North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Name

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Legal name

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Website

https://naturalsciences.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Museums (712110), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAC

Natural History Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAAAFAG

Wildlife Interpretation & Education Centers (Visitor Centers, Museums)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Parks & Reserves (Visitor Operations)

SECONDARYBPAGAHAA

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

Keywords

• Natural history exhibits
• Museum educational programs
• Citizen science research
• Paleontology collections
• Wildlife biodiversity labs

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Free general admission to the museum. This drives foot traffic to other paid offerings.
2. Membership Program: Multi-tiered membership program (Individual Plus, Family, Curator) providing free admission to special exhibitions, discounts on programs and store, and exclusive events.
3. Special Exhibitions and 3D Movies: Ticketed special exhibitions (Staying Alive: Adult $18, Senior/Student/Military $16, Child 3-12 $14) and 3D movie screenings generate significant revenue.
4. Birthday Parties: Deluxe Party ($375) and Standard Party ($300) packages with themed activities, live animal programs, and party rooms.
5. Event Rentals: Venue rentals for meetings, business events, wedding receptions accommodating up to 2,000 guests in two connected buildings.
6. Donations and Annual Fund: Annual Fund donations support exhibits, programs, and research. Specialty license plate sales ($30 each with $20 to Friends of the Museum).
7. Museum Store and Dining: Museum Store merchandise sales and dining services through Daily Planet Cafe and Acro Cafe.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences operates a network of museums and nature facilities offering free general admission to permanent galleries, ticketed special exhibitions, live animal displays, and immersive 3D films. It delivers K–12 and family educational programming, summer camps, birthday parties, and event rentals, while conducting scientific research across paleontology, genomics, astronomy, biodiversity, and citizen science. The institution also operates satellite campuses including Prairie Ridge Ecostation for outdoor learning and a Whiteville nature facility, plus an online museum store.

Product overview

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is a multi-venue museum complex offering a unified portfolio of exhibits, educational programs, and research facilities. The core experience consists of the Nature Exploration Center (NEC) and Nature Research Center (NRC) in downtown Raleigh, featuring permanent exhibitions, live animal displays, theaters, and interactive labs. Major exhibits include the Dueling Dinosaurs permanent exhibition and rotating special exhibitions like Staying Alive. The museum operates satellite facilities at Prairie Ridge Ecostation (45-acre outdoor preserve) and Whiteville. Educational offerings span summer camps, birthday parties, educator programs, outreach/e-learning, and citizen science initiatives. Research is conducted through multiple laboratories including Astronomy & Astrophysics, Paleontology, Genomics & Microbiology, Biodiversity, Evolutionary Biology & Behavior, and Geology & Petrology. Additional services include virtual tours via Matterport, museum memberships, rentals, movies/3D films, and the museum store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million visitors annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• NC Department of Natural and Cultural ResourcescoreOthersThe museum is an agency and division of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. This is the parent government organization providing oversight and institutional support.
• North Carolina State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NC State University Department of Biological Sciences and College of Sciences supporting the Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Research Lab and Paleontology Research Lab in the museum.
• NC Wildlife Resources CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for School of Rockfish program where students raise and release rockfish. Commission provides fisheries biology expertise and determines release locations.
• US Fish and Wildlife ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in School of Rockfish conservation program, providing fisheries biology expertise and support for restoration efforts.
• Rocky Top CateringcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExclusive caterer for museum event rentals, providing dining services for corporate events, weddings, and private celebrations at the museum.
• Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in School of Rockfish program supporting conservation science education.
• NC Marine & Estuary FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant-funded partner supporting School of Rockfish program for fish conservation.
• NC Chapter of the American Fisheries SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional organization partner supporting fish conservation education programs.
• Triangle FlyfishersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer partner supporting School of Rockfish conservation program.
• NC State University and East Carolina University (Volunteers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity student and faculty volunteers supporting School of Rockfish program.
• Friends of the MuseumcoreOthersNonprofit organization that supports the museum's mission through fundraising, exhibits, educational programs, and conservation efforts. Manages membership, donations, and specialty license plate program.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Pittsburgh-based natural history museum with significant paleontology (including Diplodocus), research collections, and public education programs. Comparable in size, scientific depth, and state-affiliated institutional character.
• Virginia Museum of Natural History: State-affiliated natural history museum in Martinsville, Virginia with research collections, public exhibits, and education programs. Directly comparable in state-government institutional structure and natural science mission.
• American Museum of Natural History: One of the world's largest natural history museums in New York City, with comparable research collections, dinosaur fossil exhibits, live animal programming, and K-12 educational offerings. Directly comparable in mission, exhibit mix (paleontology, biodiversity, astronomy), and integrated research-plus-public model.
• Field Museum: Chicago-based natural history museum with major research collections, dinosaur exhibits (including SUE the T. rex), and integrated public/research operations. Closely comparable in scale, scientific mission, and special exhibition ticketed revenue model.
• Cincinnati Museum Center: Multi-discipline museum complex in Cincinnati with natural history, history, and children's museum components plus event rental facilities. Comparable multi-venue model with educational programming and large event capacity.
• Houston Museum of Natural Science: Large U.S. natural history museum with comparable special exhibition ticketing model, IMAX theater, and educational programming. Comparable in scale of paid exhibitions and family/event programming.
• California Academy of Sciences: San Francisco-based combined natural history museum, aquarium, and research institution with a strong research-public integration model. Closely comparable to NCMNS's blend of living collections, research labs, and natural science exhibits.
• Fernbank Museum of Natural History: Atlanta-based natural history museum with dinosaur exhibits, IMAX theater, and outdoor nature experiences. Closest regional peer in the Southeast U.S., competing for the same family tourism market.

Regional players

• South Carolina State Museum: State-affiliated museum in Columbia, South Carolina covering natural history, science, history, and art. Comparable as a Southeast state-government museum complex but broader in scope than NCMNS's natural science focus.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: The Smithsonian's flagship natural history museum in Washington, D.C. and the global benchmark for natural history institutions. Operates research collections, public exhibits, and education programming at much larger scale but shares NCMNS's core mission of natural science curation, research, and public education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ncnaturalsciences
• Facebookfacebook.com/naturalsciences
• Instagraminstagram.com/naturalsciences
• Xx.com/naturalsciences
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-carolina-museum-of-natural-sciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences