North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: (919) 834-4000
- Hours:
- Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
Editorial Review for North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences – by Elisabeth Bergman
In Short
Showcasing North Carolina's rich natural history and its global connections, the $70.5 million building features the world's only Acrocanthosaurus skeleton ("Acro"), an Arthropod Zoo, three whale skeletons suspended from the ceiling and nearly 3,500 live animals--enough to be classified as a small zoo. Unlike its previous home, this downtown Raleigh museum is spacious and airy with light wood, white walls, easy-to-navigate exhibits and plenty of eucators, curators and researchers available to explain things.
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Insider Tips
When to GoDon't miss the museum's annual Natural History Halloween, when kids get to see real spiders and snakes at the standard candy-laden party.
Know Before You GoFor many, the highlight is "Terror of the South." That's where the bones of the 110-million-year-old Acro live. Joined by a terror-stricken sauropod and three-winged pterosaurs, "Terror of the South" is what you call an "immersion exhibit." Woofers shake the floor and lightning strikes as Acro prepares to devour its lunch.
User Reviews for North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
07/09/2008 Posted by ViewFromHere
The museum is a nice place, but one must question the ethical conduct of its directors in putting on a biased and misleading exhibit, in which the current state of research has been carefully distorted to cater to influential members of the old Dead Sea Scrolls monopoly group, one of whose members (John Strugnell) had a series of famous antisemitic outbursts some fifteen years ago. In a word, the museum (which, incidentally, is run by the N. C. Department of the Environment) agreed to downplay and conceal the evidence brought to light by Jewish researchers who have rejected the old "Qumran-Essene" theory of scroll origins, and to physically exclude them from participating in the lecture series accompanying the exhibit. See, e.g., University of Chicago historian Norman Golb's editorial, "Take Claims about DSS with a Grain of Salt" (it is easily googled). Since the museum is a state-run institution, the role of government officials in displaying religiously controversial artifacts must also be addressed. Is it appropriate for a N. C. government agency to take sides in an acrimonious scholarly dispute while entertaining people with a religiously oriented exhibit in, of all places, a natural sciences museum? Is there any accounting of how this exhibit was funded, and of where the profits ($22 per ticket) will be going? This is, of course, a serious issue that should be carefully examined by the media. Instead, we have silence, viciously implied innuendo about Jewish culture coming from N. C. authorities (including an antisemitic insinuation on the museum's website), mendacious claims about a fabricated "consensus" that no longer exists, and a continuing pattern of catering to vested interests. For further information on this propaganda masquerading as an exhibit, previously dished out to the public in various private "science" museums around the country, see, e.g., R. Dworkin's article on "The Ethics of Exhibition" (this is also easily googled).
07/09/2008 Posted by durhamresident
I could not be more impressed with this museum. I attended the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, and was quite impressed by both the number of staff members & how knowledgable they were! The exhibit was quite popular, but the staff did a great job of making sure that no one area was too crowded to enjoy the displays. The exhibit itself is thorough & well-planned... a must see! I was also impressed with the permanent exhibits, which educated visitors on NC geography & animals. There's also a wonderful dinosaur exhibit that kids love. I thought that most people would be visiting with small children, but I saw a good number of young adults there w/ friends, & they seemed to be fully immersed in the exhibits. This museum is well attended, so go during the week if you can!
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