Into the Piedmont: Greensboro & Asheboro
African Bush Elephant - North Carolina Zoo
The final major trip of the year was to North Carolina. It was a short trip but filled with tons of fun, from NC style barbeque to a venomous snake bite and visiting two zoos in the area. My girlfriend and I have never been to the state before, and getting to experience some new things was a great time!
The first "zoo" we visited was none other than the unique Greensboro Science Center! This institution is home to a small outdoor zoo, an aquarium, a museum and a planetarium! All of these combine to a truly unique visit. and one especially targeted to families with younger kids. The animal collection here was really unique with Komodo Dragons, Cassowaries, Sumatran Tigers and more! There are some fun interactive experiences such as a shark/ray touch tank, a petting zoo and plenty of education staff explaining fun facts about the animals! A huge thanks to the keepers there who allowed us meet their Red Pandas and some small cat species up close! I can't say I've ever been to a "zoo" quite like this before, and I look forward to visiting it again in the future!
The final zoo trip of the year was the impressive North Carolina Zoo! Having heard so much about it prior to visiting, it wasn't oversold! The habitats here are huge and naturalistic, the animal collection has many family favorites with the occasional rarity mixed in, and the setting within the woods makes for a comfortable walk between exhibits. (Although don't leave the trail because as the signs warn, there are venomous snakes native to the area!) Some major highlights were the great view offered into the elephant habitat, getting to see the bison charge out onto exhibit in the morning and seeing the Hamadryas baboon babies play with each other. The whole zoo only focuses on North American and African wildlife, so the only real weakness of the facility is limited amount of species variety. However, with a brand new Asia section coming next year, this zoo will really cement itself as one of the best in the nation, definitely worth a trip out to the piedmont!
