

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