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Butterfly Houses Near You

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Butterflies are among the most beautiful insects out there, so why not plan your next day out at a ‘butterfly house near me’ and discover hundreds of wonderful species from all over the globe? If you’re looking for bite-size fun and to witness stunning butterflies – then this is the place to be!

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 House in the North East

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.

Shape Location Get directions

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

Opening Times

Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:00

Pricing

Adult £16.99
Child £15.99

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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 House in the North West

girl with butterfly on her hand

Butterfly Journey at Chester Zoo, Cheshire

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!

Shape Location Get directions

Chester Zoo
Moston Rd, Upton, Chester CH2 1EU

Opening Times

Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:00

Pricing

Adult £35.99
Child £27.00

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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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Butterfly House in the Midlands

Butterfly on Flower

Stratford Butterfly Farm, Stratford upon Avon

If you’re after variety of beautiful butterflies, Stratford Butterfly Farm is the place to be! Did you know it’s the UK’s largest tropical butterfly paradise?!

Home to over 2,000 wonderful butterflies, this tropical house boasts 250 different species of tropical butterflies 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. It’s definitely a ‘butterfly house near me’ that is worth visiting – especially if you don’t mind them landing on you!

Shape Location Get directions

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

Opening Times

Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:30

Pricing

Adult £8.95
Child (3-16) £7.95
Child (under 3) free

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You want to see a whole host of different species of beautiful butterflies!
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Butterfly House in the South East

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!

Shape Location Get directions

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Whipsnade, Dunstable LU6 2LF

Opening Times

Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 18:00

Pricing

Adult £30.00
Child (3-15) £19.90

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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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Boy with butterfly on face

Butterfly House at Horniman Museum and Gardens, London

Looking for a ‘butterfly house near me’ 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.

Shape Location Get directions

Horniman Museum and Gardens
100 London Rd
London
SE23 3PQ

Opening Times

Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 16:00

Pricing

Adult £9.00
Child £6.00

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You like fish, because there's also an aquarium to enjoy at this venue!
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Butterflies

Butterfly and Fountain World, Isle of Wight

If you’re looking for a ‘butterfly house near me’ on the Isle of Wight then you’re in luck!

Witness 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 on 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

Monday to Saturday 10:00 - 16:30
Sunday 10:00 - 16:00

Pricing

Adult £10.99
Child £7.99

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You like gardens. Butterfly World has both an Italian and Japanese garden to explore.
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Butterfly House in the South West

girl with butterflies flying around her

Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo, Ross-on-Wye

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!

Shape Location Get directions

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

Opening Times

Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:00

Pricing

Adult £6.75
Child £4.75

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Your family is feeling competitive! Why not challenge each other on the mini golf course.
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Butterfly House in Wales

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 butterflies, too. With free-flying tropical butterflies fluttering around you, it’ll definitely be a family memory to treasure.

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

Dogs are also welcome!

Shape Location Get directions

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

Opening Times

Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:00

Pricing

Adults £9.50
Child £7.00

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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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Butterfly House in Northern Ireland

Girl in garden looking for butterflies

Seaforde Gardens and Tropical Butterfly House, Downpatrick

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 grow immensely. Not to mention the one-of-a-kind photo ops you’ll come across; budding nature photographers will have a blast! Just bear 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

Monday to Saturday 10:00 - 17:00
Sunday 12:00 - 17:00

Pricing

Adult £7.10
Child £4.75

Find out more

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.