Museum of Life and Science
Phone: (919) 220-5429
Overview
The 84 acres that encompass the Museum of Life + Science are packed full of attractions designed to spark wonder and curiosity in guests. It is frequently ranked as one of the top family-friendly museums in the Southeast. Rent the entire museum for a business party, sip champagne in the Butterfly House at your garden wedding, or host your next board meeting in one of our individual meeting rooms. The indoor and outdoor venue spaces are ideal for business functions, family events, weddings and receptions, private parties and company outings.
Amenities
- Publish on Visit Widget
Hours
Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Map
Google Rating
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Took our 9- and 6-year-olds to the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science in Durham, and it was a blast! Ample parking near the entrance, with covered options—super convenient. Tickets: $24/adult, $19 kids (3-12), free for under 2 ; buy online to skip lines.
Inside, kids loved the paper plane and parachute launchers, origami, and light-bending refraction/reflection exhibits. Downstairs labs had circuits, fossil digs, and magnets—perfect for curious minds. Outside, the playground with climbing ropes and slides, Gateway Park’s sound games and sandpits, and Hideaway Woods’ treehouse, trails, and stream kept them thrilled. A dedicated under-6 area was great for our younger one.
The Farmyard charmed with alpacas, donkeys, hens, pigs, and mini cows. The Magic Wings Butterfly House was magical—humid but stunning, with blue morphos landing on the kids (don’t touch!). The Pumpkin Patch Express train (fall weekends, included) led to a hay maze and pumpkin picking, though boarding was confusing—head to the patch first.
The Dinosaur Trail with roaring animatronics and fossil digs wowed our 9-year-old. Wildlife Center had otters, turtles, and red wolf pups (bears were hiding). Cell service is weak in wooded areas, so plan ahead.
A perfect mix of learning and play—our kids were obsessed, and we loved the shaded spots to relax. Highly recommend for families! -
I absolutely LOVE this museum! My children and I have been multiple times in each time they get excited about something new. They have a train ride that takes you through the woods, which is really cool, they also have something like a little café on the outside near the train area and believe it or not, the prices are extremely affordable! There’s also a café inside. They have things for every age range so all children should find some excitement there. Upstairs, they have a whole area dedicated to hands-on learning, which was a real hit with my children! The butterfly exhibit was breathtaking. This review will probably be updated a couple of times because we go so often now. We got a membership.
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Price: Great Value
Prices are conveniently listed on their website. It was $42 for my son and me, which was an absolutely equitable price for the experience. It was completely worth it, to the point where we could have easily spent another hour there just exploring more of the outdoor exhibits.
Quality: Captivating and Phenomenal
The quality of the attractions is excellent. The indoor exhibits are highly engaging for all age levels, and the outdoor exhibits are truly phenomenal.
Range: From Dinosaurs to Butterflies
There is a wonderful variety of things to see and do. The outdoor dinosaur walk was really neat and immersive. While the indoor insect and butterfly habitat was a bit small, it still delivered a really good time and rounded out the experience perfectly.
Service: Very Friendly
The service matched the quality of the museum. The staff was very friendly and welcoming throughout our visit.
Tone: Cute and Welcoming
Overall, this was just a really cute place. It has a fantastic, family-friendly vibe that guarantees an enjoyable day out. -
Our new favorite spot! It is massive—we spent 4 hours and barely scratched the surface. The Dinosaur Trail and Butterfly House were big hits, and the under-5 play zone is a great place for toddlers to burn energy. Definitely bring a stroller for younger kids! We visited the Sunday before Mother's Day and still found plenty of parking. Restrooms were clean, but be careful: the water in the entrance building’s mini sink was hot enough to burn.
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We went to the museum with our kid's school group. We had to wait longer because it was a free community day. On certain days of the month the museum is free for Durham residents. This is a really a wonderful thing that they are doing to give access to all. I wish more museums and science centers in other cities would do the same.
The tickets are quite expensive ($19 for kids 2+, $24 for adults), but I felt it was worth it because of all the attractions they had outdoors and indoors. We spent about 6 hours and that time wasn't enough to explore the whole museum. We ended up getting an annual membership. The annual membership also has reciprocity agreements with other museums and science centers.
The kids enjoyed the outside attractions very much. They had several interactive attractions that the kids loved such as the archeology dig and different musical instruments. They had a lemur and a black bear habitat. They had sail boats that could be controlled and an amazing butterfly habitat.
I will update the review once I go there more often. But overall I think this is the best place for kids since they closed Kaleidium North in Winston.
Nearby Businesses
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