WNC Nature Center

WNC Nature Center Asheville's Wildlife Park
Plan your next visit at wildwnc.org! The WNC Nature Center is Asheville's premier wildlife park!
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This page is managed by the Friends of the WNC Nature Center, a 501c3 whose mission is to support and grow the facilities and programming of the WNC Nature Center through fundraising, events, membership and other outreach initiatives.

As we wrap up 2025, it’s time to reflect on a year that’s been filled with welcomed changes, wild challenges, animal ant...
12/29/2025

As we wrap up 2025, it’s time to reflect on a year that’s been filled with welcomed changes, wild challenges, animal antics and habitat hilarities that kept us all on our paws. Read the full review here https://conta.cc/44jPvi6

Freshly groomed and ready for visitors. Celebrate Visit a Zoo Day with us!
12/27/2025

Freshly groomed and ready for visitors. Celebrate Visit a Zoo Day with us!

As we celebrate the season, please note that the Nature Center will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.2025 ma...
12/24/2025

As we celebrate the season, please note that the Nature Center will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

2025 marked our centennial year, and we’re so grateful you’ve been part of our story. Wishing you a season filled with wonder and a new year full of adventure!

Illustration by Joe Richichi

Ahhh… the smell of a 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 Christmas tree 🎄 Frankie’s a fan!
12/23/2025

Ahhh… the smell of a 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 Christmas tree 🎄 Frankie’s a fan!

Bright news for the darkest day: more daylight starts tomorrow!
12/21/2025

Bright news for the darkest day: more daylight starts tomorrow!

🦉Barn owls don’t chew their food—when they snag a snack, they gulp it down whole and later cough up a neat little pell...
12/19/2025

🦉
Barn owls don’t chew their food—when they snag a snack, they gulp it down whole and later cough up a neat little pellet of fur and bones. Talk about efficiency!

Meet Po, our newest (and quite possibly fluffiest) resident. This 8-year-old barn owl recently arrived from the Museum of Boston, and we’re already smitten.

Come say hello to Po today at the Nature Center!

Due to a major water line break, the Nature Center will be closed today. Thursday, December 18, 2025.
12/18/2025

Due to a major water line break, the Nature Center will be closed today. Thursday, December 18, 2025.

It's Noa AND Hayla, our beautiful cougars. If you got it right, go ahead and brag in the comments section!
12/17/2025

It's Noa AND Hayla, our beautiful cougars. If you got it right, go ahead and brag in the comments section!

❓Are you feline like you know who this is? Tell us in the comments! We'll be back at 2 p.m. with the answer.
12/17/2025

❓Are you feline like you know who this is? Tell us in the comments! We'll be back at 2 p.m. with the answer.

12/15/2025

🔪🥕We’re back in the commissary with volunteer Ruth, who’s preparing a nutritious meal for coyotes Cal & Walker.

Keep the Nature Center fur-ward moving! Giving through the Mountain Xpress Give!Local campaign isn't just fun, it helps ...
12/14/2025

Keep the Nature Center fur-ward moving! Giving through the Mountain Xpress Give!Local campaign isn't just fun, it helps support the animals you love!

Take a look at what's in store for you when you donate to the Nature Center through Give! Local:

🐾$25 = Free day pass to the Nature Center.
🐾$50 = The above + an enamel Nature Center Centennial lapel pin.
🐾$100 = All of the above + an animal sticker drawn by a local artist and a wooden Nature Center Centennial ornament.
🐾$250 = All of the above + an invitation to our special engagement, Tea & Turtles, and will be entered to win a chance for two people to visit on habitat with red pandas Phoenix & BB.
🐾$500 = or more will receive all the above, plus a private guided tour of the Nature Center with animal enrichment for two people.

Gifts will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $2,500, thanks to Loti Woods and Dale Weiler on behalf of Champions for Wildlife!

To donate: www.givelocalguide.org/nonprofits/friends-of-the-wnc-nature-center/

Did you know that a chimpanzee named Mr. Jenks lived at the Nature Center in the 1960s? Back then, we were called Recr...
12/12/2025

Did you know that a chimpanzee named Mr. Jenks lived at the Nature Center in the 1960s? Back then, we were called Recreation Park Zoo. These days, our focus is on animals native to our region, but judging from this old news clip, it looks like Mr. Jenks was very popular.

💯As part of our Centennial Year Celebration, we're offering LIMITED EDITION adoptions of some of our most beloved animals of the past. Adopt Mr. Jenks through the end of December and get 50% off with code ADOPTME. Be sure and order by December 16 for USPS delivery before Christmas. Need to pick up at the Nature Center? No problem, just let us know in the notes section of the order form.

❤Adopt an animal here https://wildwnc.org/adopt/

Address

75 Gashes Creek Road
Asheville, NC
28805

Telephone

+18282598092

Website

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