Greensboro Science Center Greensboro Science Center: News & Expansion Updates

nczoofan

nczoofan

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5+ year member
The Greensboro Science Center is an AZA an AZA accredited zoo, museum, and aquarium in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is only 45 minutes north of the NC Zoo and in recent years has greatly expanded its animal collection. The aquarium was first added in 2013 and an expansion opened in 2017. The center currently has an outdoor section with species including fossa, maned wolf, giant anteater, Javan gibbon, and fossa. The centers outdoor animal will be doubled in size come 2020 with an 11 acre expansion named Revolution Ridge: Life on The Edge. It will likely break ground in the fall with a 2020 intended opening date. Here is the intended species list.
  • Pygmy Hippo
  • Okapi
  • Cassowary
  • Red Panda (currently at the zoo)
  • Chilean Flamingo
  • Fishing Cat (currently at the zoo)
  • Sand Cat
  • Black-footed Cat
  • Serval
This section will also have an amphitheater, dinosaur trail, a living pond, new animal hospital, and a conservation lab. The animal hospital is expected to open earlier to hold the incoming species. Concept art can be seen here.

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As well both of the zoo's generic tigers passed away last year. The zoo is planning to replace them with Malayan tiger, after an exhibit renovation. A new holding building including a cubbing den will be built and new water features may be added to the habitat. Construction will start later this summer. Other non animal additions to the site include a new STEM learning center, a new entrance and a carousel. The center also intends to unveil its next master plan in 2019.

Sources: What's next for Greensboro Science Center? A lot
Greensboro Science Center | Think BIG Together!
 
Visited the Greensboro Science Center on Thursday. It was a great visit, the aquarium was looking great as always and the new dinosaur exhibit with a komodo dragon exhibit was really nice. The parking lot expansion also was great, as finding a space my last visit was an issue. Here are some notes.
  • Sign are up denoting the coming expansion, featuring all of the headlining species such as okapi, cassowary, and pygmy hippo (so the center seems committed to the species list).
  • The tiger exhibit was empty, with signs explaining that it will be renovated to become a breeding center for Malayan Tigers. The goal is to have it reopen for 2019. The tiger exhibit is already large and has some nice glass viewing, so most of the improvements will be behind the scenes.
  • The new Komodo dragon exhibit is pretty large for a singular 5 year old male. Its all indoors, yet signs are up outside showing an expansion to the exhibit that will include 2 outdoor yards.
  • Of any zoo I have been, this place seems to have the most enrichment. Most exhibits have a visible enrichment object or two in them. The most interesting was a deer leg hanging in the otter exhibit. The otters were grabbing onto it and swinging :D
  • Overall this place has pretty great exhibit quality, great animal welfare and a great staff that interact with visitors through many daily talks/feedings. I am very excited to see it expand to become a nice medium sized facility.
 
I had intended to check this place out when visiting North Carolina for the NC Zoo but I wasn't able to. It looks and sounds like a really nice place with some choice species not yet found at the Zoo, especially with the expansion happening, so I think a return trip might be in order :)
 
Okapipako said:
I had intended to check this place out when visiting North Carolina for the NC Zoo but I wasn't able to. It looks and sounds like a really nice place with some choice species not yet found at the Zoo, especially with the expansion happening, so I think a return trip might be in order :)
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I was supposed to go the NC Zoo with family the other day, yet the person in charge of directions messed up and we ended up in Greensboro, so the GSC it was :)

The GSC complements the North Carolina Zoo's collection very nicely. The only overlapping species to come will be flamingo, lemurs, red panda, tiger and Komodo dragon once Asia is built. Meanwhile the GSC expansion will feature African forest animals not held at the NC Zoo. Also with the NC Zoo being the largest in the nation, it is nice to have a smaller sized site at the GSC which is better for inclement weather/accessibility. They are both very high quality in regards to their animal welfare and exhibit quality as well. So 2 great attractions just 45 minutes away from each other. Definitely recommend the GSC, especially come 2020 when they double their outside component.

The one critique I have of both is that they have fairly below-average bird collections. At the NC Zoo you have the seabird exhibit, aviary building at thats about it. At the GSC you have even less with just a few species scattered around. Although Sylvan Heights in coastal NC works closely with the NC Zoo, so they have never really seemed to focus much on birds.
 
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Visited the Greensboro Science Center this morning. Not many changes to be honest, nut as always had a great time.
  • Wallabies are no longer on exhibit, as their exhibit is slated to be the holding area for the cassowary until revolution ridge opens.
  • The carousel seems to be nearly done and appeared to be the main focus of construction work. I imagine once this is done, focus will move onto the list of other coming projects.
  • Tiger exhibit still closed with little work done to renovate it for 2020. Considering it is next to the maned wolf house, I would imagine the zoo will wait on construction as to not disturb them.
  • No movement on the outdoor Komodo dragon exhibit which is due in 2020. No work has been done on revolution ridge either, although the zoo has begun acquiring animals for the complex such as cassowary.
 
To summarize some of the things revealed today, the Greensboro science center is about to embark on their next phase of modernization and expansion. This plan for the center ties into a larger plan to revitalize the park the center is within as the city’s flagship park. It is dubbed the battleground precinct due to it being the site of revolutionary war battle.

Major projects planned include:
  • A major redesign of the centers exterior focusing on the original building. The lobby and older interior spaces will be significantly rethemed.
  • An insectarium exhibit and building (no confirmation but concept art suggests this will be inside the former discovery house).
  • An exhibit themed around underground that will include animals. This exhibit will connect the 2 floors of the cenrer.
  • A new outdoor sloth & tortoise exhibit
  • An enhanced malayan tiger exhibit with trails.
  • An enhanced gibbon exhibit with elevated trails. The asian small clawed otters will be mixed with them.
  • Expanded meerkat exhibit with a “multi season space”
  • Main shark tank becomes an info pacific reef focused tank
  • Added sculptures and geodesic domes throughout the site

The big contingent for this plan is funding. The recent improvements such as the aquarium and upcoming revolution ridge were funded in part by a municipal bond. In order to fund these next 10 years an additional bond will likely be necessary, probably in 2020.

It is unclear as to when the last phase of the current plan, revolution ridge will open. At this point I can’t see that happening any earlier than late 2020, but its a big project so maybe it’ll be done in phases.
 
The Malayan Tiger exhibit will be completed by next month. Its mainly a renovation of the existing yard with the construction of a new holding building. The first inhabitant will be an 8 year old male named Jaya.
 
The renovation to the tiger exhibit is complete. Small improvements were made to the exhibit yard, yet as the main improvements were a new holding building and off exhibit habitat, so the zoo could act as a breeding facility. After consultation with the tiger SSP the zoo is actually going to receive 2 male sumatran tigers from the Jacksonville Zoo, Rocky & Jagger. They will be arriving on January 10th.

The Komodo dragon outdoor exhibit is nearing completion as well. The exhibit should be ready by the time warm weather arrives, allowing Drogo to go outside.
 
First of all the Sumatran tigers have arrived. They should be on display fairly soon.

Second, Revolution Ridge is now slated to open in Spring 2021. This makes sense considering construction has yet to begin, with focus on the tiger renovation and komodo dragon outdoor exhibit. The species list has not changed for this expansion and some plans can be found at the link below.

Greensboro Science Center - Surface 678
 
nczoofan said:
First of all the Sumatran tigers have arrived. They should be on display fairly soon.

Second, Revolution Ridge is now slated to open in Spring 2021. This makes sense considering construction has yet to begin, with focus on the tiger renovation and komodo dragon outdoor exhibit. The species list has not changed for this expansion and some plans can be found at the link below.

Greensboro Science Center - Surface 678
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Do you know if they are still planning on building a pygmy hippo and okapi complex? Some stories refer to it as a future plan and some do not.
 
DavidBrown said:
Do you know if they are still planning on building a pygmy hippo and okapi complex? Some stories refer to it as a future plan and some do not.
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Revolution ridge includes the okapi and pygmy hippo complex. In the link I shared is a diagram showing the holding building and outline of where the exhibits will be. So those exhibits should be ready in Spring 2021.
 
Arizona Docent said:
I just discovered this thread. They are getting fishing cat and sand cat and black-footed cat and serval! :eek: A trip to North Carolina may be in my future...
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Conservators Center, Carolina Tiger Rescue, and Tier World have big cat collections
 
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