Greensboro Science Center adds family restrooms, boardwalk view of Biodome work

Families walking the Greensboro Science Center’s upper zoo plaza now have a more practical stop near the Aldabra tortoise exhibit: new restrooms with a family restroom, an adult changing table, child changing tables, water fountains and a water bottle filler. The changes matter most for parents, caregivers and visitors with accessibility needs, giving them a cleaner, easier place to stay on campus longer while construction continues around one of Greensboro’s biggest attractions.

The center also opened a new viewing spot along the boardwalk that lets guests look directly at Biodome construction. Instead of hiding the work behind a fence line, the overlook shows heavy equipment and early structural work taking shape, turning the project into part of the visit. For a place that depends on repeat family trips, the move gives visitors something to see now, even though the larger attraction is still months away from opening.

SKYWILD will remain in its temporary location near the gibbon exhibit through May 2026, while the Biodome is expected to be completed in spring or summer 2027. That timeline gives the Science Center a long runway to keep the campus usable and appealing during construction, a critical strategy for maintaining memberships, attendance and goodwill as work continues around the site.

The bigger plan, called Expedition Rainforest: the Greensboro Biodome and Aquatic Rehabilitation and Conservation Center, is a 32,000-square-foot project that will stretch from the current campus toward Lawndale Drive. The five-story Biodome is planned as a living tropical rainforest and a Species Survival Plan breeding center for species such as sloths, toucans and clouded leopards. The project also includes an ARCC, plus an outdoor tortoise exhibit, bird island, a sloth island treehouse, a clouded leopard viewing area and a giant sloth skeleton exhibit meant to connect the attraction to the region’s prehistoric past.

Glenn Dobrogosz, the center’s executive director and CEO, has said the Biodome-ARCC project could help the Greensboro Science Center draw about 750,000 visitors a year and generate about $100 million annually. The center’s project page says construction began in the first quarter of 2025 and is expected to wrap around the second quarter of 2027, with a tentative grand opening in summer 2027. FOX8 WGHP also reported that the upper zoo plaza will eventually add a new café, enhanced retail and rental spaces, while some animals, including meerkats and Aldabra tortoises, are being temporarily relocated during construction.