NC Summer Field Trips On A Budget

Author: Angelena Castro

This Summer in North Carolina there are several field trips opportunities for kids and their parents to enjoy on a budget! The educational activities are endless. Take the time to check out our top five Summer break field trips!

5. NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCES

Photo courtesy of naturalsciences.org

Explore the natural world, The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is the largest museum of its kind in the Southeast. Through exhibits, programs, and field experiences, visitors are provided with opportunities to get up close and personal with science and nature. General admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Currently for $5 visitors of all ages will find a challenge in Mazes & Brain Games. You'll tease your brain at the brain teaser tables, build a 3D marble maze and watch it work, bust out a beat in the music maze, multiply yourself in the infinity mirror. 

4. BATTLESHIP NORTH CAROLINA: WILMINGTON


Photo courtesy of carolinaxroads.blogspot.com

Kids will experience an adventure they will never forget. Located in downtown Wilmington, the Battleship North Carolina, visitors are able to walk her decks and envision daily life as well as fierce combat that her crew faced in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Young men travelled from all across the United States to serve their country. These are the stories you will encounter through their oral histories, uniforms, and mementos as you explore the ship and its exhibits. Open 12 hours a day during the summer and tickets prices only $6 for kids under 12. Be sure to plan your trip soon!

3.  N.C. TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM

Photo courtesy of visitnc.com

At the North Carolina Transportation Museum kids will discover the people and machines that helped move North Carolina forward. Located on the site of Southern Railway's former steam locomotive repair facility Spencer Shops, this is where locomotives that hauled Southern's passenger trains and freight trains filled with North Carolina furniture, textiles, tobacco, and produce were serviced from 1896 to the late 1970's. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., With tickets for children under the age of 12 only costing $4. This is sure to be a memorable experience for young people. 

 

2. NORTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM AT PINE KNOLL SHORES

Photo courtesy of fgcphotos.com

Watch river otters play. Touch a stingray. Look a shark in the eye. Explore shipwrecks without getting wet. See a rare white sea turtle. A field trip to the aquarium is something all kids are sure to love. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., With tickets for children under the age of 12 only costing $10.95. Everyday the aquarium offers fun and educational programs that are free with admission.

 

1. NORTH CAROLINA ZOO

Photo courtesy of nczoo.org

One of the largest natural habitat zoos in the nation, is right here in North Carolina. Visitors are able to explore the diverse landscapes and animal of plant life of three habitats, all without ever leaving the Tar Heel State. Opening at 9am during the Summer months, kids have the whole day to take in the sights. Lions, tigers, and bears all live inside the zoo and children under the age of 12 can visit for only $11.