NC Museum of Natural Sciences establishing two new branches in Pitt County
For immediate release ‐ November 24, 2020
Contact: Jon Pishney, 919.707.8083. Images available upon request
The new NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Contentnea Creek is a 400-acre outdoor learning center in Grifton.
Raleigh, N.C. – Through an innovative partnership between the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and A Time for Science, the Museum is establishing two new branches in Pitt County. The NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Contentnea Creek is a 400-acre outdoor learning center in Grifton that features hiking and paddling trails through a variety of habitats, as well as an observatory and a planetarium. The NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Greenville will open in 2021 with new, exceptional exhibits, mind-opening programs and educational events that reflect the relevant needs of audiences in northeastern North Carolina.
“For many years, A Time for Science has been striving to enhance science education and literacy, but most importantly to ignite a love of science and nature in our younger generations,” ATFS Executive Director Emily Jarvis Nunnally said. “This partnership with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences only increases our capacity to do just that for our region.”
A Time for Science, which occupied the former Pugh’s service station building for three years, has renovated 3,500 square feet of adjoining warehouse space. The expansion more than doubles the size of the museum, and will include additional exhibit space, a discovery area for the museum’s youngest visitors, a naturalist center and a weather center.
According to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Director and CEO Eric Dorfman, “While much of the new Greenville museum will be patterned after specific sections of the downtown Raleigh museum, it will also have a distinctive northeastern North Carolina flair.” For example, two of the early exhibits planned for the museum focus on pirates and pollinators and will include resources from East Carolina University.
Under this partnership, A Time for Science centers in Greenville and Grifton, both founded by Nancy and John Bray in 2009, become the third and fourth branch locations of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. The state museum, located on Jones Street in downtown Raleigh, also operates Prairie Ridge Ecostation, a 45-acre outdoor education facility in west Raleigh. It opened a branch in Whiteville in Columbus County in 2015.
“The Museum of Natural Sciences, as an agency of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, strives to serve everyone in North Carolina,” said DNCR Secretary Susi Hamilton. “It can be challenging to do that just from the Raleigh location. Adding regional branches like those in Whiteville, and now Greenville and Grifton, allows us to give even more North Carolinians the benefit of, and easier access to, a robust science education.”
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Greenville, set to open in 2021, is located at 729 Dickinson Ave. Admission will be free. Hours of operation will be announced. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Contentnea Creek, formerly the Grifton Nature & Science Center, is located at 949 Contentnea Lane in Grifton and remains open for registered programs. For more information, visit atimeforscience.org.
About the NC Museum of Natural Sciences
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh (11 and 121 W. Jones St.) is an active research institution that engages visitors of every age and stage of learning in the wonders of science and the natural world. In addition to two downtown buildings showcasing seven floors of world class exhibits, the Museum runs Prairie Ridge Ecostation, a 45-acre outdoor education and research facility in west Raleigh, as well as the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Whiteville, our satellite facility in southeastern NC. As a whole, our mission is “to illuminate the natural world and inspire its conservation.” Downtown Raleigh Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. General admission is free, but timed-entry tickets are required. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit www.naturalsciences.org.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.