A Beautiful Butterfly Oasis in the Arizona Desert

What do you think of when you see or think about a butterfly? I always think of Spring and colorful flowers. I also am enchanted by a butterfly’s flight - how they flit here and there but still manage to make it to where they want to be. In short, butterflies make me happy. So I just HAD to go check out the U.S.’ largest butterfly house on the edge of Scottsdale called Butterfly Wonderland. It did NOT disappoint! In fact, I bought an annual pass and went three times while I was in Arizona!

Butterfly Wonderland is in an entertainment complex called The Boardwalk that houses restaurants, a central play area for kids, and other attractions like a huge aquarium. See the post about that - https://www.bucketlistsbooksandbackpackswithdeanna.com/blogposts/see-plenty-of-fish-in-the-sea-at-the-scottsdale-odysea-aquarium

After you enter Butterfly Wonderland and verify payment, you are asked if you wish to have a photo taken and then are ushered into a short 3-D movie about monarch migration. It’s adorable and kids seemed to love it. Next, you enter a hatching room and get to view all the new butterflies that have burst from their cocoon that day. It’s pretty fascinating to watch! After that you are ready for the main attraction - the giant, tropical room where the butterflies frolic all day. The room contains lots of plants and flowers, a large koi pond with waterfall, benches to sit on and enjoy the views, and lots and lots of beautiful butterflies!

Insider Tip: Be sure to wear a brightly colored shirt that includes yellow. I randomly wore a shirt with yellow and white flowers and had several butterflies adopt me as a dear friend. See photos below.

On the first day I went to Butterfly Wonderland a black and white butterfly landed just on the edge of my phone and peeked around to check it out. It was so fun! I couldn’t get a photo, though, because he was on my phone. 😉

I would suggest that if you do go into any type of butterfly house, you dress lightly. At one point, a huge blast of steam emanated from the ceiling and I had to step outside the room for a bit because it was so warm.

Butterfly Wonderland also contains a room of interesting reptiles behind glass and a small room of aquarium fish. A snack bar/cafe and a gift shop round out the experience.

Before I show you few of the hundreds of photos and videos I took, I found one of the most unique offerings in a vending machine tucked into a corner. The vending machine served up insect-related food! Check out a few of those photos first. 👀