2024 Annual Comprehensive Report

The Greensboro Science Center (GSC) is a three-in-one science destination that includes an aquarium, zoo, and science museum. The original Science Center was opened in 1957. The zoo was added in 2008 and the aquarium in 2013, with an extension completed in 2017. The 119,500-gallon aquarium showcases diverse species of marine life while highlighting ocean conservation. The science museum features an OmniSphere Theater, human health and biology wing, interactive dinosaur experience, and the Science Advancement through Innovative Learning (SAIL) Center. Along with the zoo’s captivating animal exhibits, it also features a hands-on farmyard and SKYWILD, an aerial attraction of ropes, platforms, and zip lines. The aerial obstacle course is designed for education, entertainment, physical fitness, team building, leadership training, and pure thrill seeking. In summer 2019, the GSC announced it 10-year master plan for 2020-2030, “The Gateway Project: The Art and Science of Imagination” . The plan sets forth a fully immersive experience including the construction of Wunderworld, an underground experience of nature and science. The 10-year plan will also incorporate 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. Opened 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. 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. 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. 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.

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