Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park
The NCMA continues to develop the Park to improve visitor experience through design that grounds the Museum in its natural and cultural surroundings. Find out more in the 2021 Museum Park Vision Plan.
Visit the Park often to find your own special connection, and sign up for email updates to learn more about Park events and news.
Art in the Park

Park Information
- The Museum Park is open free to the public from dawn to dusk.
- A Cardinal Bikeshare kiosk is located at the Reedy Creek Road entrance. Rent a bike to ride the paved trails.
- Bus stops are located at both Reedy Creek Road and District Drive entrances. See the Go Raleigh Blue Ridge Road Bus Schedule.
- Bike or walk to the Museum Park via the Capital Area Greenway.
- Construction and trail closures:
- Work is underway in the southeast corner of the Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park as part of the I-440 improvement project. All work is taking place in the right-of-way and not on Museum Park property. The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2022. If you have any questions, please visit the NC Department of Transportation website.
- The DHHS, COR, and DOT will begin work along Blue Ridge Road effective August 2022, ending in 2025. We will do our best to provide updates of major disruptions as we know of them. We look forward to these positive contributions planned for the Blue Ridge corridor.
The Welcome Center is located adjacent to the upper Museum parking lots along Blue Ridge Road, near the smokestack. Restrooms, water fountains, food, and select retail items are available. Families can check out free bilingual Park Packs filled with materials in English and Spanish during food and retail hours.
Restrooms are open daily dawn to dusk; food and retail hours are seasonal, with the current hours of Saturday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.
If you are interested in renting the Welcome Center space for an event, please contact Karissa Stephenson karissa@Cateringworks.com
Scavenger Hunt
Explore the Museum Park through the Art + Nature + People scavenger hunt. This interactive activity takes you throughout our 164-acre Park and encourages creative experiences and human interactions for all ages. To use, download the PDF, grab a hard copy from the Museum Park Welcome Center, or request one from our Park rangers when you visit.
Endangered Species
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (fws.gov/law/endangered-species-act) with this scavenger hunt!
Park rules protect visitor safety, works of art, and the environment.
Public Safety- It is unlawful to possess firearms or other weapons on Museum grounds.
- Fireworks, cap pistols, air guns, bows and arrows, slingshots, and lethal projectiles of any kind are strictly prohibited.
- Possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited except during Museum-organized events.
- Drones or other mechanical flying devices are prohibited.
- Unauthorized motor vehicles are prohibited on Park trails.
- Overnight camping, charcoal grills, and fires are prohibited.
- Gatherings in the Park cannot involve the use of confetti, paper poppers, etc.
- Bicyclists and skateboarders must yield to pedestrians and be courteous of other trail users.
- Bicyclists should give an audible signal when passing.
- Speed limit for trail users is 10 mph.
- Pets must be on leash.
- Owners are required to clean up after their pets. Deposit pet waste in available trash receptacles.
- Owners may be asked to remove aggressive or noisy pets.
- Do not climb on or touch works of art in the Park, unless otherwise indicated.
- Do not disturb natural areas. Removal or injury of any plant in the Park is prohibited.
- Carry all trash to a receptacle or out of the Park.
- Metal detectors are not permitted.
- Commercial business activity, including photography and video recording, is permitted only with prior authorization.
- It is prohibited to remove, destroy, or damage plant life or property.
- It is prohibited to kill, trap, or harm wildlife.
Explore featured art, nature, and campus history tours, audio descriptions, GPS navigation of the Museum Park, and more. Learn about the NCMA Park App here.
The All-Access Eco Trail invites you to explore plant life, wildlife, and habitats in the Park. On this trail the longest route is approximately three-quarters of a mile in one direction, with 13 stops. For a shorter experience, you can follow three signs that end at the Ellipse. This route is approximately one-quarter of a mile on paved, mostly level pathways. Each stop includes audio-described stories about wildlife, information about the habitats around you, and sensory exploration prompts. Each sign includes large print, braille, and images you can touch. Mini-maps are included on the bottom left side of each sign to show the path to the next stop.
The All-Access Eco Trail opens in September 2023, and the audio tour will be available on the NCMA Park App or on SoundCloud.
For questions about the trail or accessibility in the Park, please email mhull@ncartmuseum.org.
- Lunar Bird, 1945, Joan Miró
- Abstract Fish no. 4, 2016, James Prosek
- Rodin Garden
- Ogromna, 2009, Ursula von Rydingsvard
- Askew, 2009, Roxy Paine
- Untitled, 1986, Ellsworth Kelly
- Knife Edge, 1961, Henry Spencer Moore
- Three Elements, 1965, Ronald Bladen
- Untitled, 1989, Joel Elias Shapiro
- Union 060719, 2019, Hoss Haley
- Flight Wind Reeds, 2003, Bill and Mary Buchen
- Mirror Labyrinth NY, 2016, Jeppe Hein
- Picture This, 1994–97, Barbara Kruger, Henry Smith-Miller, Laurie Hawkinson, and Nicholas Quennell
- Ulau, 2001, Mark di Suvero
- Collapse I, 2000, Ledelle Moe
- Gyre, 1999, Thomas Sayre
- Ernest and Ruth, 2015, Hank Willis Thomas
- Whisper Bench, 2008, Jim Gallucci
- Large Spindle Piece, 1974, Henry Spencer Moore
- No Fuss, 2003–8, Mark di Suvero
- Installation 1–183, 2019, Daniel Johnston
- Crossroads/Trickster I, 2005, Martha Jackson-Jarvis
- Wind Sculpture II, 2013, Yinka Shonibare, MBE
- Wind Machine, 2002, Vollis Simpson
- Invasive, 2008, Steed Taylor
- Benches and bicycle racks, 2005, Alvin Frega
- Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky, 2003, Chris Drury
- You & Me, 2010, Maria Elena González
- Untitled, 2007, Ledelle Moe
- Park Pictures, ongoing, various artists
- A Closer Look, 2010, Tim Purus
Park Projects

Welcome Center
The Welcome Center is located adjacent to the upper Museum parking lots along Blue Ridge Road, near the smokestack. Restrooms, water fountains, food, and select retail items are available. Families can check out free Park Packs filled with materials in English and Spanish during food and retail hours. Restrooms are open daily dawn to dusk; food and retail hours are seasonal, with current hours Saturday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.

Invasive Species Control
Museum Park staff members have expertise in horticulture and ecology. They consult with specialists at NC State to determine how best to handle the kudzu and blackberries on the Museum campus. These invasive species threaten other wildlife such as native trees. Volunteers and staff cut back the vines and bushes and carefully apply chemicals to slow their progress. But these invasive species will never fully disappear, making constant maintenance necessary.

Park Expansion

Park Volunteer Toolshed
The Museum partnered with North Carolina State University’s School of Architecture on a toolshed for volunteers. (The Museum also partnered with the school in 2012 for a pond platform project.) Graduate students in a summer 2016 Design/Build program led by Durham architects Randall Lanou and Ellen Cassilly designed and built the toolshed in the Carla McKinney Volunteer Garden. The structure supports volunteers’ weekly work in the Museum Park and provides a covered space for future programs in the garden.

Blue Loop Trail
Through a generous gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the Museum undertook a major expansion and revision of Park trails. The centerpiece of the project is a one-mile trail (the Blue Loop) for walking and cycling that opened a new section of the Park.

Pond Platform (“The Turning Point”)
The Museum partnered with NC State’s School of Architecture for this project. Graduate students in a summer Design/Build program led by architects Ellen Cassilly and Randy Lanou designed and built a viewing platform off the wooded path. From its deck visitors have a view across the water back to the Museum, reinforcing connections between Park and galleries while providing a respite and gathering place.

Museum Pond and Sustainable Irrigation System

West Building Landscape

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
A connector between two pieces of the Reedy Creek Greenway system, the 660-foot-long, 12-foot-wide triple-arch bridge provides safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists over the busy I–440 Beltline.