North Carolina Zoo

What it is: This is the biggest and best place that we've found in the area to see animals. They have a North America section and an Africa section and countless animals in both. There's miles of paths to walk on, several stops at which to buy refreshments, a playground and carousel at which to take a break from the animals, a 4-D theatre, and most importantly, the animals.

What we like: First of all, we liked the variety of animals. There was definitely more than we could take in leisurely in an afternoon: from bears to lions to alligators and birds. Secondly, we liked the fact that there were trolleys to take to get you from one side of the zoo to the other. Frequently, toddlers wear out after that much walking and just need a lift. The playground looked great: complete with a water feature to play in, but there were so many animals to see and so little time that we just passed on by this time.

What we would change: The only thing that was difficult about this zoo was the sheer amount of walking necessary to see all the animals. Some people would have to take a trolley in order to see both the North American and African sections, and if you walked through the whole zoo with kids, you would probably not be able to walk all the back. We also wish it was closer. We could have spent more time there if it wasn't 1.5 hours away, but with toddler nap times we were only able to spend a half-day there.

Website and other information: The North Carolina Zoo is located in Asheboro, NC about 50 miles from Durham.

Website: http://www.nczoo.org/

Address: 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205

Prices: Adults: $10, Seniors: $8, Children (2-12): $6, Children (2 and under): Free

Hours
January 1 - March 28	9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
March 29 - October	9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
November - March 2011	9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Photos:

Some of the animals of the North Carolina Zoo...