Technically, they are indigeonous to North Carolina, so they will experience cold and occasional freezing. The AL after your zone and temps have me confused. I thought AL was the abbreviation for Alabama and those temps, if Fahrenheit, are too cold for both Alabama and VFT's. Alaska sounds more like it (0-5 F), but the abbreviation for Alaska is AK.... I think. Basically, VFT's can survive temps in the 20's F, but I like to keep them just above the freezing mark, for their winter dormancy period.

Go to the link below for Average Annual Minimum Temperature map.
Yes, I do live in USDA 7a in north Alabama and it normally does get down in the single digits here 1 or 2 nights every year. The last few years the lowest winter temperature here has been 5F and also one year it got down to 3F and is like this about every year. But single digits like this normally only happens 1 or 2 times a year. Bit most commonly it gets down teens and twenties many times here during the winter.

The natural range for the VFT is in zone 7B and 8a which normally 1 or 2 nights a year in the winter it will down to 5F on the inland range in NC and 10F at the coast. Yes this is what the VFT normally stands in the wild. Most people do not know how cold hardy this little plant is naturally in the wild like it has been for thousands and thousands of years. And like the link I posted above in my first post some sources show it can survive in zone 6 or temperatures below zero temperatures in the ground, it's pretty interesting.

Again look at the hardness zone map link below (I want to note that this is not the average winter temperature this is the average yearly lowest temperature that normally only comes 1 or 2 nights a year at least).

Here is a link that might be useful: Hardness zone map

I think that you'll be fine weather-wise. Check out the bog forum discussion on this topic, linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bog forum

Yes i think your VFT will be just fine. However, before planting it into the ground, make sure that you have a real sphagnum moss bog because I had a friend that planted one in what he thought was sphagnum moss but the VFT died within about a week because there were more minerals in the soil than he had thought. Hope everything works out!

Tempwise you're OK.... at least I hope so since it's 8º here right now! Actually it's been colder than that many times since I've had mine in the ground outdoors.

The rest... who knows? Certainly sounds like it's worth trying, I know I would.

Good luck!

The reason why coastal north and south carolina have venus flytraps is the plants are sheltered somewhat from very cold air. The sphagnum moss forms seepage areas and bogs which are dense and VERY acidic (3 on the Ph scale) which also resists freezing in most cases. The sphagnum moss is so acidic that even when temps get down to the 15F mark, it is actually much warmer as the air that low to the ground is not as cold, the acidity helps resist freezing, and the plants have built in insulation being surrounded by sphagnum moss. If I were you, for winter dormancy I would wrap the plant itself in a slightly damp sphagnum moss ball, place it in a cup with just lightly moist peat around the ball of moss and put it in a fridge that is no colder than 33F. The plants I have read can supposedly stand temperatures down to 20F but some orchids are supposed to handle down to 25F and have been killed by nights in the mid 30's in the panhandle. I would take anything you read with a grain of salt and not expose small or newly received plants to anything near freezing. Better safe than sorry I say, and the plant will still go dormant with any temp less than 40F at night. Remember everyone for plants, dormancy is simply a period of rest, not deep sleep or hibernation so you don't want to throw your plant in a meat locker and freeze it to death and expect it to just sprout back the next spring- they are not animals that burrow or use caves, they are plants that use mother nature as an insulator so be careful what you expose a plant to. Like I said, the plant with still go inactive at night and use light photosynthesis during the daylight if you give the plant sun during the day and put it in a fridge at night. I find the fridge to be the easiest way to get any kind of plant- orchid or carnivorous plants alike through winter dormancy and ready to flower without killing the plant. As long as temps are cooled off and the plant has only lightly moist medium and is put in a ziploc bag to prevent desiccation in the fridge, it should be fine when you take it out in the spring to grow.