Open 361 Days a Year: Admissions 10:00am – 3:30pm; park closes at 4:30pm
Due to significant flooding and impassable roads in our region from Tropical Storm Helene, the WNC Nature Center is temporarily CLOSED.
All of our animals are safe and accounted for, and there is minimal damage to the habitats. However, Swannanoa River Road and the main bridge to the Nature Center were washed away, and it will take time to reopen. We will undoubtedly need your support as we rebuild.
Donations can be made at www.wildwnc.org/donate.
Let the Nature Center come to you! We offer offsite and virtual education programs for your classroom, summer camp, library, or retirement community! Our Outreach Educator will bring hands-on education and living animal ambassadors to a program at your facility or to your screen through our distance learning programs!
Auditorium programs are offered year round and include meeting one to two animal ambassadors!
Pre-recorded programs are also offered year round and can be tailored to fit the needs of your group.
Grade Level: Pre-K-K
NC Essential Standards: APL-3, APL-4, HPD-4, LDC-8, PS.K.2
There are a lot of different types of animals in this world, and they all move in special ways! We’ll be slithering, fluttering, and crawling around the room in animal fashion, discovering an author who writes about how animals travel, and meeting a special animal guest in this program focusing on movement styles, restrictions, and abilities of various animals.
Grade Level: Pre-K-2nd
NC Essential Standards: CD-14, LS.K.1.2, LS.1.1, LS.2.1-2
From egg to tadpole to frog, the life cycle of our amphibian friend is often the first look at metamorphosis in the classroom. We’ll explore the life cycles of frogs and butterflies during this interactive program. Participants will also have the opportunity to meet a live animal guest.
Grade Level: K-5th
NC Essential Standards: LS.K.1, LS.1.1, LS.2.2, LS.4.1
We have some amazing wild neighbors and some equally amazing rumors about who they are, where they live, and what they can do. We will be on our feet and moving around during our wildlife true or false game, where we’ll discuss snakes to cougars, black bears to box turtles.
Grade Level: K-5th
NC Essential Standards: LS.1.1-2, LS.5.2.1, LS.5.2.3
A place to live is essential to survival. Some animals have adapted to living in many different types of habitats, and some have very specific requirements. During this hands-on program, students will learn about habitats such as streams, meadows, and forests, as well as what animals live in them.
Grade Level: K-5th
NC Essential Standards: K.P.2.1, EX.K.L.2.2, 1.L.1.1, 4.L.1.2, EX.4.L.1.4
Did you know that animals can smell, hear, taste, touch, and see in totally different ways? We’ll explore five different animals and the way they use their senses in unique ways through exploration, hands-on challenges, and a little bit of imagination.
Grade Level: 1st-3rd
NC Essential Standards: ESS.1.2.2, ESS1.3.2, LS.3.3.2
Have you ever wondered what lives below our feet? Or what type of soil different plants need for healthy growth? We’ll be taking different soil samples around your location to compare and contrast soil texture, moisture, and the soil’s ability to support plants and animals. Be ready to get your hands dirty in this interactive lesson and meet a wildlife ambassador.
Grade Level: 1st-5th
NC Essential Standards: LS.1.1.1, LS.5.2.2, LS.5.2.3
From the grass we play on to the birds singing in the trees, nature is connected through a web of living and nonliving factors in the environment. Participants will investigate their own schoolyard, community center, etc. to create a model and discover the interconnectedness in their own backyard.
Grade Level: 1st-5th
NC Essential Standards: LS.1.1, 4.LS.1.2, 5.LS.2.3
Great for camps, libraries, and afterschools!
Our sense of sight is key to our feeling of security; we often fear things we only hear. Learn why animals make different sounds and what you can interpret just by listening. Then we’ll use natural instruments to create a class soundscape for a group story.
Grade Level: 2nd-6th
Two themes are available: Reptiles, Insects
Great for camps, libraries, and afterschools!
There’s no such thing as a bad question! Participants will have the opportunity to get up and move around as we toss a ball covered in animal questions, as well as explore biofacts from relevant critters.
Grade Level: 3rd-6th
Could you beat an owl in a staring contest or hold your breath longer than an otter? Find out during this interactive program all about the amazing feats our local wildlife perform every day!
Grade Level: 3rd-6th
Great for camps, libraries, and afterschools!
Spiders are some of the most misunderstood animals in our area, and it’s time we learn what makes them so special. Participants will discover the different types of webs that spiders weave and even have a chance to spin their own!
Grade Level: 3rd-6th
NC Essential Standards: LS.3.3, ESS.4.2, LS.5.2, ESS.6.3
Backyards are a great place to start learning how to protect local wildlife! Participants will learn what a healthy habitat looks like, then work in groups to get creative and design their own backyard animal habitat.
Grade Level: 4th-8th
NC Essential Standards: LS.4.1.2-3, LS.5.2.3, LS.6.2.2, LS.8.2.1
Ever wondered about the animals that become active after we go to sleep? We’ll learn about opossums, owls, bats, and more during this nocturnal animal program. Students will learn to identify animal sounds, explore biofacts, and be introduced to a live animal guest.
Grade Level: 6th-8th
NC Essential Standards: LS.6.2, LS.8.3
There’s a lot you can learn from leftovers! This raptor-based program will teach the basics of owl biology, as well as have them work in pairs or small groups to dissect a pellet collected from one of the Nature Center’s birds of prey! We will also learn how to identify the bones that we find inside, as well as meet a live animal guest.
(Due to materials, this program costs $3 per participant.)
Grade Level: 6th-8th
NC Essential Standards: LS.6.2, LS.8.3
Studying what an animal leaves behind is a great way to learn about the lifestyle and habits of local wildlife. Students will rotate among three stations to play animal track games and design their own track guides, as well as work in small groups to study scat models.
Grade Level: Variable
Program Length: 60 minutes
An opportunity for students to learn the importance of preservation and conservation through a one-hour presentation (45-minute presentation/15-minute Q&A) with two live animal guests and bio-facts, including animal skeletons, skins, feathers, skulls, and more.
All Virtual School Group Programs are offered Monday through Friday, 10am to 3pm. There is a limit of 30 students per program, and programs always involve meeting a live animal guest!
Virtual Auditorium programs are offered year round and include meeting two live animal guests!
Pre-recorded programs are also offered year round and can be tailored to fit the needs of your group.
Grade Level: K
NC Essential Standards: K.P.1.2, K.L.1.2
There are a lot of different types of animals in this world, and they all move in special ways! We’ll be slithering, fluttering, and crawling around the room in animal fashion and discovering an author who writes about how animals travel in this program focusing on body movement.
Grade Level: K-2nd
NC Essential Standards: K.L.1.2, 1.L.1.1, 2.L.1.1, 2.L.1.2
Metamorphosis in action! This interactive programs focuses on the life cycles of frogs and butterflies. Students will have the opportunity to get creative and move their bodies while reviewing the details of metamorphosis.
Grade Level: K-6th
NC Essential Standards: K.L.1.2, 1.L.1.2, 2.L.1.2, 4.L.1.2, 5.L.2.2, EX.6.L.3
Program only available Tuesdays/Thursdays.
It’s snack time at the Nature Center! This delicious program focuses on the diets of native reptiles and amphibians. We’ll review their life cycles or where they fall in the food chain (dependent on grade level) and examine biofacts from our scaly and slimy friends. Students will also have the opportunity to watch a live reptile or amphibian feeding session!
Grade Level: 1st-3rd
NC Essential Standards: 2.L.1.1, 2.L.1.2
Every animal has a unique way of growing up! This program explores the life cycle of reptiles, birds, and mammals using an interactive memory card game. Put your students’ memories to the test with this unique lesson!
Grade Level: 1st-5th
NC Essential Standards: 1.L.1.1, 1.L.1.2, 1.L.2.2, EX.2.L.1.1, EX.2.L.1.2, EX.2.L.2.1, EX.2.L.2.2
What if a fox could fly and breathe underwater? What sort of home does an owl with laser eyes live in? It’s all up to you! Students will invent an animal and have the opportunity to share with the group. After sharing their creations, we’ll compare them to the animals that live in Western North Carolina!
Teachers choose a theme: adaptations or habitats.
Grade Level: 4th-6th
NC Essential Standards: 4.L.1.1, 5.L.2.1, 5.L.2.3, 6.L.2.1
This interactive review show how energy travels through an ecosystem. Students will be given the opportunity to create their own food chains and work with our educator to build a food web. We’ll explore how all living things are connected and how important each link is within the web.
Grade Level: K-12th
Have you ever wondered what a cougar eats or how to take care of a snake? Do your students want to know what it’s like to work in a zoo or where our keepers went to college? Our educator will answer all your questions and more during this session! Get curious and come prepared with questions!
Grade Level: Variable
Program Length: 60 minutes
An opportunity for students to learn the importance of preservation and conservation through a one-hour presentation (45-minute presentation/15-minute Q&A) with two live animal guests and bio-facts, including animal skeletons, skins, feathers, skulls, and more.
To schedule a program, please email education@wildwnc.org or use the Reserve Tab.
Small Group Programs – Schools, Home School Groups, Private Facilities, & Government Agencies
Auditorium Program
Recorded Programs
WNC Nature Center
75 Gashes Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28805
Getting Here
General Inquiries
828-259-8080
admin@wildwnc.org
Friends of the
WNC Nature Center
PO Box 19151
Asheville, NC 28815
828-259-8092
See what’s new at the zoo
with monthly updates!
©2019 Friends of the WNC Nature Center | All rights reserved
Website design by BECK Digital