2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report

incorporate an artful and technology-infused linkage to connect attractions throughout the 400 acres of the Battleground Parks District that include the GSC, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Country Park, Jaycee Park and Lewis Recreation Center. The plans incorporate a hillside amphitheater, boardwalk and park pathways, public art and outdoor educational venues, and a lakeside promenade. Opening in June 2021, GSC’s 13-acre expansion, Revolution Ridge: Life on the Edge , is its largest project since inception in 1957. This core vision was realized, in part through the “Think BIG Together!” campaign which raised $13 million in private donations to supplement funds from the previously approved $20 million City bond referendum in 2009. In total, GSC matched the $20 million bond funds dollar for dollar with private and operational funds. GSC’s zoological experience is “revolutionary” in terms of zoo design, educational technology and dedication to species preservation. In addition to various improvements made over the past few years, the expansion doubles the size of the zoo and adds an animal health center, butterfly house and Monarch conservation project, endangered cat complex, Okapi giraffe forest, aquatic water garden, and greenhouse.

In April 2021, GSC opened its Treehouse Adventure, a treetop science exploration playground connecting the existing Animal Discovery Zoo to Revolution Ridge. The attraction is made up of 4 treehouses and 4 crow’s nests interconnected by a series of bridges, net climbing structures, hoops, logs and steps, allowing visitors to experience the ecosystem around them and discover local wildlife as they climb and explore. In addition, a handcrafted carousel with Greensboro themed figures opened to the public in August 2020.

The July 2022 bond referendum included $20 million for GSC’s further expansion which includes two major additions. The first project, “Expedition Rainforest: Greensboro Biodome”, will be comprised of an interconnected complex with rockscapes, waterfalls and tropical foliage, swinging bridges and replicas of ancient art from around the world. Animal encounters include sloths, toucans, clouded leopards, caiman, capybaras, giant tortoises, birds of the Amazon and more. The second project, “The Rehabilitation and Care Complex”, will be part of the Wiseman Aquarium with an ocean lab designed to propagate threatened species and rehabilitate sea turtles, sharks, ray and other fish. Visitors will be able to observe and interact with biologists, veterinarians and aquarists. GSC’s latest pre-pandemic annual report shows 445,646 visitors and an annual local economic impact of $77 million, three times compared to a decade earlier. GSC estimates more than 540,000 visitors for the 12 months ended June 2022. With GSC’s plans for the two new projects, GSC aims to increase attendance to 750,000 and annual economic impact from $77 million to $100 million. Since 2014, GSC has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums , an award that only 223 of the more than 2,000 qualified national facilities receive. GSC is the only facility in the state to offer an accredited science museum, zoological park, and aquarium in a single destination. It is ranked number three in North Carolina as the top field trip attraction, receiving students, visitors and educators from throughout the state.

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