Cape Fear Serpentarium

Permanently closed as of May2018

Unfortunately the Cape Fear Serpentarium has closed, per a google search in July 2018

We attempted to go here on 7/1/2018. Their web page and FB is not active. While looking online for a phone number to call and see if they were open and how long we came across several news articles saying the owner was shot/killed in 2017 by his wife and the place is permanently closed. One article did say it may be reopening in 2018, but I can't confirm that. Just be aware if traveling from another area far away, that you may not be able to go.

This place is simply fabulous! More and healthier reptiles than I have ever seen, with detailed natural histories and gigantic enclosures that look like something from Indian Jones. I was especially surprised to see the crocodiles and gigantic snapping turtle.

This is a terrific place for all ages. The whole presentation is charmingly done and the animals are in glorious, predatory form, very active and beautiful. We have been back about 10 times by now and always make sure to see the feeding show. The owner is quite a showman and extremely well spoken, so hopefully he is there on the day you visit.

I took my family in first part of November a couple weeks before Thanksgiving after seeing a curator on a news video on a shared Facebook page through a client who is really crazy about reptiles, and he had been told about this place, or maybe this curator. As a part time resident, I wanted to check it out before taking them. Pleasantly surprised the same man, the curator, was there and he was even better and more impressive in person, entertaining and educational, he put on a feeding show so exciting and fascinating that we couldn't wait to return and bring the same people who were so anxious to see it firsthand, my out of town clients during their visit after Thanksgiving. I would have given this place 5 stars, That day was a fluke I guess. Now here's why they get 1 star, because I would give 0 but it won't accept the review and everyone should be forewarned before spending money. Firstly, the smell hit us first. The birds in the lobby entry area had not been cleaned in a long while. The large piles of poop were disgusting. The cages along the lobby had no water and were filthy. The interior reptiles were worse. There was excrement in every exhibit. The place was dirty. The owner who gave a monotone dialogue during a very disorganized and boring feeding show. He is very impressed by himself and didn't seem to notice or care about the sad inhumane filth and dry water bowls in his own animals enclosure's but talked on about himself a legend in his own mind. Really, who would tell people they've been bit 10 times. The whole visit was a huge embarrassment. I don't know what happened to the place but it was a huge waste of money. And the owner thinks he is some kind of Mensa graduate when actually he has no business sense opening and taking customers money when the place is in such poor shape. Just greed and arrogance. To top it off, his toddler was running around unsupervised and lashed out hitting and rough housing our guests children. I feel sorry for the child if he's as neglected as those animals are. The humane society and child social services both need to pay a visit to that place.