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I’d like to thank The Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri, for sponsoring our visit. As usual, all opinions are honest and my own.
When you think of rainforests, Branson, Missouri, is probably not the first place that comes to mind. Still, you can get a little taste of the rainforest right here in the Ozarks. The Butterfly Palace in Branson is a lovely celebration of some of the most beautiful creatures on Earth.
Arriving at The Butterfly Palace
The Butterfly Palace is at the very end of the “strip” as you head west as if you were going to drive to Silver Dollar City. The building itself sits on top of a hill.
Right inside the entrance is a gift shop filled with many butterfly-inspired items. It’s fun to just look through this area. Right in the center of the room is the ticket booth.
There are two floors with various activities. You use a large ramp to get to the second floor, so there’s no need to worry about stairs!
The Butterfly Aviary
Of course, the main attraction is the butterfly aviary. We actually opted to do this first. You can come and go inside the aviary as much as you want, so we kept that in mind as we planned our visit. We arrived just after the morning release of new butterflies, so we wanted to get in there as quickly as possible!
To prevent the butterflies from escaping, you will enter through three sets of doors. The aviary is a peaceful place, and sometimes a man was playing live music to set the mood. As soon as you enter, you can pick up your butterfly-spotting tools.
The charts are helpful in identifying the butterflies.
You can also pick up a test tube of nectar with a flower on it to attract butterflies to you. Kristin enjoyed this part.
And boy, did we attract butterflies!
Sometimes more than one at a time.
They did like that nectar. As soon as one or two flew away, another would come.
They landed everywhere. On a shoulder…
On a shoe…
And even on a head!
We wandered around the paths in the aviary. Everywhere we turned we could see butterflies. The Butterfly Palace personnel also put out containers of fruit for the butterflies, which they seemed to enjoy. I just felt such a sense of peace watching them.
We continued exploring and snapping pictures; it was just so fun!
Each butterfly was more beautiful than the last!
We actually spent much more time here than we were expecting.
I could share pictures of these beautiful butterflies all day!
Inside the aviary, you can also see where they care for the butterflies before they have emerged from their chrysalises.
The Butterfly Palace purchases the butterflies from a butterfly farm in Costa Rica called El Bosque Nuevo. The farming of these butterflies provides an income for the owners and workers in Costa Rica. With the profits of the farm, El Bosque Nuevo is able to purchase back acres of rainforest, and once they have purchased the land, it becomes protected. When you visit The Butterfly Palace, you are aiding in the conservation of the rainforests! To learn more about El Bosque Nuevo, click here.
We decided to stay for the second release. As long as there are enough butterflies to go around, all children can release a butterfly. It was fun to watch butterflies take their first flights!
Additional Activities at the Butterfly Palace
In addition to the aviary, there are several other activities that you can experience. One helpful activity is the educational films they show in a viewing room. We went straight to the aviary, but then we did the activities and went back to the aviary afterward. I do recommend seeing the films and then going into the aviary. If you think you will do multiple trips into the aviary, it’s okay to go in the aviary first. But we had a lot of our questions answered by the films, and some of the experience was a little more meaningful after we picked up a little knowledge.
You can also see some other animals that make their home in the rainforest in the Living Rainforest Science Center. We had fun looking at the various animals. They do offer critter encounters twice daily, so check your schedule for the times. You can also lose yourself in the Emerald Forest Mirror Maze. It was the first time any of us had done a mirror maze, so you can imagine how clumsy we were and how many laughs we had. If you have younger children in your party, you can explore the Great Banyan Tree Adventure. This area has bungee cords and rainforest decor to bring out the explorer in your child.
We had a wonderful time at The Butterfly Palace. We spent longer than we initially thought we would; we were just so captivated by the butterflies! It was just one of those places that we have thought about going to, but we always put it off. I’m so glad we decided to go! It was just so much more than we were expecting. This is also a great place to keep in mind when weather may derail other plans. It was a cool respite from the hot temperatures of July when we were there. If you are planning a trip to Branson, be sure to put The Butterfly Palace on your list of family fun!
To learn more about what you can do to help butterflies thrive, please check out DIY Garden!
76 Comments
Those butterflies are beautiful! I can’t believe how many interacted with you all! This looks like a fantastic family outing and shouldn’t be missed when traveling to Branson!
Those butterflies love that nectar for sure! I agree; it’s now on our list of things not to miss in Branson!
I just spent some time at a tiny butterfly place, and I had so much fun. But this place is incredible!
It really is! I’ve been to butterfly places in zoos before, but the interaction here was so much more.
I agree! I’ve been to some butterfly exhibits in some zoos, but this was so much better than any we had seen before. There were just so many more butterflies around. And they were more interactive than I’ve seen before.
Butterfly Palace looks like a very interesting and colourful place to take the family! I’m not the biggest fan of butterflies (sorry!) but I can appreciate their beauty. I like the sound of the Emerald maze, more my cup of tea!
The Emerald Mirror Maze was a lot of fun. I wasn’t expecting it to be that difficult to navigate. We were definitely laughing!
The butterfly avaiary looks so attractive. I love the pictures, flowers, colours and everytging about the post. I could easily spend an entire day at the aviary. Cheers!!
Thank you! We had a wonderful visit. We spent several hours here.
I love watching butterflies and that place looks like it would be such a fun experience. If we ever travel to Missouri, we will have to check it out!
Definitely! It was a highlight of our last trip!
Definitely! It was a highlight of our last trip!
This looks way better than other butterfly gardens I’ve visited. One more reason I need to check out Branson.
Yes! Your family would have such a great time in Branson. And The Butterfly Palace is a great place to bring the kids!
I cannot get over how stunning these pictures are. I wish you had taken pictures of the birds too, although I can guess they weren’t as friendly as the butterflies. Beautiful! Putting it on my list of places to visit.
Thank you! When we were there, I only saw one bird. It was had to get a good picture of it. It was a smaller bird, and if you got very close, it would take off. The butterflies were more willing to hang around. And if one flew off, it was easy to find another. It is a fun place to visit!
It really was a wonderful experience! We had a great time!
That looks like an amazing experience. I would love to visit a butterfly garden.
We had a great time. You should check one out if you ever get the chance!
SO pretty!! We have a new butterfly wonderland here in town, I will have to go check it out
You should! We had such a great time.
I still remember going to the huge butterfly habitat at the Smithsonian in DC as a kid. Reading this post brought back fun childhood memories of that day! This is such a fun thing for a family to do together!
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I’ve been to DC, but I never did the butterfly habitat. I may have to check that out. We hope to take Kristin in a few years.
Beautiful!
Thank you!
I have been to a similar butterfly attraction and it was really awesome. They are so quiet and peaceful!
Yes, it was a really peaceful place. I need to be closer so I could go more often just to de-stress!
OMG!!! I would be in heaven! I love butterflies, they are my favorite. So much so I have them tattooed on my back!
That is so cool! I have thought about getting a butterfly tattoo before.
Butterflies are just so beautiful. I cannot believe how huge that conservatory looks!
They are, aren’t they? The Butterfly Palace is larger than most exhibits I’ve seen. It seemed like there was plenty of space inside for everyone to take as much time as wanted.
What a magical place and your pictures are just gorgeous! Pinned it to my “Dreamy Destinations” board to add to the travel bucket list : )
That’s cool that you have a “Dreamy Destinations” board! I love it!
I would love to go there. Although I think my sons wouldn’t get a kick out of this place.
Maybe not, but we did see a lot of boys and girls there. Maybe they would go for you!
This must be so cool in person. Thanks for sharing.
The butterflies are really beautiful! We had a great time!
This place looks amazing! I love wildlife! Some of these butterflies are amazing and the variety is spectacular! A very nice write up!
Thank you! It is a pretty amazing place!
This looks like a wonderful family adventure! How neat 🙂
It really is a neat place!
This place looks absolutely stunning! We’re planning a trip west this winter. We’ll have to add it to our list of places to stop. 🙂
You should! I think you’ll have a great time!
What a neat experience! There is something in Columbus, Ohio that is similar, but only available around February or March. Butterflies are fascinating and it’s so exciting when they land on you. I can’t believe they landed on your heads!
It was a great experience. We were so excited when they landed on us!
Great pictures! Looks like a fun experience!
It really was a fun experience for my family!
It really was a fun experience for my family!
We’ve been thinking about going, thanks for the push! This is definitely on my list for the next few months now! Love your photos!!
Thank you! I hope you have a great time!
Wow! What a great place to visit! My family and I were just in Missouri, but not near Branson. My kids would love to go there. Thanks for sharing – I’ve never even heard of it. You got some beautiful pictures too – very impressive!
Thank you! Missouri really does have a lot to offer families!
I had a bit of a butterfly obsession when I was growing up. I’m not sure why lol who knew there was an oasis of butterflies in Missouri??? Great quality of pictures. It gives a real feel of what it’s like if you go. If I’m ever in Missouri, I would definitely check this place out!
Thank you! I hope you do come to Missouri and check The Butterfly Palace out!
I’m glad to know this is such an amazing place! I’ve been to Branson a thousand times in my life, but have never to The Butterfly Palace. We will definitely go on our next trip now. 🙂
You should! We put it off for several years, but we are so glad that we finally took the leap and visited!
Oh my gosh, your pictures are gorgeous. I want to go there right now!
Thank you! It is a great place to visit!
Wow, that place is huge! What a fun family place to visit!
It really is a fun place for the whole family!
Wow, this is incredible! Beautiful experience that allows for beautiful photos!
We’re in ND right now, and I’ve been searching high and low for a butterfly garden, but there aren’t any in the area. I’ll have to keep this in mind if we’re ever in Missouri!
Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
You should come to Missouri! We went to ND a couple of years ago, so I know it’s a long drive. But Southwest Missouri and the Ozarks have a lot of fun to offer families!
We love butterflies! This sounds like a really fun place to visit. All the butterfly attractions we have been to have been a huge hit with the kids!
It really is fun! This place would be a hit with your kids, too!
What a beautiful place!
It really is! We had such a great time!
Thank you! I agree; butterfly gardens really are magical!
Thank you! I agree; butterfly gardens really are magical!
There is something special about butterfly gardens! My 2 year old son loves it! We visited quite a few, but this one looks amazing with so many different variaties! Looks like you had a great day!
Jo
http://www.woodyworldpacker.com
We did have a great time! I bet you and your son would love this one!
We went there 7 years ago when my son was 2-year-old. It still look the same. And of course, same beautiful experience with butterflies.
That’s great! We hope to go back someday!
I love the flower test tubes, what a lovely idea! Sounds like a great place to visit, I really need to get to Branson at some point!
Branson really is a fun place for sure!
I know that we will be taking our kids to Branson sometime coming up, so I am glad to know about this beautiful place! This place was not on my radar. What great pictures!
Thank you! Branson is such a fun place. We really enjoy our time there!