Amidst the thunderous roars of Niagara Falls, lies a tropical escape with lush greenery and thousands of flapping wings of brilliantly coloured butterflies! The Butterfly Conservatory is Niagara Falls’ unexpected delight! NO amount of verbal description can capture the essence of this wonderful attraction! But with this blog post, we are going to try…

The moment of awe and transformation, comes almost instantly upon starting your tour at the Butterfly Conservatory! Stepping into its glass enclosure, will make you feel like you have stepped into a different world altogether!

The Butterfly Conservatory tour experience, is significantly different from the usual thrilling, dazzling and loud & fast entertainment options at Niagara Falls! So different than the usual fare at Niagara Falls… but in noways, any less profound!

Join us as we discover the magic of the Butterfly Conservatory. And why we feel that a butterfly encounter, needs to be on your list of activities, during your upcoming Niagara Falls visit!

The Intimate Encounters at The Butterfly Conservatory

Words, as we mentioned earlier, will always fall short in describing what an immersive experience it is, at the Butterfly Conservatory! No amount of reading about it is going to prepare you for the experience of being surrounded by 2000 butterflies!

Unlike a typical exhibit showcasing everything from behind a glass wall, the Butterfly Conservatory allows you dance amidst the fluttering wings in an intimate experience with the butterflies!

The butterflies float freely around guests, often landing on their outstretched hands or shoulders, as if giving then a personal welcome to their gorgeous home! Many visitors have also reported seeing butterflies land right on their cameras… almost as if they were posing!

While this experience is fun and mesmerizing for adults, you can only imagine how fun this would be for the little ones! The Butterfly Conservatory is absolute hit with the kids! If you are going to be at the Falls with kids, you must absolutely take them for the Butterfly Conservatory tour!

Did you know, that the 2000 butterflies at the Butterfly Conservatory, represent about 45 different species around the World!?

Beyond all the frolicking with the colourful butterflies, the Butterfly Conservatory also serves as a source of education for the kids. Interactive displays teach them all they need to know about a butterfly’s life cycle. At the Emergence Window, they will also get to see as a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis!

School groups are often seen making a trip over here! Gathered around this display, for them, its like watching their science lessons come to life!

The Beautiful Setting

The meticulously maintained rainforest like setting of the Butterfly Conservatory, creates a beautiful backdrop for these intimate experiences with its winged residents!

The Butterfly Conservatory is a glass enclosed paradise, spanning across 11,000 square feet. Stepping through its entrance, you will be instantly transported to the tropics! The air is kept quite warm and the calculated levels of humidity is a deliberate inclusion, so as to support its lush vegetation.

The Conservatory’s carefully designed habitat creates the perfect living space for these beautiful creatures. There are temperature and humidity gradient zones ensuring the best atmosphere for each of the species housed there in.

The air within, carries with it the distinctive sweet scents of exotic flowers blooming all over the place, creating a treat for the senses. The highlight are the two centrally located indoor waterfalls! Measuring over two-story high, their water cascades over moss covered rocks into a koi filled pond beneath!

We recommend visiting the Butterfly Conservatory during the morning hours when the butterflies are most active. You will also get to enjoy your tour in a relatively less crowded environment before the afternoon rush hour begins!

The beautiful setting of the Butterfly Conservatory also has a surprising calming effect for many! Some report that the calming environment proved to be a refreshing reset for their over-active minds. It was the perfect venue for them, they say, for some quite contemplation!

A Photographer’s Dream

Are you a fan of photography? Or maybe, a social media buff? Then the Butterfly Conservatory is absolutely the place to be! There are endless opportunities to capture all kinds of shots!

As we mentioned earlier, the butterflies avail themselves quite nicely, for a photo session! And, if you ask the staff, they’ll help you out too! They will point out the most photogenic species and also provide a lot of information on their behaviour patterns!

For a photographer too, we suggest an early morning stroll through the Butterfly Conservatory. Not only are the butterflies more active and the place less crowded but also, the morning light makes the place look even more magical!

Practical Pointers for your Trip

As we have mentioned earlier, we recommend to plan your trip so that you can visit the Butterfly Conservatory during the early morning hours.

But here are a few other useful details about the Butterfly Conservatory. And a few pointers, to enhance your experience!

Relatively budget friendly- the tickets for the Butterfly Conservatory start at approximately 17$ a pop. For the rich experience and unforgettable memories you take home- we believe that this is truly a fair price! Combine it with other attractions on one of their passes, and you get an even better deal!

Located within the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, the Butterfly Conservatory is just a 10-minute drive from the main Falls area. Its wheelchair accessible too, making sure anyone and everyone is welcome within its glass walls.

The Butterfly Conservatory is a self guided walking tour. You can expect to spend anywhere between 1 to 2 hours at this place. Make sure you are wearing comfortable foot wear and not to mention the hot weather friendly clothing!

Our Verdict? The Butterfly Conservatory is a must-see!

For the nature lovers, its a absolute no-brainer that the Butterfly Conservatory needs to be on their Niagara Falls itinerary!

And once you have had a few days at Niagara Falls checking out the much louder attractions like the Journey Behind the Falls, Zipline to the Falls or maybe even the Greg Frewin Theatre shows– this quieter experience of the Butterfly Conservatory, might be just the thing you need!

There is indeed something profoundly moving, about standing still as a butterfly chooses you to land on—a moment of connection with one of God’s tiny but beautiful creatures! While the mighty Falls will take your breath away with their power and majesty… it might just be the gentle brush of a butterfly’s wings that will steal your heart!