Asia Opens at the NC Zoo Before Winter Pricing Ends

What does a $15 ticket to the North Carolina Zoo get you on March 1, 2027? It gets you the whole park, plus a 12.5-acre continent that hasn't opened to the public yet. The zoo has set Asia's opening for March 1. Its winter pricing runs through March 14. So the first two weeks of the zoo's biggest addition in more than 30 years fall inside the cheapest, shortest season of the year.

Between now and then, the zoo runs on a winter routine that differs from summer in several ways. It has one entrance, a shorter day, a different walking order, and a smaller list of things that are open. Those differences come one after another, starting Monday, Nov. 16.

What changes on Nov. 16

Peak season ends on Sunday, Nov. 15. From Nov. 16 through March 14, the zoo is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last entry at 3 p.m. In peak season it's open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last entry at 4 p.m. It's closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day and open rain or shine on every other day.

Ticket prices drop by about a quarter for adults:

Online tickets have one catch. They're good only for the date you choose, and you have to buy them at least a day ahead. Same-day online purchases can't be processed. If you decide on Saturday morning to go, you'll pay the gate price. The NC EBT rate of $5 a ticket, for up to four tickets, is in person and same-day only, with the cardholder present.

One door for the whole winter

The biggest practical change is at the parking lot. From November to March, the Africa parking lots and admission gates are closed, though they may open on some high-attendance weekends. Everyone else parks and enters at North America, and the whole park, including the Africa habitats, is reachable from that gate. Ticket sales run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through the winter season.

The single entrance explains why the parking-lot shuttle stops. That shuttle runs outside the park between the two lots only from March 15 to November 15. It exists for people who finish at the other entrance from where they parked. With one gate in use, there's no other entrance to get back from. The Connector Trail from the parking lot also closes Nov. 16 through March 14.

The in-park trams and buses keep running between three stops: North America, Junction Plaza and Africa. Junction Plaza is the hub. One loop runs from North America to Junction Plaza and the other from Africa to Junction Plaza. You can't see animals from the vehicles. The current transportation page says they come about every 30 minutes, and longer when it's busy. The zoo's seasonal tips page still says every 15 to 20 minutes, so plan on the longer wait. Service from the North America and Africa stops ends 30 minutes before closing, which in winter means 3:30 p.m. From Junction Plaza it continues until every guest is out.

If you're coming back from Africa late in the day, that last 3:30 departure is the one to watch.

Start in North America and let Africa warm up

Entering at North America happens to match how the animals behave in cold weather. When it's below 45 degrees, many African species can go into heated indoor quarters. The zoo's own winter advice is to see North America first and cross to Africa later, because more of the African animals may come out as the afternoon warms.

A winter day built on that advice runs in this order:

1. Park and enter at North America. Strollers and wheelchairs can be rented at the Earth Explorer gift shop just inside the gates.
2. Walk North America in the morning. A December 2022 post on the zoo's blog named polar bears, Arctic foxes, grizzly bears, black bears, bison and elk as North American animals that are especially active in cold months.
3. Warm up in the Desert. The zoo's seasonal tips page calls this North America building "a beautiful indoor heated space to visit along the way." It sits under a glass dome, and free-flight birds live inside.
4. Take the tram to Junction Plaza, then on to Africa, after midday. That gives the African animals the warmest part of the day to come outside.
5. Head back toward North America before 3:30 p.m. if you plan to ride from the Africa stop.

The zoo's own older post, Making the Most of a Winter Visit at the Zoo, still tells bird-watchers to hurry to the RJR Forest Aviary when it opens. The aviary closed to visitors on Jan. 24, 2022, and the zoo announced in April 2022 that the closure was permanent.

What's shut until spring

The shorter day comes with a shorter list of things that are open. The zoo says its seasonal attractions close for winter and reopen in April.

• Carousel: posted season March 15 to November 15.
• Zoofari: posted season March 21 to November 15.
• Butterfly garden: posted season May 1 to September 30 for the Kaleidoscope Butterfly Garden.
• Treehouse Trek: posted season March 15 to November 15. Its page also shows a notice that it's temporarily closed for maintenance.
• Garden Friends Playground: open every day of the year during zoo hours.
• Kidzone: its own page lists a season of March 15 to November 1, with the Play Stream shutting down Nov. 1, 2026. The seasonal tips page lists Kidzone and Gorilla Playscape as open all year. Check the Kidzone page before promising it to a child.

The trails on Purgatory Mountain stay open year-round on days the zoo is open, with November-through-March hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Two Tuesdays set aside for a quieter visit

The zoo's November and December calendars list no holiday light show or evening event this year. What they do list is Quiet Days. The next two are Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday, Dec. 15. The zoo offers sensory bags and marked quiet areas, keeps sensory play quieter, and turns off loud music and messaging.

The Quiet Days page gives Dec. 15 hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. That's an hour past the posted winter closing time, so confirm with the zoo before planning a late afternoon around it.

March 1 lands inside the winter calendar

Low season keeps its prices and hours through March 14. Peak season starts March 15. Asia opens at noon on March 1, so for its first two weeks it's on winter terms: $15 at the gate for an adult, $14 online, and closing at 4 p.m. The zoo says Asia is included with general admission.

The region covers 12.5 acres and brings nearly 50 new species. They include critically endangered Malayan tigers, Visayan warty pigs, white-cheeked gibbons and Chinese alligators, along with Komodo dragons, king cobras, crocodile monitors and four-eyed turtles. It will have more than 6,000 new plants, a café overlooking the tiger habitat, an overhead tiger walk, and a gift shop next door. The last development on this scale was the North America section in 1994. In the zoo's Oct. 5 announcement, Zoo Director and CEO Dr. Mark Penning described what it means for the park:

"Asia marks an important milestone in the Zoo's 52-year history."

Some of Asia's residents have already arrived. Six critically endangered Visayan warty piglets were born in the Asia region. Four of them, born to Buddy and Makaio, make up the largest litter recorded under the species' Species Survival Plan and the first U.S. litter since 2022. The piglets aren't on public view yet. The zoo held a public vote to name four of them, which closed Oct. 30, and said it would announce the winning names on Nov. 2.

The math on a winter membership

Two adults and two children ages 3 to 12 pay $52 at the gate in low season, or $48 online. A one-year Family membership costs $109. It covers two adults and up to eight children under 18 and gets you into the members-only express entry lane. Companion is $89, Zookeeper is $200 and Curator is $300. Members 62 and older can get a 20 percent membership discount, which the zoo says to confirm with the Zoo Society.

On the calendar, a one-year membership bought in late November is still valid on March 1, when Asia opens, and through the whole peak season after it. If you show up without your card, the zoo says to bring photo ID.

We plan things around timelines and fine print every day at Agile Property Management, and the zoo's season change on Nov. 16 is the same kind of calendar detail. If you're new to the Triangle and building your weekends around places like Asheboro, or comparing how far different parts of the region are from the day trips you'll take most, Start a Conversation with us.