Butterfly Houses Near You

Butterflies are among the most beautiful insects out there, so why not plan your next day out at a butterfly house near you and discover hundreds of wonderful species from all over the globe?

A visit to a tropical butterfly house is a guaranteed up-close encounter with exotic butterflies you can’t see just anywhere in the UK. They not only fly freely around you but they might even land on you too! What a fascinating sight – your kids won’t be able to stop talking about it! Oh, and if you want an extra fun activity to add to your day out, challenge your little nature lovers to a butterfly spotting competition and see who can find more different species!

butterfly on a leaf

Tropical Butterfly House Sheffield

Ever since it opened doors in 1994, the Tropical Butterfly House in Sheffield has been one of the most iconic attractions for butterfly lovers in the UK. Once you step inside the butterfly house, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a tropical rainforest. Taking a stroll among free-flying butterflies and exotic birds is a truly surreal experience. Plus, there are lots of other wonderful creatures roaming around – how many can you spot?

The Tropical Butterfly House is entirely indoors, so it’s dry and warm – perfect for those rainy days! You can still see beautiful butterflies from Costa Rica and the Philippines resting on the plants, or on the special feeding tables, even in the colder winter months.

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Tropical Butterfly House Wildlife Conservation park
Woodsetts Rd, North Anston, Sheffield S25 4EQ

Opening Times

Mon-Fri 11am-3.30pm
Weekends 10am-5pm

Pricing

Adult: £14.99 Child: £13.99

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You would like to learn more about how animals are cared for. The Tropical Butterfly House offers daily animal talks and feeding sessions.
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Butterfly on Flower

Stratford Butterfly Farm Stratford upon Avon

If you’re after variety, Stratford Butterfly Farm is the place to be! Home to over 2000 wonderful butterflies, this tropical house boasts 250 different species of tropical butterfly, from 20 countries. But it’s not just colourful butterflies you can see there! The resident iguana and the two colourful Indian ring neck parakeets are just some of the exotic tropical creatures who live at the farm.

If you want to teach your kids about the fascinating journey of a butterfly from a tiny egg to a caterpillar, to its final stunning winged form, make sure you visit the Discovery Zone. There you can see butterflies in each life stage. The Emerging Case area where you’ll come face to face with a row upon row of beautiful pupae hanging, is going to have you in complete awe.

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Stratford Butterfly Farm
Swan's Nest Lane, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 7LS

Opening Times

10am-5pm

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You want to see many different species of butterfly
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Girl holding butterfly

The Magic of Life Butterfly House Aberystwyth

The Magic of Life Butterfly House not only has hundreds of these beautiful creatures, but also giant caterpillars and bizarre insects, so your little, curious, bug explorers will have plenty to discover! You’ll see butterflies get on with their daily life – from feeding, to courting and laying eggs. With over 80 species displayed throughout the year, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the behaviour of the various types of butterfly too.

Fancy a walk, surrounded by tropical plants and beautiful flowers from all around the world, including Angels Trumpets with their hanging petals? You’ll definitely enjoy exploring the exotic garden at The Magic of Life Butterfly House. Dogs are welcome!

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The Magic of Life Butterfly House
Cwmrheidol, Aberystwyth SY23 3NB

Opening Times

10am-5pm

Pricing

Adults £8
Child £6

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You would like to walk around a tropical garden-you'll love the exotic plants on display here.
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Child looking at butterfly

Butterfly House at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Dunstable

If you live near Dunstable, you’re in luck because you’ve got an amazing butterfly house near you – the butterfly house at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. It has over 30 species on display and is one of the biggest butterfly habitats in the UK. So definitely worth a visit! From taking in the wonderful colours all around and trying to spot different species, such as the Blue Tiger, Zebra Longwing and the Madagascan comet moth, you’ll be in butterfly lover’s heaven! Learn about the life of the butterflies in the interactive Metamorphosis Zone. Just picture the amazed looks on your children’s faces when they see live pupae emerging from their cocoons!
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ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Whipsnade, Dunstable LU6 2LF

Opening Times

10am-5pm

Pricing

Adult £30.50
Child (3-15 YEARS) - £19.85

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Your children would like to try an adventure play area. Whipsnade Zoo has a huge one called Hullabazoo with swings, climbing frames, tunnels and much more!
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girl with butterfly on her hand

Butterfly Journey at Chester Zoo

Another big zoo boasting a wonderful butterfly house is Chester Zoo. Popular in the school holidays, Butterfly Journey is a surreal journey through a tropical habitat. As soon as you venture into the butterfly garden, you’ll feel a change in temperature, mimicking the warm rainforest climate. It’s just like going on an exotic holiday!

Fluttering around you, there will be butterfly after butterfly with hundreds of different species to see. Trying to identify them is the perfect game to keep your tiny, butterfly enthusiasts occupied for hours. You’re guaranteed to see lots of butterflies you’ve never come across before. Some have a wingspan of up to 30cm across. Imagine that!

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Chester Zoo
Moston Rd, Upton, Chester CH2 1EU

Opening Times

10am-4.30pm

Pricing

Adult £29.08
Child: £22.72

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You want a full day out and visit a large attraction. There's loads of things to see and do at Chester Zoo!
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Butterflies

Butterfly and Fountain World Isle of Wight

Hundreds of butterflies, dancing gracefully around you, as you walk around exotic plants in a fully-covered butterfly house – that’s what your day holds if you decide to visit Butterfly and Fountain World in the Isle of Wight. You can learn all about the butterfly’s life cycle too, so there will be an educational twist to your family outing.

What makes Butterfly World stand out from the rest of the butterfly attractions is that it’s also home to Fountain World. A stunning indoor area where you can stroll through Italian and Japanese gardens, pass by Koi ponds and more, without leaving the building.

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Butterfly World IOW
Staplers Rd, Wootton Bridge, Ryde PO33 4RW

Opening Times

10am-5pm

Pricing

Adults £8.99
Children £6.99

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You like gardens. Butterfly World has both an Italian and Japanese garden to explore.
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Boy with butterfly on face

Butterfly House at Horniman Museum and Gardens

Looking for a butterfly house in London? Head out to the Horniman Museum and Gardens for an up-close encounter with your favourite winged creatures! Hundreds of butterflies live in the indoor tropical garden and you wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing any of them. Make sure you plan your visit and book in advance though, as only a limited number of people are allowed to enter at one time.

You can have fun trying to spot the different species from across the world, and learning about their individual quirks. Don’t forget to stop at the gift shop and get a butterfly-inspired souvenir to take home.

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Horniman Museum and Gardens
100 London Rd
London
SE23 3PQ

Opening Times

10am-4pm

Pricing

Adult £6.50
Child £6.50

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You like fish. There is also an aquarium to enjoy at this venue!
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Girl in garden looking for butterflies

Seaforde Gardens and Tropical Butterfly House

If you fancy walking around in a warm, exotic jungle, surrounded by free-flying butterflies, or simply sitting quietly in a corner and admiring the different colourful species fluttering around – stop by the Tropical Butterfly House at the Seaforde Gardens. Butterflies are attracted to colourful clothes, so just wear something bright and wait for them to come to you. Your experience can’t get any more up-close than this!

From Blue Morpho to the King Page Swallowtail, and the Tree Nymph – the list of butterflies you’ve seen will grown immensely. Not to mention the one-of-a-kind photo ops you’ll come across; budding nature photographers will have a blast! Just bare in mind the Butterfly House is closed in winter, so you’ll have to wait for the warmer months to visit.

Shape Location Get directions

Seaforde Gardens, Seaforde, Downpatrick BT30 8PG

Opening Times

Summer opening only from early April
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm Sun 12noon-5pm

Pricing

Adult £6.70
Child £4.45

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girl with butterflies flying around her

Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo

Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo is a wonderful attraction for nature lovers of all ages. It’s a little tropical paradise nestled in the Forest of Dean, at Symonds Yat in the Wye Valley. At Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo, you’ll have a chance to meet many species of butterflies in different stages of their life – it’s a fantastic learning experience for the little ones too. Make sure you bring a camera along!

Butterfly conservation is a big part of the work done at Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo, so you’ll also find out how you can make a difference to butterflies all over the world. If you fancy a longer day out, you can also visit the amazing hedge puzzle and the mini golf at the attraction – you get to enjoy them for cheaper if you’ve been to the butterfly house!

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Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo
Symonds Yat West, Ross-on-Wye HR9 6DA

Opening Times

10am-5pm

Pricing

Adult £6.25
Child £4.50

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Your family is feeling competitive! Why not challenge each other on the mini golf course.
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We hope you’ve found a butterfly house to visit in the UK. Now grab your camera and get ready to explore a tropical butterfly house near you!

For more day out ideas check out our blog National Trust Houses and Gardens Near Me! Or maybe you would like to try a new water sport? Have a look at Paddleboarding Near Me. 

Fancy a thrilling time riding a rollercoaster? We’ve got all you need to know with our article Best Theme Parks Near You .

For tips, advice and recommendations from parents for things to do across the UK, become part of our community and join the Day Out With The Kids Facebook group- join here.

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