North Carolina Zoo
Located about 54 miles west of Aberdeen in Asheboro, N.C. 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. 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 11-acre Prairie exhibit in the North American region showcases the zoo’s collection of bison and elk. The Sonora Desert, an indoor recreation of the famous desert of the American Southwest, is alive with roadrunners, rattlesnakes, gila monsters, tarantulas and many more fascinating denizens of that hot, dry climate.This was the nation’s first state-supported zoo and remains one of only two state zoos, the other located in Minnesota. The N.C. Zoo is also 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.
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