Greensboro Science Center
Greensboro, North Carolina · Museum
Address: 4301 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro, NC 27455
About
Greensboro Science Center combines a science museum, a zoo, and an aquarium under one admission at 4301 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro, North Carolina. The three sections connect on one campus, so a family can move from hands-on museum exhibits to animal habitats to aquarium tanks in a single visit without buying separate tickets.
The museum wing has interactive stations on health, physics, and natural science, plus a play area for younger kids called SciPlay Bay. The zoo, called the Animal Discovery Zoological Park, holds red pandas, Sumatran tigers, okapis, pygmy hippos, maned wolves, meerkats, silvery gibbons, and cassowaries. The Wiseman Aquarium adds African penguins, sharks, stingrays, Asian small-clawed otters, and moon jellies. The OmniSphere Theater runs films on a 40-foot dome ceiling, and SKYWILD is a separate treetop rope course with seven routes from beginner to advanced, sold as an add-on ticket.
The center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as of 2026, closing only for New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. A full visit covering the museum, zoo, and aquarium can easily fill most of a day given the size of the combined campus. Revolution Ridge, a large expansion built around an aquatics and event space, opened in June 2021 and is the newest section of the property.
The center has held accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 2008 and is a member of the American Alliance of Museums. It first opened in 1957 and has expanded several times since, most recently with a rainforest biodome under construction and expected to open in 2027.
Accessibility
Greensboro Science Center is wheelchair accessible for most of the museum, zoo, and aquarium, though the center does not publish details on entrance thresholds, path surfaces, or elevator access for specific buildings. A June 2024 visitor review called the property completely wheelchair accessible and mentioned a wheelchair-friendly treehouse exhibit.
Eleven parking spaces are reserved for vehicles with a valid handicap placard, free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The center does not publish a distance from this parking to the main entrance.
The center keeps a limited number of wheelchairs on site for visitors to borrow. They go on a first-come, first-served basis and require a photo ID; the center recommends bringing your own chair if you have one, since a wheelchair cannot be held or reserved ahead of your visit. All restrooms on the property have a wheelchair-accessible stall, and a family restroom is located in the Revolution Ridge plaza.
Service animals that are ADA-recognized or in a recognized training program are welcome throughout the center. Handlers check the animal in at admissions before entering. The center also runs Sensory Friendly Nights several times a year (2026 dates include March 19, April 30, May 21, September 10, and October 8), after-hours events for guests with sensory-related conditions such as autism spectrum disorder or PTSD, with fewer crowds and less ambient stimulation. Sensory backpacks can be borrowed free with a photo ID.
SKYWILD, the treetop rope course, is ticketed and staffed separately from the rest of the center and has its own physical requirements: a 250-pound weight limit, a minimum age of 8, closed-toe shoes, and a full body harness. It is not addressed in the center's accessibility page, so call ahead if you plan to attempt it with a mobility limitation. For anything not covered here, including elevators, aisle widths, or trail surfaces, call the center directly at (336) 288-3769 before you visit.
Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change
How we checked this
We checked these details against official information from the venue and public agencies:
- greensboroscience.org (5 details, checked 2026-08-28)
More accessible places in North Carolina
- Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (Greensboro)
- Wet’n Wild Emerald Pointe (Greensboro)
- Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site (Flat Rock)
- Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (Manteo)
- Moores Creek National Battlefield (Currie)
- Wright Brothers National Memorial (Kitty Hawk)
Photo credits
- Greensboro Science Center's glass fronted entrance with a large ring sculpture and paved walkway out front.: DocFreeman24, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
- Greensboro Science Center building at dusk with a lit sign and a yellow tactile curb ramp in the parking lot.: EmCnNC, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
- Corner of the Greensboro Science Center and Wiseman Aquarium building lit up at dusk.: EmCnNC, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
