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 in front of the Museum entrance. 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 (2 hours maximum).
ASL Interpreter
We are able to provide ASL interpreters for BugFest talks and presentations, but we are not able to provide an ASL interpreter for self-guided exploration of the event. Requests for ASL interpretation must be submitted by Tuesday, August 27th by emailing Samantha.Frigerio@NaturalSciences.org or Accessibility@NaturalSciences.org.
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 only available restrooms after 5pm are on the first floor of the Nature Exploration Center (11 W Jones Street), as the Museum of History and the rest of the Museum of Natural Sciences will be closed.
Single Use Restrooms are available for use on the 1st floor of the NRC, 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 is a quiet space available on the 2nd floor of the NEC, in the Nature’s Explorers gallery (#6 on the Museum map). 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.
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, Coordinator of Accessibility, at Samantha.Frigerio@NaturalSciences.org or at Accessibility@NaturalSciences.org.