Bears and Bears and…. BEARS OH MY! With Polar, Grizzly and Black bears and tons of things to see, you will not want to miss what the NC Zoo North America side has to offer.
Over The Hill And Through The Woods…
Asheboro is home the one and only NC zoological park. This mecca of a zoo is locate in the heart of the old north state. 75 miles from Raleigh, 75 miles from Charlotte and 25 miles from Greensboro means that if you live in the state, this can be a great day trip for you.
The NC Zoo North America is mostly surrounded by farms and forests until you reach the town of Asheboro. Asheboro is a fair sized town so you do not need to worry about modern convenience near the park.
Driving to the park, you may get funneled down one of the many back roads near the park. Most of them are in great condition but traffic can get a little odd. You may also come through the Park’s main entrance with the life size elephant statues and sign. Both direction are legitimate.
I recommend selecting the parking lot closest to the attractions you want to see the most. Google maps will differentiate between the North America Parking and the Africa parking at the time of writing. Depending on the parking area you choose and where you are coming from will determine if you come through the main entrance or not.
Parking at both locations is substantial. That being said, I have been surprised at how many people have come to the NC Zoo North America the last few times. I hope that with some of the new additions that they also add in some more parking.
If you need to park in the area farthest from your preferred exhibits, there is a shuttle that runs between the parking areas and a tram that runs between all the exhibits inside the park. So fret not.
What We Did!
Right off the bat, I started to see comparisons to the Sylvan Heights Aviary. Considering the Sylvan Heights Aviary is a member of the NC Zoological society, it makes sense it would share themes with its big brother the NC Zoo. The NC Zoo is the World’s largest natural habitat zoo (and growing). I came this time with my good friend James and his kids Judah and Harlo. You may recognize them from some of our adventures in Wilson like the Imagination Station.
Polar Bears and Seals
One of the original main attractions to the NC zoo North America is the polar bears. This is more akin to a complex of several areas rather than a single exhibit. Coming in the summer, the polar bears were not out much. Like all the animals, they have areas they can shelter. For the polar bears, they have a large air conditioned space that is away from the general public. If you get to come during the cooler months, you will get to see them in one of the many out door areas. They recently added an observation area that has floor to ceiling windows that allows for a nearly seamless up-close encounter. There are some little activity stations in here that Madilyn and Judah loved.
In this complex you will also find the seals and the puffins. The puffins are in an indoor portion of the complex. Madilyn was not interested in this area so we did not stay long. The seals were much more lively. They were swimming all over and waving at the windows. You can get a few different views from above and from the various windows.
Crocs and Cougars
The cypress swamp area has an assortment of neat cougars, crocodiles and other swamp wildlife. The designers of this area took advantage of the natural wetlands when designing this area. It feels like you are truly in a natural wetland swamp.
The crocodiles and turtles are in low lying water areas that are surrounded by various walkways and overlooks. There is an observation area that give great perspective of several larger crocodiles and a variety of amphibians. Madilyn and Judah were very interested in trying to see every last one of the animals in this area.
You will also find cougars in this area. Like most big cats, you will more than likely find them sleeping or relaxing in their habitat. It really blows my mind that these massive creatures were once so prevalent in North America. Growing up in suburbia makes it hard to picture the wilderness that once encompassed the entire continent not that long ago.
If I wrote about every exhibit here, I might as well write a book. I recommend checking out 100% of the exhibits. To mention a few: Bison, Black Bears, Grizzly Bears, Elk, Ocelots and many more.
The Kids Zone
The Kids Zone is one of my current personal favorite parts of the zoo. This is a kid-centric area that is specifically deisgned for kids to play and make some awesome adventures. Madilyn and Judah played with hulahoops, bubbles, and played make-believe with all sorts of stuff. There is even a ankle deep stream-like pool that you are invited to play in. We found this area when the kids were running on fumes so we did not stay nearly as long as we could have.
This the sort of feature I expected to have to pay extra. Instead, this is entirely included in the price of admission. The space is even fenced off with gates and zoo attendants. If you have kids, ABSOLUTELY make the time to stop here and let them explore and have fun. I fully intend to spend a full day here at a later visit.
Trams, Restaurants and High Ropes. OH MY!
With the size of the NC Zoo being so vast, the designers put in extra nice amenities to make sure all your needs could be addressed without having to leave. I started to notice this just inside the front entrance. At both entrances you will find a medical aid station clearly marked. This is perfect for minor issues and to help triage any large events that occur inside the NC Zoo.
Next you will likely notice the significant number of restaurants through out the park. Some are only seasonal and other are open year round so be sure to check online when planning your visit. There is quite the range of snacks and food available between all of these and even online ordering at some of the newer locations. I have not had the opportunity to try these out yet but they look quite good from what I have seen.
If you plan to jump around to different exhibits or have a specific area you want to get to quickly, check out the tram. this is a simple open air transit solution inside the park gates that move between predetermined locations. They estimate it will take on average 30 minutes to wait for the tram but you can travel across the entire park. This can really help if you wander into North America but parked in Africa.
Attention to Detail
There are many part of the NC Zoo North America that take my breath away. Time and time again I am impressed with the attention to detail they have when designing the experiences. Madilyn, Kaitlyn and I continue to really love making trips here because we discover something new and magical we did not know about each time because of all the tinny details.
Overall
The NC Zoo North America is a truly immersive animal experience center that can take more than a full day to experience. And that is just one side! The Park is sized for big crowds but never stops you from getting up close with all the exhibits and seeing some amazing animals. Absolutely worth the time.
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