North Carolina Zoological Society

The North Carolina Zoological Society is the nonprofit membership and conservation organization that supports the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro — one of the largest natural habitat zoos in the world. As a visitor to the NC Zoo, you are visiting the Zoological Society's home campus, and a Society membership directly supports the zoo's conservation and education work.

For practical purposes, visiting this listing means visiting the North Carolina Zoo — the same 500-acre facility featuring African elephants, polar bears, gorillas, rhinos, and hundreds of other species in naturalistic habitats. All of the visit planning information from the NC Zoo listing applies here.

The distinction matters for families who care about supporting the institutions they visit. The NC Zoological Society membership offers annual unlimited access to the zoo at a price that pays for itself in two visits, while simultaneously supporting the zoo's conservation programs, wildlife care, and educational initiatives. For North Carolina families who visit the NC Zoo regularly, Society membership is the most direct way to benefit both the family and the animals.

The zoo itself is genuinely extraordinary — consistently ranked among the top zoological parks in the United States for the quality and scale of its animal habitats. Plan a full day, wear comfortable shoes, bring a loaded cooler, and arrive at the 9am opening to see the most animal activity before crowds build.