9 best museums for families in Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill
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9 best museums for families in Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill

9 places • 3 events • Updated Aug 27, 2026 at 12:41 PM EDT

The Triangle might be America's best small-city museum scene: three world-class free museums, two university galleries, a planetarium, and children's museums built for touching everything. These are the nine our readers visit on repeat — free-admission flags noted.

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Places to visit (9)

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Upcoming events (3)

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Saturday, November 14
Sunday, November 15
Saturday, December 12

Questions parents ask

Which museums are free? +
NC Museum of Natural Sciences, NC Museum of History, NC Museum of Art, Ackland, Nasher (select days) and Gregg are all free; planetarium shows cost extra.
What age are children's museums for? +
Marbles and Kidzu target roughly ages 0–10; even 11–12-year-olds enjoy IMAX films and maker spaces.
Do I need to book ahead? +
Walk-ins work everywhere except special exhibits and Morehead Planetarium shows, which sell out on weekends.
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