Butterfly Gardens, Houses, Exhibits, and Displays in the USA

Get up close and personal with butterflies at a butterfly exhibit near you!

Alabama

Huntsville Botanical Garden - Purdy Butterfly House: 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, AL, USA; Phone: 256-830-4447; Website; This beautiful, soaring 9000 sq. ft. natural stone and steel beam structure overlooking the entrance pond is home to thousands of native butterflies, tadpoles, frogs, button quail, turtles and other critters. Waterfall, ponds, streams, lush vegetation and flowering plants invite visitors to experience this varied and colorful collection of flora and fauna. The Purdy Butterfly House is open May through September.

Arizona

Butterfly Wonderland: 9500 E. Via de Ventura, Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Website
: Butterfly Wonderland takes flight as a highly innovative, indoor rainforest environment featuring the largest butterfly pavilion in America. You'll be welcomed into a magnificent, lush, rainforest environment where thousands of butterflies from around the world fly freely, alighting on fragrant flowering plants and, quite possibly, on a friendly visitor's shoulder or finger.

Desert Botanical Garden

1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Website

For more than 70 years, the Desert Botanical Garden has been teaching and inspiring visitors from the local community and around the world, providing research, exhibits and more designed to help us understand, protect and preserve the desert.s natural beauty.

Tucson Botanical Gardens

2150 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ, USA

Phone: 520.326.9686 Fax: 520.324.0166

Website

Email: info@tucsonbotanical.org

The Tucson Botanical Gardens, a tranquil oasis in the heart of Tucson, strives to be recognized and respected as the best small public garden in America. The Tucson Botanical Gardens promotes responsible and appropriate use of plants and water in a desert environment through education and demonstration and provides a place of beauty and tranquility for Tucson residents and visitors.

California

Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park: 3050 Hecker Pass Road, Gilroy, CA, USA; Phone: 408-840-7100; Website; A theme park featuring unique trees and other flora. Has large seasonal exhibit of monarch butterflies.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - Butterfly Pavilion: 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, USA; Phone: (213) 763-DINO; Website; More than 30 native North American butterfly species and an array of plants take up residence every summer for our much-anticipated living habitat, the Butterfly Pavilion. Wander through a unique changing ecosystem, witness free-flying creatures interacting with plant life, and emerge with a better understanding of the environment needed for the survival of these spectacular animals.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park: 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road , Escondido, CA, USA; Website; Seasonal butterfly jungle
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: 1001 Fairgrounds Dr. SW, Vallejo, CA, USA; Phone: 707-643-6722; Website; This tropical paradise is filled with butterflies of various colors and sizes from all over the world. The 100-foot-by-50-foot glass atrium was originally the first major walk-through butterfly habitat in the western United States when it opened in 1988. Inside you.ll find some 500 free-flying butterflies of up to 25 different species
Turtle Bay Exploration Park: 844 Sundial Bridge Drive, Redding, CA, USA; Phone: 1-800-TURTLEBAY; Website; Turtle Bay Exploration Park educates visitors of all ages with entertaining and stimulating exhibitions and programs that interpret the complex relationships between people and their environments. Using the unique cultural, historical, and natural resources including those in the Sacramento River Region, Turtle Bay serves as a catalyst for exploring universal human experiences. Seasonal butterfly exhibit.
Butterfly Farms: 441 Saxony Road, Encinitas, CA 92024 USA; Website; At 3000 square feet, our Butterfly Vivarium is the largest native butterfly free house in Southern California. It's a place where children and adults alike can experience the magic of Butterflies. Our vivarium is home at different times to many different local butterfly species, including the Cloudless Sulfur, Cabbage Whites, Painted Ladies, Gulf Fritillaries, Mourning Cloaks, Giant, Desert and Anise Swallowtails, our most popular butterfly, the Monarch, and many other species of butterflies.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: 10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, FL 33156 USA; Website; Enjoy hundreds of spectacular butterflies year-round. Exotic butterflies like the heliconids, morphos and owl butterflies from Central America and South America will be performing their aerial displays of wonder all around you as you stroll through the meandering paths.
Water Conservation Garden: 12122 Cuyamaca College Dr West, El Cajon, CA 92019 USA; Website; The Dorcas E. Utter Memorial Butterfly Pavilion is a glass and steel structure inspired by Victorian era conservatories, and features colorful butterflies native to Southern California and the beautiful drought-tolerant nectar flowers that support them.

Colorado

Butterfly Pavilion: 6252 West 104th Ave., Westminster, CO, USA; Phone: 303-469-5441 Fax: 303-657-5944; Website; Email: VisitorServices@butterflies.org; We are home to over 5,000 animals! Embark on an adventure to the realm of Rosie, our famous tarantula. Step to Water.s Edge to be immersed in an underwater world full of sea creatures. Explore our tropical rainforest where 1,600 butterflies rule the sky! End your journey in our gardens and nature trail where you.re sure to see critters of all kinds.
Western Colorado Botanical Gardens: 641 Struthers Avenue, Grand Junction, CO, USA; Phone: (970) 245-3288 Fax: (970) 245-9001; Email: info@wcbotanic.org; The WCBG is home to an Herb Garden, Cactus Garden, Rose Garden and Orchid Display that are maintained by local gardening organizations. The WCBG maintains several other gardens including the Childrens Secret Garden, Shozan-en, Celebration Plaza, Community Garden and the lovely public gardens that surround our buildings. As the WCBG grows, more gardens will be developed.

Delaware

Ashland Nature Center Butterfly House: 3511 Barley Mill Road, Hockessin, DE, USA; Phone: 302.239.2334; Website; This 18 ft. x 30 ft. mesh greenhouse is home to about 15 species of butterflies and moths including great spangled fritillaries, monarchs, swallowtails, painted ladies and cecropias. Unlike other exhibits, it is a complete ecosystem, containing water, shelter, food and host plants for each species. Programs focus on the mysteries of metamorphosis, the food web and the importance of habitats.

District of Columbia

Smithsonian Butterfly Garden: Washington, DC, USA; Website; Stroll among butterflies & beautiful blooming plants in this tropical oasis. Butterflies fly freely around the Pavilion, landing on plants and sometimes people. The Butterfly Pavilion is a brightly lit climate-controlled environment kept at 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 percent humidity, making it the ideal home for hundreds of butterflies.

Florida

Arnold's Butterfly Haven: Lake Okeechobee, FL, USA; Phone: 863-634-6804; Website; Email: Info@ArnoldsButterflyHaven.com; Arnold.s Butterfly Haven is a half-acre, free-ranging butterfly garden in the shape of the Zebra Longwing. It contains over 2000 native larval and nectar plants, specific to indigenous butterfly species.
Brevard Zoo: 8225 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL, USA; Phone: 321.254.9453 Fax: 321.259.5966; Website; Email: admin@brevardzoo.org; Open-Air Butterfly Garden
Butterfly World: Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek, FL, USA; Phone: 954-977-4400; Website; Since its doors first opened in the Spring of 1988, Butterfly World has introduced hundreds of thousands of visitors to the wonders of Lepidoptera and the natural world around us all. Butterfly World is the largest butterfly facility in the world today.
Caribbean Gardens, the Zoo in Naples: 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples, FL, USA; Phone: (239) 262-5409; Website; Open-Air Butterfly Garden
Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens: 3755 NW Hwy 17-92, Sanford, FL, USA; Phone: 407.323.4450; Website; Email: information@centralfloridazoo.org; Open-Air Butterfly Garden
Florida Museum of Natural History - Butterfly Rainforest: Powell Hal, UF Cultural Plaza - SW 34th Street and Hull Road, Gainesville, FL, USA; Phone: 352-846-2000; Website; The Butterfly Rainforest is a living exhibit that features hundreds of free-flying butterflies and birds from around the world along with an assortment of other animals including turtles and fish to experience first-hand. The lush landscape is planted in tropical trees and colorful flowering plants amid waterfalls and a walking path. Skilled interpretive staff are available to help answer questions and provide visitors with a personal and highly engaging experience.
Lukas Butterfly Encounter: 1909 Slavia Rd., Oviedo, FL, USA; Phone: 407-365-6163; Website; Email: butterflyencounter@lukasnursery.com; This year round butterfly and bird conservatory offers a one-of-a-kind experience, where one can mingle among the most beautiful "flying flowers", cheerfully chirping exotic finches, and Chinese button quail. Even experience the chance to feed butterflies from your finger tips!
Panhandle Butterfly House: 8581 Navarre Parkway, Navarre, FL, USA; Website; Email: grouptours@panhandlebutterflyhouse.org; Sharing the wonder of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. Educating visitors on our native butterfly species and how they contribute to our local agriculture, gardens and beauty
The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory: 1316 Duval St., Key West, FL, USA; Phone: (305) 296-2988 / (800) 839-4647; Website; Email: info@keywestbutterfly.com; Besides 75 species of butterflies and many plants, also features at least 4 types of "butterfly-friendly" birds and 2 kinds of frogs.

Georgia

Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail in Plains: Main Street, PO Box 17, GA, USA; Phone: 229-824-4567; Website; Email: plainsed@jimmycarter.info; We have 11 small public gardens in Plains. The trail begins at the roadside garden of President and Mrs. Carter's home in Plains. If you have a butterfly garden and would like to join the trail go to www.jimmycater.info/Carterbutterflytrail.htm. We have a listing for private, public and school gardens located outside of Plains.
The Day Butterfly Center: Callaway Gardens, 17800 US Hwy 27, Pine Mountain, GA, USA; Phone: 1.800.225.5292; Website; Flights of fancy await you in the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, where hundreds of butterflies flutter freely about in one of North America's largest glass-enclosed tropical butterfly conservatories. The Day Butterfly Center is a living, dynamic environment in which a variety of tropical plants nourish the residents and new arrivals emerge from their chrysalides, dry their wings and begin their very first wing-beats.

Hawaii

Foster Botanical Garden Butterfly Habitat: 180 N. Vineyard Blvd., Honolulu, HI, USA; Phone: (808) 522-7065; Website; The garden is an 8,000 square foot open-air haven for many of Hawaii's 17 species of butterflies. Planted with a glorious array of plants and flowers on which butterflies feed or lay eggs, it is truly an oasis-within-an-oasis. Within the garden, display signs feature some of the plants and butterflies you'll discover there.

Illinois

Brookfield Zoo - Chicago Zoological Society: 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL, USA; Phone: 312-485-0263; Website
Peck Farm Butterfly House: 4038 Kaneville Road, Geneva, IL, USA; Phone: (630) 262-8244; Website; Visit the award-winning Butterfly House and be captivated by hundreds of butterflies as they fly, feed and land around you! Plus, ask about our Butterfly Programs, Field Trips and Party Options.
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum: 2430 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL, USA; Phone: (773) 755-5100; Website; Get up close to more than 75 species of exotic butterflies and stunning bird species from the Southern hemisphere in a 2,700 square-foot greenhouse filled with pools of water, flowers, tropical trees and 1,000 butterflies, including those never-before-seen in our region.

Indiana

Indianapolis Zoo: 1200 S Washington St, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Phone: (317) 630-2001; Website; Email: guestservices@indyzoo.com; Immerse yourself in the beauty of butterflies as these wonderful winged insects are back in the Hilbert Conservatory. We've transformed the indoor gardens into a tropical paradise to bring you butterflies in a way that you've never experienced them before!

Iowa

Reiman Gardens: Iowa State University, 1407 University Blvd., Ames, IA, USA; Phone: 515.294.2710; Website; Email: reimangardens@iastate.edu; Situated on a 17-acre site, the year-round attraction features distinct gardens both indoors and outdoors on a 17-acre campus, a Conservatory with seasonal displays, a 2,500-square-foot Butterfly Wing with emergence cases, a Gift Shop, and beauty for all to enjoy and share.

Kansas

Botanica Gardens: 701 Amidon Street, Wichita, KS, USA; Phone: (316) 264-0448; Website; Open from June-September, Botanicaâ€™s Butterfly House is a public habitat dedicated to the education and exploration of butterflies. This themed garden is a controlled, healthy environment designed to exhibit butterflies and allow visitors the opportunity to observe the interaction of plant and animal species in a natural setting. Enter the Butterfly House, a 2,880 square foot, net-covered butterfly exhibit, to see up to 50 species of native and exotic butterflies and nectar plants for these butterfly species.
Kansas State University Gardens: 2021 Throckmorton Hall, Manhattan, KS, USA; Phone: (785) 532-6170; Website; Email: ksugardens@ksu.edu; The Butterfly Exhibit is a free-flight butterfly exhibit and provides an interactive experience for both the visitors and the butterflies.

Kentucky

Louisville Zoo: 1100 Trevilian Way, Louisville, KY 40213, USA; Phone: (502) 459-2181; Website; Experience hundreds of graceful native butterflies sipping nectar from colorful flowers, basking in the sunlight and flying freely as you wander through this 1,000 sq. ft. outdoor seasonal flight house.

Louisiana

Audubon Nature Institute Insectarium & Butterfly Garden: US Custom House, 423 Canal Street , New Orleans, LA, USA; Phone: (504) 581-4629 OR 1-800-774-7394; Website; Email: air@auduboninstitute.org; Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, located in the U.S. Custom House on Canal Street, encourages you to use all five senses as you explore North Americaâ€™s largest museum devoted to insects and their relatives. Youâ€™ll discover why insects are the building blocks of all life on our planet and along the way, youâ€™ll be shrunk to bug size; wander through a mysterious Louisiana swamp; join the active audience of an awards show for bugs, by bugs; and be captivated by thousands of butterflies in an Asian garden.

Maryland

Brookside Gardens Conservatory: 1500 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD, USA; Phone: 301-962-1400; Website; Email: Info@MontgomeryParks.org; As visitors enter the Brookside Gardens South Conservatory, they are surrounded by hundreds of brilliant live butterflies from North America, Costa Rica, Africa and Asia soaring among colorful flowers and going about their business of drinking nectar and looking for others of their kind.
Ladew Gardens: 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, MD, USA 21111; Phone: 410-557-9570; Website; Step inside this seasonal butterfly exhibit and experience up-close the habitat and life cycle of local butterflies and caterpillars. Our naturalists will guide your visit, teaching you about the remarkable metamorphosis, from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.

Massachusetts

Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens: 281 Greenfield Road, South Deerfield, MA, USA; Phone: 413-665-2805; Website; Email: info@magicwings.net; The Lepidoptera source in Western Massachusetts, featuring an 8,000-square foot indoor conservatory home to nearly 4,000 exotic and domestic butterflies in a tropical environment, Magic Wings focuses on butterfly-related education, recreation, entertainment and gardening needs.
Museum of Science Butterfly Garden: Science Park, Boston, MA, USA; Phone: 617 723-2500; Website; Email: information@mos.org; Year-round and permanent living butterfly exhibit at the Museum of Science. View free flying butterflies among flowering plants overlooking the Charles River and downtown Boston.
The Butterfly Place: 120 Tyngsboro Road, Westford, MA, USA; Phone: (978) 392-0955; Website; Email: bflybut@aol.com; See New England butterflies and tropical species from all over the world. Walk along a winding pathway. Observe butterflies sipping from flowers, basking in the sunshine and flying freely in a natural habitat. Enjoy our koi fish and quail birds which live among the butterflies. Visit the .show and tell bench. where a staff member is always available to answer your questions and help make your visit fun. See eggs, caterpillars or other interesting creatures up close.

Michigan

Detroit Zoological Society: 450 W. 10 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI, USA; Phone: 248.541.5717; Website; The Butterfly Garden inside the Detroit Zoo.s Wildlife Interpretive Gallery houses hundreds of free-flying butterflies. The Zoo purchases about 250 butterfly pupae (chrysalises) each week from growers in Costa Rica and El Salvador. The butterflies are raised by growers who maintain their own breeding stock; they are not taken from the wild but are part of an effort to promote butterfly conservation programs in those countries. Approximately 70 species can be observed engaging in many of their natural behaviors, including feeding on flower nectar or ripe fruit and basking in the sunlight. The garden is kept at a balmy 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the optimal temperature for the butterflies to take flight. The immersive habitat is open year-round and is free with Zoo admission.
Dow Gardens: 1809 Eastman Avenue, Midland, MI, USA; Phone: 989-631-2677; Website; Email: info@dowgardens.org; This interactive exhibit features thousands of brilliantly-colored butterflies, from countries around the world, emerging from their chrysalis, feeding, and flying all within the tropical environment of The Dow Gardens conservatory
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: 1000 East Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids Charter Township, MI, USA; Phone: 616-957-1580; Website; Email: info@meijergardens.org; Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is a 132-acre botanical garden and outdoor sculpture park located in Grand Rapids Township, Michigan in Kent County. Butterfies are Blooming - This temporary, annual exhibition features thousands of tropical butterflies from Central and South America, Africa and Asia freely flying in the Tropical Conservatory. Experience butterflies close up and watch them emerge from their chrysalises right before your eyes.
Horticultural Gardens and Butterfly House: Michigan State University, A288 Plant & Soil Science Building - Bogue Street, East Lansing, MI, USA; Phone: 517-355-5191; Website; Email: hrt@msu.edu; The Michigan State University Horticultural Demonstration gardens surround the Plant and Soil Sciences Building and its teaching greenhouses for students and visitors to learn about gardening and be inspired by beautiful plants. Annuals, perennials, roses, herbs, vegetables, trees and shrubs growing in the garden illustrate horticulture which is the art and science of gardening. We also have a butterfly house with several species of free flying butterflies showing the interaction between flora and fauna.
John Ball Zoological Garden: 130
Mackinac Island Butterfly House: Sawyers Greenhouse, 6750 McGaulpin Street, Mackinac Island, MI, USA; Phone: 906-847-3972; Website; At the Butterfly House, you can walk through our garden while 500 - 700 butterflies from all over the world are in flight. You are welcome to spend as long as you like enjoying the beauty and tranquility.
Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory: 7528 Carriage Road, P.O. Box 901, Mackinac Island, MI, USA; Phone: 906 847-9464; Website; Email: marie@mackinacisland.org; Wings of Mackinac is an all glassed in free flying butterfly conservatory with controlled heating and cooling system. Take a carriage ride to visit us or we are just a short walk from downtown just past the Grand Hotel. Experience hundreds of butterflies dancing and chasing each other filled with lush tropical plants. Wings of Mackinac is open May-October every day. Also enjoy our children's garden surrounding the conservatory. Lots of ideas for your own garden.

Minnesota

Como Park Zoo & Conservatory: 1225 Estabrook Drive, Saint Paul, MN, USA 55103; Phone: 651-487-8201; Website; Blooming Butterflies offers visitors a total immersion experience for the young and old. The 2,500 square foot greenhouse features a thriving seasonal butterfly habitat, that over the course of the summer will become home to over 100 species of butterflies from around the world.

Missouri

Saint Louis Zoo: One Government Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA; Phone: (314) 781-0900; Website; Stroll through the domed Mary Ann Lee Butterfly Wing, where you will marvel at all manner of winged invertebrates including moths, dragonflies, ladybugs and, of course, butterflies.
Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House: 15193 Olive Blvd., Chesterfield, MO, USA; Phone: 314-530-0076 Fax: 636-530-1516; Website; More than a thousand live tropical butterflies fly freely in the glass conservatory at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House. Watch a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis right before your eyes. Or go outside and visit native and migrating species in the Butterfly Garden. Take a class, shop until you drop, or plan a private party on the Emerson Lakeside Terrace. Whatever your age, you'll enjoy a visit to the Butterfly House where wonder takes flight!
The Butterfly Palace & Rainforest Adventure: 4106 W 76 Country Blvd, Branson, MO, USA; Phone: 417-332-2231; Website; Email: brittney@thebutterflypalace.com; Imagine thousands of stunning, exotic butterflies fluttering all around you! Walking among live, tropical butterflies is only one step in your experience at The Butterfly Palace.

Nebraska

Lincoln Children's Zoo - Laura's Butterfly Pavilion: 1222 South 27th Street, Lincoln, NE, USA; Phone: 402-475-6741 Fax: 402-475-6742; Website; Laura's Butterfly Pavilion located in the heart of the Lincoln Children's Zoo is a seasonal exhibit displaying plants and butterflies commonly found in Nebraska and North America. Our season runs from June through mid-September.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo: Berniece Grewcock Butterfly and Insect Pavilion, 3701 S. 10th Street, Omaha, NE, USA; Phone: (402) 733-8401; Website; Email: info@omahazoofoundation.org; The Berniece Grewcock Butterfly and Insect Pavilion is a total immersion exhibit located between the Scott Aquarium and the Giraffe Complex. Viewed from the sky, the exhibit resembles a winged insect. The butterfly conservatory features waterfalls, an Amazon water lily pool, exquisite butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. The insect pavilion is home to ants, spiders, scorpions, walking sticks, mantids, centipedes, roaches, beetles and a host of other amazing creatures.

New Jersey

Camden Childrens Garden: 3 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ, USA; Phone: 856-365-8733; Website; The 4-acre interactive Garden includes two indoor exhibits, the Philadelphia Eagles Four Seasons Butterfly House and the Tropical Exhibit, Plaza de Aibonito. The Garden has amusement rides, such as the Commerce Carousel, and the Arrow River Train Ride surrounded by the Railroad Garden. Other exhibits include a Dinosaur Garden, Maze, Picnic Garden, Tree House, Amphitheater and Storybook Gardens. Storybook Gardens include: 3 Little Pigs Garden, the Giants Garden from Jack in the Beanstalk, Secret Garden, Frog Prince Grotto and Alice in Wonderland's Garden.
Kate Gorrie Memorial Butterfly House: Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, NJ, USA; Phone: (609) 737-7592; Website; Email: jwaltman@thewatershed.org; The Butterfly House showcases native butterflies and the native plants that support them. The gardens inside simulate typical habitats of central New Jersey . field, wetland, wet meadow, field and forest. The wildflowers and shrubs inside provide nectar and shelter for butterflies and food for caterpillars.

New York

American Museum of Natural History: Butterfly Conservatory, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY, USA; Phone: 212-769-5100; Website; This is one of the museum's most popular annual seasonal exhibitions. Butterflies and moths make up a large group of insects known as the Order Lepidoptera (lep-i-DOP-ter-ah). The name--from the Greek lepido, "scale", and ptera, "wings"--refers to a prominent feature of adult butterflies and moths, the tiny scales that cover the wings and the rest of the body.
Breck Chapin Memorial Native Species Butterfly House: Paul Smith College Visitor Information Center, 8023 State Route 30 , Paul Smiths, NY, USA; Phone: 518-327-6241; Website; Adjacent to the VIC Building is the Breck Chapin Memorial Native Species Butterfly House, featuring butterflies and moths in all stages of development.
Butterfly Garden: Bronx Zoo, Bronx River Parkway and Boston Road, Bronx, NY, USA; Phone: 718-367-1010; Website; Experience the wonder of butterflies and other backyard bugs in a lush wild meadow and spacious greenhouse. Inside the conservatory, classical music creates a soothing backdrop as you amble among monarchs, julias, and other winged beauties.
Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden: The Strong - National Museum of Play, One Manhattan Square, Rochester, NY, USA; Phone: 585-263-2700; Website; Enter a lush rain-forest environment and walk among approximately 1,000 brilliantly-colored, free-flying tropical and native butterflies that flutter about (and may even land on you!). Be sure to visit the chrysalis case and see emerging butterflies.
Sweetbriar Nature Center Butterfly House: 62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown, NY, USA; Website; Sweetbriar Nature Center's Butterfly Vivarium is Long Island's first living seasonal butterfly display and is home to hundreds of butterflies in the summer.

North Carolina

Airlie Gardens: 300 Airlie Road, Wilmington, NC, USA; Phone: 910-798-7700; Website; Email: mcollogan@nhcgov.com; Airlie Gardens is home to a 2700 square foot native butterfly house opened in 2010. This is a screened facility and is seasonal in its butterfly display (April through October).
Catawba Science Center: 243 3rd Avenue NE, Hickory, NC, USA; Phone: (828) 322-8169 Fax: (828) 322-1585; Website; Seasonal butterfly exhibit. Check website for schedule.
Museum of Life and Science - Magic Wings Butterfly House: 433 Murray Avenue, Durham, NC, USA; Phone: (919) 220-5429; Website; Magic Wings is a total emmersion butterfly exhibit where guests will walk through a rainforest surrounded by 1000 tropical butterflies. One of the MuseumÂ’'s most popular attractions, Magic Wings is a thrill for visitors of all ages with a dramatic 35 foot tall conservatory and the Bayer CropScience Insectarium. Magic Wings is among the largest butterfly houses around the world.

Ohio

Butterfly House at Wheeler Farms: 11455 Obee Road, Whitehouse, OH, USA; Phone: 419-877-2733; Website; The Butterfly House contains over 500 butterflies with many different species from North & South America and Asia. The facility was built with the idea of developing beautiful gardens in a controlled environment to exhibit butterflies to the general public. An opportunity to learn about the life cycle of the butterfly and how to promote a healthy environment for these special insects will be provided as well.
Butterfly Museum at Perry's Cave: 979 Catawba Avenue, Put-in-Bay, OH, USA; Phone: 419-285-2405; Website; Butterfly House at Perry's Cave is a unique habitat featuring a large variety of butterflies. Walk among the exotic butterflies while enjoying the plants and flowers in the large atrium.
Cleveland Botanical Garden: 11030 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH, USA; Phone: 216.721.1600; Website; Email: info@cbgarden.org; The Glasshouse offers a thrilling year-round escape to the fantastic spiny desert of Madagascar and the butterfly-filled rainforest of Costa Rica. 50 different types of butterflies, birds, reptiles and amphibians flutter, climb and crawl through naturalistic habitats.
Cox Arboretum MetroPark: 6733 Springboro Pike, Dayton, OH, USA; Phone: (937) 434-9005; Website; Our native-Ohio Butterfly House enables children and adults to view native butterflies and moths in all stages of metamorphosis. Species such as painted lady, red admiral, monarch, giant swallowtail, black swallowtail, spicebush swallowtail, tiger swallowtail, luna moth, Cecropia moth, Polyphemus moth and pipevine swallowtail are featured.
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden: 1777 E Broad Street, Columbus, OH, USA; Phone: 614.715.8000; Website; Email: info@fpconservatory.org; Butterflies and Blooms Exhibit - over 100 species from 5 continents fly free in a 50,000 sq foot Pacific Islands and cloud forest exhibit. Visitors can watch the emerging of 100's of butterflies from pupae in our Emergence Center.
Krohn Conservatory: 1501 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Phone: (513) 421-4086; Website; One of the most fascinating and entertaining events held at the Conservatory is the annual Butterfly Show. Countless butterflies are released to fly freely within the Conservatory's showroom, adding yet another blaze of color to an already charming display

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City Zoo Butterfly Garden: 2101 NE 50th St., Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Phone: 405-424-3344; Website; Flowers in Flight: The Butterfly Experience, which is located on the north side of the Pachyderm Building, houses 200 to 300 butterflies representing 12 species native to the United States. The exhibit can be accessed from inside the Pachyderm Building and is open on a seasonal basis, during the months of mid-May through September.
Tulsa Zoo's Wings of Wonder: 6421 East 36th Street North, Tulsa, OK, USA; Phone: (918) 669-6600; Website
Honor Heights Park Butterfly House and Gardens: 1400 Honor Heights Dr, Muskogee, OK 74401, USA; Website; This unique structure serves as an open air captive sanctuary for many varieties of Oklahoma native butterflies and gives visitors an up close and personal experience. Watch the amazing metamorphosis of butterflies hatching daily throughout the summer months.

Oregon

Elkton Community Education Center: 15850 Highway 38 West, P. O. Box 684, Elkton, OR, USA; Phone: 541-584-2692 Fax: 541-584-2562; Website; Email: butterfly@rconnects.com; A raise and release program during the summer months. Featured in a 2005 SUNSET article as one of the 5 best places to see butterflies in the Pacific Northwest. Large butterfly garden. Students give informational tours.

Pennsylvania

Churchville Nature Center: 501 Churchville Rd, Churchville, PA, USA; Phone: 215 357 4005; Website; Always changing and always improving, the Butterfly House at Churchville is one of those special exhibits that makes CNC such a wonderful and unique place to visit. Run from July through to mid-September, the butterfly house showcases native Lepidoptera (butterflies & moths) in all stages of their life cycle. The exhibit is heavily supported and operated by a passionate base of volunteers who work to rear, maintain the gardens and lead educational tours.
Philadelphia Zoo: 3400 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Website; Glass-enclosed butterfly exhibit housing different species of butterflies in a habitat that mimics the tropical forests they are from in the wild.
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: 1 Schenley Dr, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Phone: (412) 622-6914; Website; Butterfly forest - Marvel at the fluttering splendor as colorful butterflies break free of their chrysalises to soar and glide among the blooms.
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University: 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Phone: (215) 299-1000; Website; Butterflies! features a lush, tropical garden filled with colorful plants and a multitude of live butterflies from Central and South America, East Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The Butterfly Atrium at Hershey Gardens: 170 Hotel Road, Hershey, PA, USA; Phone: 717-534-3492; Website; Email: info@hersheygardens.org; See hundreds of amazing butterflies from around the world in a tropical oasis.The chrysalis cabinet offers a rare glimpse into the pupal stage of the butterfly. Hundreds of jewel-like chrysalids hang in the cabinet until they emerge and are released into the Atrium.
Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary: 18 Church Rd. Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, USA; Website; Experience the wonder of live butterflies and exotic frogs in Jim Thorpe's unique hands-on education center, featuring an indoor "Flutterarium" live butterfly flight room, kids' art space and activity room, and nature-based gift shop. Learn all about butterflies, watch a short video, enjoy a fascinating and fun educational program from our knowledgeable staff, hand-feed butterflies, and create happy memories and a craft to take home.

South Carolina

Coastal Discovery Museum Butterfly House: 70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC, USA; Phone: 843-689-6767 Fax: 843-689-3035; Website; Email: info@coastaldiscovery.org; The 1200 square foot butterfly habitat is open daily (free admission) and is home to some 13 species of native butterflies to the Lowcountry. During your walk through the enclosure you will discover what types of plants are necessary to sustain butterflies throughout their lifecycle. You will encounter butterfly eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalis. And if you are lucky, witness a chrysalis evolve into an adult butterfly. Interpretive panels will provide additional information on the anatomy of the butterfly and how you can help them thrive.
Cypress Gardens: 3030 Cypress Gardens Road, Moncks Corner, SC, USA; Phone: 843-553-0515 Fax: 843-569-0644; Website; Email: dwilliams@berkeleycountysc.gov; Cypress Gardens is a park operated by Berkeley County, SC. The Cypress Gardens butterfly house is approximately 2500 sq. ft. and features native butterfly species as well as koi, goldfish, birds, and turtles. Host plants with butterfly eggs and caterpillars are usually present. The butterfly house is open year round. Please see the website for daily hours of operation and days when the park is closed.
Roper Mountain Science Center Butterfly Garden: 402 Roper Mountain Road, Greenville, SC, USA; Phone: (864) 355-8900 Fax: (864) 355-8948; Website; Email: education@ropermountain.org; The butterfly garden, near the pond and adjacent to the Harrison Hall of Natural Science and Technology, is a joint project of the Roper Mountain Science Center, the roper Mountain Science Center Association, and the Greater Greenville Master Gardeners. It contains many varieties of plants that attract butterflies and bees, and is lovely during each season of the year.

South Dakota

Sertoma Butterfly House & Marine Cove: Sertoma Park, 4320 Oxbow Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD, USA; Phone: 605-334-9466 Fax: 605-334-9662; Website; Email: info@sertomabutterfly.org; The Butterfly House is home to butterflies from around the world including Central and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. They begin their journeys at butterfly farms and once they form their chrysalises, they travel to their new home with us where they emerge as beautiful butterflies. Step into a whole new world, where tropical flowers surround you and itÂ’'s always a pleasant 80 degrees. Hundreds of colorful butterflies gracefully flit by to welcome you to their home. This serene haven is a place of discovery, wonder, healing and peace. Immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring beauty that is the Butterfly House and feel like you are in a tropical destination.

Tennessee

Butterflies: In Living Color at the Memphis Zoo: 2000 Prentiss Place, Memphis, TN, USA; Phone: (901) 333-6500; Website; Seasonal exhibit open Memorial Day weekend through October 1st. Home to butterfly species found in Memphis and the Mid-South. Features 35 butterfly species and over 80 different varieties of plants.
Tennessee Aquarium: One Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN, USA; Phone: 800-262-0695; Website; Email: webmaster@tnaqua.org; Travel to a tropical paradise inside the AquariumÂ’'s Butterfly Garden. YouÂ’'ll be surrounded by hundreds of strikingly beautiful butterflies such as the tawny owl, Atlas moth and monarch. View butterflies emerging from pupae and observe daily butterfly releases. These winged jewels come to the Aquarium primarily from Central and South America where butterfly farmers raise pupae for aquariums, botanical gardens and zoos around the world. Butterfly farms not only provide income for these families, they are preserving vital habitat which might otherwise be clear-cut for other agricultural purposes.

Texas

Cockrell Butterfly Center: Houston Museum of Natural Science, 5555 Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX, USA; Phone: 713-639-4742 Fax: 713-639-4788; Website; The Cockrell Butterfly Center and Brown Hall of Entomology provide entertainment and education for the whole family. Walk through a living butterfly habitat, marvel at spectacular live and preserved specimens of some of the worldâ€™s largest and weirdest arthropods, and enjoy interactive games and quizzes.
Heard Museum and wildlife sanctuary: One Nature Place, McKinney, TX, USA; Phone: 972.562.5566; Website; Email: Info@heardmuseum.org; Walk among free-flying native butterflies and other pollinators in our Native Texas Butterfly House & Garden. The butterfly house includes native species, which vary by season and what is available from suppliers. Our butterfly garden is filled with host plants that naturally attract these lovely creatures.You may even find a few ideas to try in your own garden!
NABA National Butterfly Center: 3333. Butterfly Park Drive, Mission, TX, USA; Phone: 956-583-5400 Fax: 956-583-0081; Website; The 100-acre National Butterfly Center is the premier location in the United States to experience the beauty, drama and emotion of wild butterflies. A project of the nonprofit North American Butterfly Association, the center is designe dto attract incredible numbers of beautiful, wild butterflies. Clouds of butterflies may be found at the National Butterfly Center because, by planting thousands of plants that the butterflies need for nectar and for caterpillar growth, we have created an outdoor paradise that sustains large populations and hundreds of species of wild butterflies.
River Bend Nature Center: 2200 Third Street, Wichita Falls, TX, USA; Phone: 940-767-0843 Fax: 940-322-1230; Website; Email: info@riverbendnaturecenter.org; The Ruby N. Priddy Butterfly and Nature Conservatory is a one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art, 7,000 sq. ft. glass structure. It is stocked with native butterflies and landscaped with prairie grasses, trees, shrubs, and wildflowers of the Rolling Plains. Visitors can find many engaging activities in this indoor nature lab. There are over 100 native plant species and displays of area wildlife including prairie dogs, ornate box turtles, Bob White Quail, and much more! Visitors can even observe native aquatic life in an indoor pond! Natural plant cycles unfold throughout the conservatory throughout the year.
San Antonio Zoo: 3903 N. St. MaryÂ’'s Street, San Antonio, TX, USA; Phone: (210) 734-7184 Fax: (210) 734-7291; Website; Guests experience a spectacular butterfly garden where they are immersed in a lush butterfly habitat surrounded by hundreds of butterflies, including up to 30 different species, moving freely throughout the exhibit for an intimate interaction.
Texas Discovery Gardens: 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dallas, TX, USA; Phone: 214-428-7476 Fax: 214 428 5338; Website; Email: tdg@texasdiscoverygardens.org; Located at historic Fair Park in Dallas, Texas Discovery Gardens has 7.5 acres, including an outdoor native butterfly habitat. Inside, the Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium holds hundreds of free-flying tropical butterflies year round.
South Texas Botanical Gardens: 8545 South Staples, Corpus Christi, TX 78413, USA; Website; Venture into the delightful 2600 square-foot screened Butterfly House, and Anderson Bromeliad Conservatory. Experience the impressive new Samuel Jones Orchid Conservatory, 300 breathtaking roses and stately Rose Pavilion, quaint Hummingbird Garden, imaginative Sensory Garden with fascinating artscape, Arid Garden, new Tropical Garden and colorful EarthKind Demonstration Trial Gardens. And during our eight warmer months, enjoy the fragrant tropical Plumeria Garden with elevated viewing ramp to enjoy the tree-top blooms from a birds-eye view.

Virginia

Bristow Butterfly Garden: Norfolk Botanical Garden, 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, VA, USA; Phone: 757-441-5830; Website; The 2-acre Bristow Butterfly Garden provides a habitat to attract and support butterflies and moths during all stages of their life cycle. Within the garden you will find a swallowtail and monarch nursery, nectar garden, moonlight garden and butterfly bush collection. Our Butterfly House opens seasonally and provides an up close experience with a variety of butterflies.
Butterfly Station and Garden: Danville Science Center, 677 Craghead Street, Danville, VA, USA; Phone: 434.791.5160; Website; Tour through our Butterfly Station and Garden to view some of natureÂ’s most beautiful creatures! Find out which type of caterpillar certain plants attract, learn the best methods to attract butterflies and get inspired to create your own butterfly garden. Discover your butterfly IQ! Test your ability to identify different butterfly species and learn about the types that live in the area with our guide sheet.
Flying Flowers at Beagle Ridge: 1934 Matney Flats Rd, PO 419, Wytheville, VA, USA; Phone: 276-621-4511; Website; Email: beagleridge@gmail.com; Come walk through our 1,000 sq foot enclosure which includes Monarchs, Painted ladies, Swallowtails, Red Admirals, Dianas. Flying Flowers contains the necessary host and nectar plants for these winged beauties. In addition enjoy the 2 acre butterfly gardens on site at Beagle Ridge Herb Farm, home to over 30 types of butterflies and moths. Seasonal
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden: 1800 Lakeside Ave, Richmond, VA, USA; Phone: (804) 262-9887; Website; With something for all ages and interests, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a place to learn about plants, to marvel at nature, to relax in a beautiful setting, to take gardening classes, or to have a wedding or a business meeting. Butterflies LIVE! is an indoor exhibit filled with fun family activities for all ages. Get up close and personal as hundreds of tropical butterflies feed, flutter and take flight all around you. Explore their origins, preferred habitats and lifecycles. Photos are permitted,Â but we ask those taking photos to be respectful of other guests.

Washington

Tropical Butterfly House at Pacific Science Center: 200 Second Ave. N., Seattle, WA, USA; Phone: (206) 443-2001; Website; Email: gs@pacsci.org; Enjoy year-round sunshine in the Tropical Butterfly House! Temperatures are in the low 80s, humidity is 60 to 70 percent, and full-spectrum lighting keeps the plants and butterflies healthy. Watch beautiful, exotic butterflies fly, sun themselves, and feed among tropical flowers. See a brand-new butterfly emerge in the chrysalis viewing window. New butterflies are released into the exhibit each morning.
Woodland Park Zoo: 601 N 59th St, Seattle, WA, USA; Phone: (206) 548-2500; Website; Take a walk in a beautiful garden while butterflies fly around you! Molbakâ€™s Butterfly Garden is home to up to 500 free-flying butterflies representing at least 15 species native to North America. You'll learn about the butterfly's life cycle while watching new butterflies emerge from their chrysalises before flying free in the garden. Also, take a sneak peek at the zoo'sÂ Silverspot Butterfly LabÂ where zookeepers and teen volunteers hatch and raise endangered Oregon silverspot butterflies for release into protected wild habitat.

Wisconsin

Beaver Creek Reserve: S1 County Road K, Fall Creek, WI, USA; Phone: (715) 877-2212; Website; Email: bcr@beavercreekreserve.org; Take a stroll through our seasonal butterfly house and enjoy the beauty of some of Wisconsin Butterflies in their natural environment. Species change frequently and each year is unique.
Butterfly Gardens of Wisconsin: N2550 State Highway 47, Appleton, WI, USA; Phone: 920-475-0777 Fax: 920-731-5623; Website; Email: info@butterflygardensofwisconsin.com; Visit Wisconsin's largest butterfly house and maze! Visitors will enjoy the experience of viewing various native butterfly species depending when a particular species become adults. Visitors will also enjoy a quiet walk among native plants and animals in a nearly 2 acre maze designed in the form of a monarch butterfly.
Happy Tonics, Inc.: PO Box 17, Shell Lake, WI, USA; Phone: (715) 468-2097; Website; Email: maryellen@happytonics.org; 1/2 acre Monarch Butterfly Habitat on city land in Shell Lake, Wisconsin. The habitat has a walking trail throughtout, pergola, memory benches, large boulders and a memery tree grove. The habitat is a restored remnant tall grass prairie. Come and enjoy learning about different species of native plants and butterflies. Open to the public. Scheduled events and tours can be arranged by contacting Happy Tonics, Inc.
Puelicher Butterfly Wing: Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 West Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Phone: 414-278-2728; Website; Email: grouptours@mpm.edu; Permanent exhibit: Stroll amid free-flying butterflies from around the world in The Puelicher Butterfly Wing.