If there are animal lovers in your family, you’re in luck, because there are several places in the Triangle where you can visit animals of all kinds. Alpacas? Check. Tigers? Check. Goats? Lots of them!
Some of these attractions are working farms and ranches. Some are private zoos or aquariums. Some are rescue and rehabilitation facilities. You should read up a little bit on the venue before planning to visit to make sure that you understand the mission of the organization and are comfortable with it. Please follow the links to the attractions’ pages.
We focus on animal encounters right in the Triangle, but we include a couple that are a bit of a drive because they are unique and worth the time.
Orange County
Spring Haven Farm
Spring Haven Farm
5306 Homer Ruffin Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
919-407-1806
$14.95 for ages 4+. Ages 3 and under admitted for free.
The goats are the stars here — especially baby goats! You can also meet Scottish Highland cows, goats, horses, chickens, alpacas, emus, donkeys, pigs, and more. A tractor train ride is included in your ticket. Gem mining is an add-on option.
Brajboro Cow Sanctuary
Brajboro Cow Sanctuary
6903 Gold Mine Loop, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516
919-904-0274
$25 for adults. Free for kids 12 and under
Brajboro’s purpose is to protect cows and bulls for the entirety of their lives. It’s open for visitors on Saturdays, weather permitting. Make sure to visit their website for updates and details.
Durham County
Museum of Life and Science
Museum of Life and Science
433 W Mrray Avenue, Durham, NC
919-220-5429
$24 for adults. $22 for ages 65+ and military. $19 for children 3-15. Free for children 2 and under. $15/person for non-school groups of 10+ (48 hours notice required.) Free admission to Durham County residents twice a month (see museum’s website for schedule.)
This popular science center includes several expansive outdoor habitats where you can see and learn about black bears, wolves, lemurs and tortoises. The museum is home to endangered Red Wolves, and even cubs! There’s also a butterfly pavilion.
Duke Lemur Center
Duke Lemur Center
3705 Erwin Road, Durham, NC
919-401-7240
The lowest cost visit is the public general tour. $17 for ages 18-64. $15 for age 65+, Duke employee or alumnus/alumna, college students and teens 13-17. $12 for children 3-12. Free for children 2 and under.
The DLC is open to the public and educates more than 35,000 visitors annually. Its highly successful conservation breeding program seeks to preserve vanishing species such as the aye-aye, Coquerel’s sifaka, and blue-eyed black lemur, while its Madagascar Conservation Programs study and protect lemurs—the most endangered group of mammals on Earth—in their native habitat. The DLC Museum of Natural History examines primate extinction and evolution over time and houses more than 35,000 fossils, including extinct giant lemurs and one of the world’s largest and most important collections of early anthropoid primates.
Old Mill Farm
Old Mill Farm
8913 NC Highway 751 South, Durham, NC 27713
919-629-3635
Price varies
Meet the goats and alpacas. Old Mill Farm hosts many events throughout the year. There’ also a fishing pond, gem mining and more.
Piedmont Wildlife Center
Piedmont Wildlife Center
364 Leigh Farm Road, Durham, NC 27707
919-489-0900
Prices vary
Piedmont Wildlife Center is a non-profit environmental organization that connects the community wildlife, including raptors, turtles and reptiles. They offer group tours, camps and educational programs. Occasionally they present a “fly-through,” a free drive-through experience to meet the animals.
Wake County
Historic Oak View County Park
Historic Oak View County Park
4028 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610
919-250-1013
Free to visit
Historic Oak View County Park is part of Wake County Parks. It’s a 19th century historic farmstead with a mission to interpret North Carolina’s agricultural heritage and rural history. A highlight of any visit to Oak View is meeting the Nubian and Mini-Nubian goats. They love meeting new friends, especially friends who bring them cut up apples and baby carrots. Please check with park staff before feeding them, in case they just had a treat.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
11 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601
919-707-9800
Free to visit
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is a great place to get up close to a wide variety of animals, including more than 150 species of reptiles and amphibians, more than 100 species of fish and aquatic invertebrates, plus many anthropods and insects. You can even visit a Central America tropical dry forest with living plants and animals, like butterflies, turtles, tarantulas, snakes and a two-toed sloth.
Chatham County
Carolina Sunshine Alpaca Farm
Carolina Sunshine Alpaca Farm
7084 US Highway 64 W, Pittsboro, NC 27312
919-542-4003
$7 if booked in advance; $9 purchased at the gate (these prices are for unguided visits)
$10 per person for a guided tour
Meet alpacas and learn all about them. There’s also a store that sells unique alpaca-related products.
Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge
Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge
7236 NC-87, Pittsboro, NC 27312
919-533-4013
Admission on a sliding scale
Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge provides a home and lifelong care for farm animals that have been rescued from lives of abuse, neglect and abandonment. They offer tours, vegan potluck events and more.
Carolina Tiger Rescue
Carolina Tiger Rescue
1940 Hanks Chapel Road, Pittsboro, NC 27312
919-542-4684
$24.20 for ages 13+. $18.01 for ages 4-12. Free for children 3 and under
Carolina Tiger Rescue is a sanctuary that cares for tigers, lions, leopards, cougars and more. It’s not a zoo, but is a rescue facility, caring for animals from private owners, traveling circuses and mom and pop zoos. The animals were either abandoned, relinquished or confiscated by authorities. You’ll learn about each animal and species on the guided tours. They sell out quickly.
Beyond the Triangle
North Carolina Zoo
North Carolina Zoo
4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205
1-800-488-0444
$15 for ages 13-61. $11 for ages 2-12. $13 for ages 62+. Free for children under age 2.
The North Carolina Zoo is the largest natural habitat zoo in the world. It includes five miles of walking trails, so make sure that you’re wearing comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle. There is tram service between the North America entrance, Junction Plaza (the center of the zoo) and the Africa entrance.
Sylvan Heights Bird Park
Sylvan Heights Bird Park
500 Sylvan Heights Parkway, Scotland Neck, NC 27874
252-826-3186
$14 for ages 13 to 61. $12 for ages 62+. $10 for ages 3-12. Free for ages 2 and under.
Syvan Heights Bird Park is a 28-acre facility that features walk-through aviaries with over 2,000 waterfowl, parrots, toucans, flamingos and other exotic birds from around the world.
Double-Check Before You Head Out!
We make every effort to make sure that everything on Triangle on the Cheap is 100% accurate.
However, sometimes things change without notice, and it’s also possible that we can make a mistake.
Please verify all deals and events with the venue or organizer before you go.
More Events
Check out our list of free and cheap events in Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle this weekend, or our full event calendar in the Triangle, or just look at few upcoming events here:
Justin Chandler says
Another local farm, Holl & Stone in Garner, has alpacas, goats, and chickens plus a market, ice cream, and fire pits.