Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale

I can’t believe I’m just getting around to sharing Butterfly Wonderland with you, but I am!

If you are looking for something fun to do with your family, you may want to check out Butterfly Wonderland. They have thousands of butterflies, and you can see and watch the transition from cocoon to butterfly in every detail.

This is a terrific place to take your kids in Scottsdale!

We’ve taken our two year old toddler more times than we can count, and each time she has a blast. Butterfly Wonderland is a rainforest environment featuring the largest butterfly atrium (10,000 square feet) in the United States! There are 50 different species of butterflies, and over 2,500 butterflies flying around at one time.

Butterfly Wonderland receives new shipments of butterflies every Friday (they get them from tropical Asia, South America, and Costa Rica). Believe it or not, they get them shipped via FedEx!

My most recent visit was in March, on a rainy morning while my wife was away with a friend in San Diego. Emily and I hopped in the car and drove the 10 or so minutes to Butterfly Wonderland. My daughter gets so excited about visiting this place.

They also have a small cafeteria where you can get lunch. If you are looking for things to do with your kids in Scottsdale, this is a great choice!

Visitors will be entertained by the 3D theater, and the thousands of butterflies, and yet at the same time educated about the lifecycle of butterflies (and their amazing migration).

3D Movie Theater

My daughter absolutely loves the movie that they show about butterflies which is in 3D called “Flight of the Butterflies” (IMDb link). The movie is 40 minutes in length, but I believe they shortened the movie since they say “specially-edited” in their description. My daughter has the movie almost memorized at this point, and it’s one of her favorite parts about visiting the center.

Watch my quick video on YouTube.

Bee exhibit

There is also a bee exhibit, where bees can leave the building (from a tube) and then bring back pollen to a hive (inside the building) where the queen bee lives.

Marine exhibit

There’s a whole section devoted to marine animals. They have a lot of beautiful fish, a stingray petting tank, and some small sharks.

Membership

We joined with their lifetime membership offer (not available any more, unfortunately) in 2013 shortly after they opened. We had to spend more than normal for the membership, but we have more than paid for it with dozens of visits in the last year.

Butterfly Wonderland also has a number of special events throughout the year, so you’ll want to check the calendar of events on their web site.

Well worth a visit! I highly recommend a visit and your kids will love it. Also, if you have more time, visit Mirror Maze next door.

Getting there

The beautiful and new Butterfly Wonderland is located just off the 101 in Scottsdale, on Via de Ventura. It is part of the Odysea in the Desert complex, which has many other attractions as well.

Butterfly Wonderland
9500 E Via de Ventura
Scottsdale, AZ 85256