Mountains to the Sea Overlook

Check out what lives in the treetops, find a waterfall’s beginning and enjoy a panoramic view of the second floor’s Piedmont and Coastal Plain before stepping into a serene Mountain Cove.

Enjoy an expansive view of the woods and water from the Mountains to the Sea overlook.

The quiet Mountain Cove exhibit includes live animal displays, engaging dioramas and interactive elements.

Terror of the South

Winged pterosaurs fly overhead as a prehistoric battle wages in the Terror of the South exhibit. The predatory dinosaur Acrocanthosaurus pursues its 50-foot-long prey, a lumbering plant-eater.

The Museum’s Acrocanthosaurus skeleton is the most complete specimen of its kind on display in the world.

The dramatic Terror of the South exhibit is lit from above and enclosed by a stunning glass dome.

Prehistoric North Carolina

Trace North Carolina’s paleo-past in this exhibit hall filled with remarkable specimens discovered in the rich fossil beds of North Carolina’s coastal plains. Meet Willo, the dinosaur with a heart, still embedded in stone and observe trained volunteers in the Fossil Lab as they engage in the global effort to uncover the mysteries of our ancient past.

Willo, the fossil of a small, plant-eating Thescelosaurus, was found with an odd, iron-stained lump in its chest cavity. Medical imaging devices revealed this lump to be a fossilized heart with four chambers and a single aorta.

Dive in to meet some of the countless fish, whales, sharks and invertebrates that lived in Eastern North Carolina when it was covered by the ocean.

Tropical Connections

In the Tropical Connections exhibit hall, explore the relationships that North Carolina shares with the tropics and observe several tropical reptiles and amphibians. Discover the importance of biodiversity, at home and in the tropics.

Watch the world turn and find your place in it in the Tropical Connections exhibit hall, which emphasizes the plant and animal relationships that North Carolina shares with the New World Tropics.

Girls take a spin in the Tropical Connections gallery. Interactive exhibits like this one bring action and education to the Museum’s exhibit halls.

Windows on the World

Enjoy presentations and stories in the Windows on the World Demonstration Theater, where you will be offered the opportunity to touch live animals and objects from the Museum’s collections.

Exciting programs, including live animal shows, storytime and distance learning occur in the Windows on the World presentation theater.

Visitors peer into the Windows on the World presentation theater as they await the next program.