Located about 75 miles west of Raleigh in Asheboro, the North Carolina Zoo is nationally recognized as one of the nation's finest zoos. It was the first American zoo designed from its inception around the "natural habitat" philosophy--presenting animals and plants in exhibits that closely resemble the habitats in which they would be found in the wild.
The zoo's animal collections includes about 1,100 speciemens representing about 250 different species of mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. Among the most popular exhibits are those that display polar bears, sea lions, river otters, alligators, elephants, gorillas, baboons, rhinoceros, giraffes, and zebras. The 37-acre African Plains exhibit alone is as large a many entire zoos. The Sonora Desert, an indoor recreation of the famous desert of the American Southwest, is alive with fascinating denizens of that hot, dry climate. The N.C. Zoo is the nation's largest walk-through natural-habitat zoo. Its African and North American exhibit regions span more than 500 acres with more than five miles of walkways. Use the calendar of events, animal finder, photo gallery and photo tour to plan your visit. Discover great animal facts, conservation tips and special content for kids. At the N.C. Zoo, you will see some of the world's rarest wildlife. New at the Zoo is the Watani Grasslands Reserve, an $8.5 million expansion of the park's elephant & rhino exhibits."