North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Make your wedding as unique as the two of you! Experience the extraordinary at The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the largest natural science museum in the Southeast, located in downtown Raleigh.

Couples love the museum’s modern architecture as a backdrop for their own festivities. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, or NCMNS, has large, open spaces and interesting built-in entertainment for guests, from its exhibits to the spacious rooftop event deck overlooking Raleigh.

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences – An Experiential Wedding Venue in Raleigh

This downtown Raleigh museum wedding venue is one of the most recognizable local sites. Guests will marvel at the massive globe at the entry and its fabulous one-of-a-kind spaces for your wedding day. 

Each floor provides a unique opportunity for exploration and fun. Guests will enjoy relaxing with the view of a dramatic two-story waterfall, a scenic mountain cove, a variety of live animals, fascinating whale skeletons and impressive dinosaurs. There are enticing exhibits like a 10,000-gallon aquarium with native fish, gem collections and land of the dinosaurs within four floors of museum spaces.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is a great place to host a rehearsal dinner or wedding and is just steps from some of downtown Raleigh’s hottest bars and restaurants as well as plenty of hotels for out-of-town guests. Plus, you and your guests won’t be able to get enough of the museum’s exclusive catering services from Rocky Top Catering. Even better? Hosting your event at NCMNS will directly support the museum’s vital research, exhibits and educational programs, adding a philanthropic benefit to your big day.

Unique Event Spaces and Downtown Raleigh Views

The Acro Dome, located on the third level of the Nature Exploration Center, is one of the museum’s most impressive event space features. Exchange vows, host cocktail hour or dance beneath the dome’s brilliant view of the sky.

Or, start your celebration on the first floor in the Coastal Carolina Hallway, with room to say “I do” in front of 100 of your friends and family. Afterward, invite guests up to the third floor for dancing among the dinosaurs. Yes, you heard us right. This prehistoric North Carolina-themed event space features a giant ground sloth, brontosaurus and a host of other prehistoric wedding crashers.

Transform the Hidden Gems exhibit into a speakeasy or a chic dance floor on the second level of the Nature Exploration Center, or throw a party in the paleontology lab on the third floor. A working research facility, the Nature Research Center wing of the museum has a plethora of both event spaces and scientific specimens.

Large Weddings in Downtown Raleigh

The WRAL Theater on the first floor can host up to 275 guests, ideal for larger weddings. This is no ordinary auditorium. It includes a state-of-the-art presentation area with a variety of media amenities.

Discover the expansive William G. Ross, Jr. Environmental Conference Center on the fourth floor, featuring custom reclaimed wood. This event space can be divided to suit your wedding size and style, is wonderful for an elegant evening event and includes access to a rooftop terrace with stunning Raleigh views.

The museum’s connected building offers flexible spaces that can accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from intimate ceremonies and business meetings to large wedding receptions and corporate events – with space for as many as 2,000 guests.