Ticket Information

Ticket Information

FREE ADMISSION FOR MUSEUM MEMBERS

Not a member yet? Join today!

Ticket Details

  • Museum Members Free
  • Adult $14
  • Senior (65+), Student (13+),
    Military, with ID     $12
  • Child ages 3-12 $10
  • Child 2 & Younger Free

BUY TICKETS

Group rate of $10/person available for pre-registered parties of 10 or more. Please call the Museum Box Office at 919.707.9950 for details.

About the Exhibition

About the Exhibition

Did you know spiders can swim, jump and even “fly” hundreds of miles? “Spiders: Fear to Fascination” spins an immersive tale, revealing how this incredibly diverse group of animals has evolved and survived for 300 million years. Through augmented reality and video projection technology, guests of all ages will encounter more than 250 real and preserved specimens (from the Trinidad chevron tarantula to the Australian golden huntsman).

Compete in a mating dance-off with a peacock spider, hold virtual spiders in your hand, test your fang agility and create your own animated arachnid. Discover how webs are produced and how spiders communicate, and see the world through spider vision.

Get closer than ever to some of the more than 48,000 known spider species in this amazing interactive experience.

Member Perks

Member Perks

Museum members receive unlimited free admission to Spiders: Fear to Fascination—visit as often as you like! For a family of 4, that’s a savings of at least $48! You will also save 10% in Museum Stores and Cafés, including the new Spiders Store.

Not a member yet? Join today!

Spiders Store

Spiders Store

Shop unique gifts inspired by our love of spiders. Select from robotic spiders, cuddly plush, unique jewelry, elegant home décor, engaging toys and books, outdoor activity kits, handmade gifts by local artists and more. Museum Members save 10%. All purchases support Museum exhibits, programs and collections.

Shop in person on the 2nd floor of the Nature Exploration Center or online at store.naturalsciences.org. Shipping and curbside pickup available.

Special Events

Special Events

Science Cafe: Weird Tales of Spider Romance

July 20, 7–8pm

Join us for a talk about the sex lives of spiders with Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, entomologist and author of “Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Spiders.” When your mate would rather eat you than greet you, creative courtship can ensue. Enjoy strange tales of spider sex, from sweet love songs to deadly somersaults.

Spider Q&A

September 14, 11am–noon

Curious about spiders? Join our virtual Q&A session with Dr. Colin Brammer, Museum entomologist and educator. Learn more about spiders’ lives and get the answers to all your burning questions.

Register for the Spider Q&A

BugFest

September 16, 10am–7pm

Enjoy more than 100 exhibits, crafts, games and activities as you interact with entomologists and other scientists while learning about the fascinating world of arthropods. This year, BugFest spotlights spiders.

CREATED BY

Australian Museum logo

SPONSORED BY

SECU - State Employees' Credit Union

 

Exhibition created by the Australian Museum. Sponsored by SECU with additional support from the Exhibition Leadership Circle:

Ann C. & C. Hamilton Sloan Family Foundation
Liz & Richard Epstein
James Goodnight & Bernadette Healy Goodnight
Tom Kenan

Murphy’s Naturals
North Carolina Healthcare Association
Dennis & MaryCraven Poteat

Radeas
Temple Sloan Family Foundation
WUNC, North Carolina Public Radio

Exhibition Photos

This area introduces visitors to the spider family tree using a large interactive touchscreen panel. Visitors can explore the complex and entangled branches of spider families using North American specimens as examples.
Each type of spider has a unique, specialized set of fangs. Burrowers have dagger-like fangs, while most hunters and weavers have pincer-like fangs. In a high-energy interactive, visitors test their spider agility and skills by trying to catach balls using both types of fangs.
Visitors discover their shadow covered in a cascade of cave spiders dropping and crawling all over, reacting to their movements.
Family looking at a spider in a wall of live spiders on display in the Spiders: Fear to Fascination exhibition.
Visitors enter the exhibition through an interactive floor projection. The leafy ground is covered with clusters of augmented-reality spiders that respond to visitor movement. Accommodating several visitors at any one time, the interactive floor shows the spiders scatter, to avoid being caught underfoot, and then return. Photo: James Horan/Australian Museum.
Jumping spiders are often considered the ‘personalities’ of the spider world. Although generally small in size, their large eyes, prodigious jumping ability, often brilliant colors and inquisitive activity make them very appealing. Jumping spiders are featured among more than 250 specimens on display. Photo: Csikos Istvan.
Backyard Spiders focuses on a typical garden environment and the myriad of spiders that inhabit it. Visitors use a virtual magnifying glass to find eight different spider species.
This interactive element uses codes attached to special coasters that allow visitors to hold virtual spiders in their hands. Visitors can choose from a selection of different species.
Children and adults can design their own spider in this section. Completed spiders can be uploaded and brought to life before their eyes. These colorful creations move across the woodland backdrop before finally settling down in a particular area and eventually phasing out, making space for new spiders to arrive on the scene.