It’s Spring Break in Branson! Town is a flutter with young families who have come to Branson for their break. And our family is no exception. This year we decided that we would have a relaxing spring break and stay home + my husband is working this spring break so I am on my own with our three kiddos. It’s up to me to create the fun so we’re getting outside and seeing the sights!
Today we decided to check out the Butterfly Palace…Side note, can I just say that the Butterfly Palace parking lot has the best view in Branson!!!
The butterfly palace is very interactive and offers several different attractions for your family to enjoy! They have a 3-D movie theatre, a jungle mirror maze, a bungee play area, the science center (with live animal encounters) and the Butterfly Aviary.
My kids really enjoyed the mirror maze…We did it 5 times and they could have done it 100 more. The bungee jungle is a lot of fun too, it is a smaller area so I felt safe letting the kiddos go in unattended. The science center had some cool reptile and fish displays. I, specifically, was horrified at the big, black scorpion and the man-eating piranhas. Throughout the day they have encounter shows with some of the reptiles, although this didn’t really hold my kids attention. We attempted the 3-D movie but that as well was not successful at keeping them entertained, so after about three minutes we left the movie.
The main attraction is the Butterfly Aviary. To enter the aviary, you walk through three sets of doors that are sealed separately to make sure that none of the butterflies escape. When you walk inside the doors it feels like you’re instantly transported to Florida… it’s a balmy 78(ish) degrees! They create a really fun experience for kids by offering explorer hats, magnifying glasses, binoculars, butterfly identification sheets, and nectar containers that kids can carry around so the butterflies are drawn to them. There are beautiful plants and flowers that line the walkway. Sometimes, there is someone who plays the dulcimer, which really creates such a relaxing experience… unless your child steps on and kill a big, beautiful butterfly, then it’s not so relaxing. At one point a butterfly started flying towards my oldest son and much to his terror, it landed on his LIPS! His lips!!! And it didn’t want to leave. Eventually he panicked and knocked it off with his hand… I, on the other hand, laughed so hard I cried! It was a moment I will never forget ๐ And Moms… The lighting in the aviary is a photographers dream!!! I don’t have a great camera on my phone anymore, but still managed to get some great pics, so remember to bring your camera or phone!
The only difficulty I had at the Butterfly Palace was navigating through the gift-shop areas that are located on the first and second floors. There are a TON of glass/breakable items and it is all at eye level for kids. I can only imagine how many items get broken there everyday. With three, young kids, all amazed by these shiny “toys” I was overwhelmed trying to keep their hands off of everything. And the gift shop area’s are in tight spaces so it made it a little more difficult to keep the kids away from things. But, we made it through, and if that is the biggest difficulty I had, it was not so bad.
More about the Butterfly Palace:
There are restrooms on every floor with baby changing stations located in the family stalls.
There are plenty of benches and chairs located around the building for resting or time-outs ๐
Stroller use is very easy at the Butterfly Palace. They do allow you to take strollers in the aviary but they will search it very well when you leave to make sure you don’t have any butterflies hiding in your storage basket.
We were there for about 90 minutes and I felt like we experienced everything pretty well, so you could spend anywhere from 1-3 hours there depending on what you see and do.
Ticket prices are as follows (I copied the pricing below from their website)
Adults: $19.95 + tax each
Seniors (55+): $17.95 + tax each
Child (ages 4-12): $ 12.95 + tax each
3 and under are free
Call (417)332-2231 for more information or visit their website at www.thebutterflypalace.com to purchase tickets ahead of time.
AND LOCALS!!! If you take your local I.D. then it is only $5 + tax for each member of the household!
We had a great time at the Butterfly Palace and will definitely go back. I hope you check it out and feel free to comment with any questions you may have.
I’ll see you in Branson!
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