The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences strives to provide a fun and friendly educational environment for everyone. Our goal is to make BugFest as accessible as possible, so that the greatest number of event guests can take advantage of everything the festival has to offer.
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Venue: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The festival will include both indoor and outdoor activities. Indoor activities will be located in the Nature Exploration Center (NEC) and Nature Research Center (NRC). Outdoor activities will be located along Jones Street, Edenton Street, and in the Bicentennial Plaza.
Accessible Drop-off Area
The accessible drop-off area will be located on the corner of Wilmington and Jones Streets. We will have a small section of Wilmington Street blocked off for cars to pull up to the drop-off area.
Event Information and Accessibility Tent
There will be a tent dedicated to General Event Information and Accessibility at the festival, located nearby the drop-off area. Courtesy manual wheelchair rentals will be available upon request at this tent. There is a limited supply of chairs, and a photo ID is required for reservation.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Noise cancelling headphones and earplugs are available for free at the Event Information and Accessibility tent with a photo ID. Supplies are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sighted Guides
- This year, we will have trained volunteers to assist visitors (2 hours maximum). Visitors will need to preregister for sighted guides by Friday, September 6.
- Please register for a sighted guide by calling Samantha Frigerio at 919.707.9824 or emailing her at samantha.frigerio@naturalsciences.org. Please provide your first and last name and the time period for which you will need a sighted guide.
ASL Interpreter
The deadline to request an ASL interpreter for BugFest programs has passed. Please contact accessibility@naturalsciences.org for additional information.
Accessible Restrooms
There are accessible restrooms located throughout the Nature Exploration Center (NEC) and the Nature Research Center (NRC), as well as one accessible portable toilet located on Edenton Street. The Museum of History also has accessible restrooms. Note that the Museum of History, NRC floors 1-4 and NEC floors 2–4 close at 5pm.
Single Use Restrooms are available for use on the 1st floor of the NRC (not available due to construction), and the 1st and 3rd floor of the NEC.
There is a nursing room located on the 1st floor of the NEC, behind the Coastal Hall. There is also a Mamava nursing pod behind the Accessibility Tent on Jones Street.
Quiet Space
There will be a quiet space available on the 2nd floor of the NEC, located near the restrooms. This room is intended to provide a quiet and calm environment where festival attendees can spend time away from the busyness and noise of the main festival.
The quiet room is sponsored by the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation.
Assistive Listening Devices
Assistive Listening Devices (ALD) for certain events and presentations are available upon request on a first-come first-served basis. To reserve a device, please register by calling Chris Smith at 919.707.9956 or emailing him at christopher.smith@naturalsciences.org. Please provide your first and last name and the time period for which you will need an ALD. Numbers are limited so reserve ALDs as early as possible.
Help us Improve Event Accessibility and Inclusion!
We want you to help us ensure that you have the best experience possible at our event. If you have any additional questions, suggestions, or concerns, please contact Samantha Frigerio at samantha.frigerio@naturalsciences.org or at accessibility@naturalsciences.org.