Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House: St. Louis
Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House
15193 Olive BoulevardChesterfield, Missouri 63017636.530.0076Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House
The Butterfly House in St. Louis was both the most exquisite and the most "icky" (in a really fun, educational, great for kids way) stop on our St. Louis vacation.
When you visit the Butterfly House, you begin with a visit to the Grand Hall with exhibits on insects including cockroaches where my brave middle daughter and I popped up for an up close view of thousands of cockroaches... thankfully well protected in glass. We saw spiders, scorpions, and other arachnids. For my oldest daughter, who is especially crazy about butterflies, her favorite exhibit in the Grand Hall was the Butterflies of the World exhibit showcasing butterflies from across the globe. Finally, we watched "The Butterfly Effect" a 17 minute film explaining the life cycle of butterflies and their impact on the environment.
After watching the film, we were finally ready to visit the gem of the Butterfly House, the Tropical Conservatory. One step inside, and my five year old daughter Emily exclaimed, "Mom, I just know this is what heaven looks like!" I can certainly see why she feels this way. The Conservatory is home to nearly 2,000 tropical butterflies in free flight among lush gardens of 150 blooming tropical flowers and a small pond and waterfall. Everywhere you look there are bright and vibrant butterflies too numerous to count. Having been to several butterfly gardens and houses, and as faithful visitors to the Annual Butterfly Festival at Powell Gardens (one of our family favorites), we were amazed at how impressive the Butterfly House was, far surpassing any exhibit we'd ever seen.
At the end of the pathway through the Conservatory (which is very warm), we saw the "Miracle of Metamorphosis" where you were able to watch through the window of the labs and see butterfly chrysalids carefully mounted and guides provided detailed explanations, with real life visuals, of the life cycle of a butterfly.
After enjoying the Conservatory, we strolled through the Butterfly Garden outside, where plants attract native butterflies in a beautiful setting.
This was a favorite St. Louis attraction for our family and one we strongly recommend!
Mom Tips:
- For Powell Gardens Members, or members of other reciprocal gardens, admission is free.
- In the Conservatory, you are asked to stay on paths and not to touch butterflies, unless they touch you. Talk to your kids in advance and reassure them of the gentleness of butterflies if they are apprehensive about being touched, or landed on, but beautiful insects.
- Pick up a brochure with a species identification guide to help your children spot the butterflies in the conservatory.
- If possible, bring kid-safe cameras as well as the family camera. Your kids will love taking pictures of the butterflies for their scrapbooks.