Looking up information about a Naturalist Center specimen on an interactive table.  

Guided Tactile Tours

Free but registration is required.

Join us for a sensory exploration of North Carolina's diverse natural habitats and discover the variety of creatures who call North Carolina home. This interactive tour engages your senses to investigate the textures, sounds and smells of the natural world that surrounds us. Highlights include a variety of specimens like Atlantic Ocean whales, a giant salamander of the Appalachian Mountains, and the Terror of the South — the Acrocanthosaurus!

Register for a Guided Tactile Tour

Dueling Dinosaurs Sensory Friendly Mornings

Explore the Dueling Dinosaurs exhibit with reduced noise effects and smaller crowds. Please bring any noise-reducing headphones and fidgets you may need! A limited number of Sensory Friendly Bags are available for checkout at the front desk, and a limited number of noise-reducing headphones are available to borrow at the exhibit.

Free registration is not necessary but encouraged; if you register, we'll send reminder emails and resources about the exhibit so you can know before you go!

Please note that this is a self-guided tour of the exhibit space (not led by a museum educator), though you may interact with the research team in the SECU DinoLab.

For more information and to register, please visit our Events Calendar.

Special Events

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences aims to provide a friendly, accessible experience for all guests at our special events; Astronomy Days, Día de la Ciencia y La Cultura, and BugFest. If you would like to request a Sighted Guide or Accessibility Buddy to help navigate our special events, please contact Accessibility@NaturalSciences.org at least one week before the event. A larger, designated indoor Quiet Space is available at all special events, and our outdoor Accessibility Tent is available at BugFest.

Steam Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities

Held annually in the fall, the STEAM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities is an educational event where attendees meet role models with disabilities who have thriving careers in STEAM fields. Students leave with a better understanding of the many professional possibilities available and the inspiration to pursue STEAM careers.

Interested in past events? Watch past STEAM Career Showcase events.

Staff