The Museum of Life and Science is the city's family science museum — a hundred-acre site in the north of Durham that combines a small zoo of native North Carolina wildlife (black bears, lemurs, red wolves), a butterfly conservatory, a large outdoor science playground, and a steam train that loops around the grounds.
It is squarely aimed at children but well thought through enough that adults find plenty to enjoy too. Allow a full day in summer; half a day off-season. Tickets are reasonable; the membership pays for itself after two visits for a Durham-resident family.