Butterfly Houses in the US

Most display tropical species; some also offer North American natives

Butterfly room at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum at Lincoln Park. — Lonely Planet / Getty Images

By

Updated on July 12, 2019

Butterfly houses offer enthusiasts of all ages the opportunity to observe a variety of species in an indoor exhibit. Most butterfly houses mimic tropical environments and showcase tropical species from Asia, South America, Australia, and other warm, humid locations. A few butterfly houses listed here feature species native to North America. Usually, you'll see some showy moths, such as luna moths or Atlas moths, perched on foliage as well.

Before you visit a butterfly house, it might increase your enjoyment to learn a little about the lepidopteran, or butterfly, including tips for observing and photographing butterflies, the differences between butterflies and moths, and why butterflies drink from puddles, a behavior you will likely observe in a butterfly exhibit. Most butterfly houses have an area where you can see new adult butterflies emerge from their pupae, and some display larval food plants as well.

Some butterfly houses listed here are seasonal, meaning they are open for only a part of the year. Be sure to call before you visit to be sure the butterflies are on display. This is a list of enclosed butterfly houses, not outdoor butterfly gardens.

Alabama

Huntsville Botanical Garden
4747 Bob Wallace Ave.
Huntsville, Alabama 35805
(256)-830-4447

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

California

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Butterfly Pavilion
900 Exposition Blvd.

Los Angeles, California 90007
(213) 763-DINO

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Hidden Jungle
15500 San Pasqual Valley Road
Escondido, California 92027
(760) 747-8702

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
1001 Fairgrounds Drive
Vallejo, California 94589
(707) 643-6722

Year-round

Colorado

Butterfly Pavilion
6252 W. 104th Ave.
Westminster, CO 80020
(303) 469-5441

Year-round

Delaware

Delaware Nature Society
Barley Mill Road
Hockessin, Delaware 19707
(302) 239-2334

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

District of Columbia

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Butterfly Pavilion
10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20560
(202) 633-1000

Year-round

National Zoo
Pollinarium
3001 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 633-4888

Year-round

Florida

Butterfly World
3600 W. Sample Road
Coconut Creek, Florida 33073
(954) 977-4400

Year-round

Butterfly Rainforest
Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
SW 34th Street and Hull Road
Gainesville, Florida 32611
(352) 846-2000

Year-round

Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
1316 Duval St.
Key West, Florida 33040
(800) 839-4647

Year-round

Panhandle Butterfly House
8581 Navarre Parkway
Navarre, Florida 32566
(850) 623-3868

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

BioWorks Butterfly Garden
Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)
4801 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, Florida 33617
(800) 995-MOSI

Year-round

Georgia

Callaway Gardens
Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center
5887 Georgia Highway 354
Pine Mountain, Georgia 31822
(800) CALLAWAY

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Illinois

Brookfield Zoo
Chicago Zoological Society

8400 31st St.
Brookfield, Illinois 60513
(708) 688-8000

Iowa

Reiman Gardens
Iowa State University
1407 University Blvd.
Ames, Iowa 50011
(515) 294-2710

Year-round

Kansas

Butterfly/Pansy House
701 Amidon St
Wichita, Kansas 67203
(316) 264-0448

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Louisiana

Audubon Insectarium
Butterflies in Flight
6500 Magazine St.
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
(800) 774-7394

Year-round

Maryland

Brookside Gardens South Conservatory
Wings of Fancy Butterfly Exhibit
1500 Glenallan Ave.
Wheaton, Maryland 20902
(301) 962-1453

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Michigan

Detroit Zoo
Woodward Avenue and 10 Mile Road (I-696)
Royal Oak, Michigan 48067
(248) 541-5717

Year-round

Original Mackinac Island Butterfly House
McGulpin Street
Mackinac Island, Michigan 49757
(906) 847-3972

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Wings of Mackinac
Surrey Hills Carriage Museum
Mackinac Island, Michigan 49757
(906) 847-9464

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Dow Gardens
1809 Eastman Ave.
Midland, Michigan 48640
(800) 362-4874

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory
1000 E. Beltline, NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525
(888) 957-1580

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Missouri

Sophie M. Sachs Butterfly House
Faust Park
15193 Olive Blvd.
Chesterfield, Missouri 63017
(636) 530-0076

Year-round

New Jersey

Camden Children's Garden
Philadelphia Eagles Four Season Butterfly House

3 Riverside Drive
Camden, New Jersey 08103
(856)-365-8733

Year-round

Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association
Kate Gorrie Butterfly House
31 Titus Mill Road
Pennington New Jersey 08534
(609) 737-3735

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

New York

American Museum of Natural History
Butterfly Conservatory
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, New York 10024
(212) 769-5100

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

National Museum of Play
One Manhattan Square
Rochester, New York 14607
(585) 263-2700

Year-round

Sweetbriar Nature Center
62 Eckernkamp Drive
Smithtown, New York 11787
(631) 949-6344

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

North Carolina

North Carolina Museum of Life & Science
433 Murray Ave
Durham, North Carolina 27704
(919) 220-5429

Year-round

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Living Conservatory

11 W. Jones St.
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
(919) 733-7450

Year-round

Ohio

Krohn Conservatory
1501 Eden Park Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
(513) 421-4086

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Cox Arboretum Metro Park
6733 Springboro Pike
Dayton, Ohio 45449
(937) 434-9005

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

The Butterfly House
Obee Road
Whitehouse, Ohio 43571
(419) 877-2733

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Pennsylvania

Academy of Natural Sciences
Drexel University
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
(215) 299-1000

Year-round

Hershey Gardens
170 Hotel Road
Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
(717) 534-3492

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Phipps Conservatory
One Schenley Park
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
(412) 441-4442

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

South Carolina

Cypress Gardens
3030 Cypress Gardens Road
Moncks Corner, South Carolina 29461
(843) 553-0515

Year-round

South Dakota

Sertoma Butterfly House
4320 Oxbow Ave.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57106
(605) 334-9466

Year-round

Tennessee

Tennessee Aquarium
One Broad St.
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402
(800) 262-0695

Year-round

Texas

Moody Gardens
1 Hope Blvd.
Galveston, Texas 77554
(800) 582-4673

Year-round

The Houston Museum of Natural ScienceCockrell Butterfly Center
5555 Hermann Park Drive
Houston, Texas 77030
(713) 639-4629

Year-round

San Antonio Zoo Caterpillar Flight School
3903 N. St. Mary's St.
San Antonio, Texas 78212
(210) 734-7184

Seasonal. Call before you visit.

Texas Discovery Gardens
Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House & Insectarium
3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Gate 6 at Fair Park
Dallas, Texas 75210
(214) 428-7476

Year-round

Wisconsin

Beaver Creek Reserve
S1 County Highway K
Fall Creek, Wisconsin 54742
(715) 877-2212

Seasonal. Call before you visit.