NC Zoo Ashboro Pictures & Information

When I visited the North Carolina  Zoo, (Aug 2004), the tickets were 10 dollars for adults and 6 dollars for children. Drinks cost 1.75, no straws or tops for the safety of the animals. Keep in mind, it was 2 years ago so prices and other details on this page may have change since then.

We stayed at the Ramada Limited Hotel in Asheboro NC which is now the Asheboro Inn. The hotel is close to the zoo. There was a Coffee maker, swimming pool, friendly service, directory with restaurant menus, churches, and information with quick references. Asheboro Restaurants are a wide range and include seafood, steakhouses and fast food.

The North Carolina Zoo is located in Asheboro North Carolina. It is a 4 hour trip from Asheville area   traveling I-40 to 64 at Mocksville outside of Statesville NC. 64 will take you into Asheboro.

When you visit the North Carolina Zoo, plan to stay the whole day. It is possible to see the zoo in one day if you visit the African section first. Ride the tram to the African section, its an uphill venture and it will be tiresome on foot. The Ashboro Zoo opens at 9:00 am and closes at 5:00 pm. The African section of the Zoo closes at 4:00 pm.

The zoo is a  natural habitat zoo. The animals are enclosed in an environment that closely resembles their natural habitat. The entire walk is 5 miles.

The Zoo covers 3 continents with plans to cover all 7 continents as funding allows. The continents covered as of August 2004 include North America, Africa and Australia. There is also a bird pavilion.

The North American exhibit has Polar Bears, Seals, Sea Lions, Puffins, Grizzly Bears, Bison, Cougars, Alligators and more animals native to North America. The Polar Bears were rescued from a Mexican Circus in the Caribbean where they were mistreated.

The Australian exhibit has Kangaroos, Wallabies, Pythons, birds and other animals native to Australia.

The African exhibit has Chimpanzees, Lions, Zebras, Giraffes, Rhinos, Elephants,  gorillas on the outside. There is an African pavilion that houses meerkats, monkeys and more animals native to Africa. The pavilion is humid to simulate the natural environment of the animals housed there.

The Lions have cubs. At this writing, (Aug. 2004), the cubs were inside with their mother. The zoo has set up a video camera so you can see the lion cubs. The father stays outside, and in the heat of the day, sleeps. The Chimps are right next door, so when the lions start roaring, the chimps get very excited and agitated. Some of the Chimps were born in the wild and are more than 30 years old.

The bird pavilion is located close to the African exhibit. Flamingoes are on the outside. Inside, Exotic birds fly free and you can get up close and personal. It is humid in the Pavilion to simulate the tropics, the natural environment of the birds housed there. You can spend a day here if you choose because You have to look close and keep your eyes open as there is plenty of tropical plants and foliage in which the birds can and do hide. There is a sign with the various birds names and identifying characteristics to help you identify the tropical birds as you come across them.