Zoo Hours
Open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. In the event of severe weather operating hours may change.
- April thru October 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- November thru March 9 a.m. to 4 p.m
Last entry into the Zoo is 1 hour before closing
Getting to the Park
Located seven miles south of Asheboro in the heart of North Carolina and open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, the Zoo is easily drivable from many areas of the state.
Address & Directions
The North Carolina Zoo
4401 Zoo Pkwy
Asheboro, NC
27205
From Charlotte:
Approx. 105 mins
From Greensboro / Winston-Salem:
Approx. 45 mins
From Raleigh/Durham
Approx. 90mins
Tickets
At the admission gates Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, debit cards, Zoo gift cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and cash are accepted. Online or by phone, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and debit cards are accepted. Ticket sales at the admissions gates end 1 hour before closing.
Keep your receipt. If you need to exit the Park, your receipt will allow you to re-enter on the same day at either entrance.
The following discounts are available at the Zoo admission gates (not available for online purchases)
- Current members of AAA, EBT (North Carolina residents Only) or SEANC receive a $2 discount on admission for up 6 people with ID and proof of current enrollment/membership.
- Active, Retired or Veteran members of the military receive a $2 discount on admission for up to 6 people with valid ID.
- Active First Responders (Police, Fire, EMS) receive a $2 discount on admission for up to 6 people with valid ID
- College Students receive $2 discount on individual admission with valid and current college ID.
Ticket sales end one hour prior to closing and the Zoo does not offer rain checks.
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AdultAges 13-61$15.00
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ChildAges 2-12$11.00
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SeniorAges 62+$13.00
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Under 2Free
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Groups of 15+
Did you find a North Carolina Zoo painted rock with a #NCZooRocks label in your community? Learn more.
Parking & Zoo Entrances
When you arrive at the North Carolina Zoo, you will see that we have two parking lots and entrances, North America and Africa.
April - October you may park and enter through either entrance. After you park your vehicle, please take note of the parking lot number or letter for easy return at the end of your visit. Shuttles are available between parking lots April - October starting at 11:30 a.m. each day. There is also a scenic connector trail for walking between the parking lots. The distance between the North America and Africa parking lots is about one mile.
November - March you will park and enter through our North America entrance.
View Park Map for reference.
Getting Around the Zoo
Just a reminder … this is the world’s largest natural habitat Zoo. While complimentary trams and buses operate within the Park the animals are only visible by walking. With roughly 5 miles of walking trails to navigate make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a refillable water bottle!
Golf Cart Tours of the Zoo and Behind the Scenes Experiences are available by reservation only.
Plan a Group Visit
No one does BIG better than the North Carolina Zoo! Our highly-trained guest services team is dedicated to making your group visit memorable, including any catering requests you might have.
Notice of Photography and Filming
On occasion the Zoo or production companies authorized by the Zoo will photograph or video Zoo guests for the Zoo’s educational or promotional use or for use in programming about the Zoo. Guest entry into the Zoo grants the Zoo and authorized production companies permission to use these images for these uses throughout the world in all media in perpetuity.