Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion

8046 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19136, USA

Address:	8046 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19136, USA
Phone:	+1 215-664-8950
Site:	phillybutterflypavilion.com
Rating:	4.4
Working:	9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 9

Erika Iyengar

The short of it is: GO to this place, and do not be shy--ASK the staff questions, and to show you things. They were FABULOUS, especially the woman with the blue hair (although Ill bet it changes color often). There are a lot of insects, but there were many other animals as well. . .more a "small zoo of unusual small animals"--like lizards, fish, spiders, etc. It is small-ish, but a lot of things are packed in. Happily, with the size, it is easy to bring multiple children and keep an eye on them, not lose them. There is information on the organisms, but it is also a great place for non-readers. Their live butterfly room was the biggest and best I have ever seen, and I have been in quite a number of them. When we went, on the second floor of exhibits we were the only people there for a while, so I asked the blue-haired woman where the poison dart frogs were, because we couldnt see them in their cage. SO glad I did that. She opened the cage to find them for us (never had someone do that before!), then moved on to the next cage and gently coaxed that animal out of hiding, and in the next cage showed us where the animal was hiding in plain sight! After that, she started telling us about various lizards, let us hold the one she held, and when we asked questions either she or her colleague went into the back to get other animals out for us! It was like having a private showing! Of course, when other people came we couldnt keep dominating their time, but the two staff members continued to show things to a wide variety of people, made sure to tell a boy, "Oh go get your mom here before you hold the tarantula, because I am sure shell want a picture of this!" and waited smiling until he came back with her. Clearly, these people LOVE what they do, and are so happy to share it with others. I am so glad we went (we spent almost 2.5 hours there!) and will definitely go back again. Small, yes; tons of information and neat animals (if you like unusual invertebrates): YES! Great deal on Groupon: YES! (that made it SOO financially worthwhile!)

Tricia G

I planned a school trip with some home school moms. I contacted the Insectarium because our children were learning about bugs this year. I felt it would go well with our study. In any event, I spoke with Anita who booked our tour. I explained that my group consisted of 15 total (children and adults) of which 2 children are under 2 years of age. She said I still had to pay for the two children under 2 because my group was less than 20 persons for the tour. One of the mothers from my group called in and Anita changed her mind and said that she did not need to pay for the baby (7months) but the other mother with the 14 month old baby had to pay. Even though their website states that children under 2 enter for free. When I called her back she was not the most pleasant and was reluctant to refund me my $100.deposit. Its unfortunate, that an interesting place like this has someone who lacks customer service skills interacting with customers. I pray that my experience will not be anyone elses.

A Private User

I liked this place, but admit that it could use some improvements. I didnt encounter any unpleasant staff as other reviewers did. The exhibit could use some more live bugs however. There were some interesting live specimens--tarantulas and exotic cockroaches and other things. I was hoping for some praying mantises for example --there were none. The honeybee display had only a few bees in it and seemed neglected. The "cockroach kitchen" display is a great idea, but I didnt see any live cockroaches in it, only dead ones. Still, in spite of the needed improvements, my family enjoyed the place, and there were enough bugs to make it interesting. The gift shop has some interesting items--lollipops with edible bugs in the center, and a fetching cockroach necktie. If youre in the neighborhood and looking for a family activity, its not a bad way to spend an hour or so.

A Private User

terrible terrible terrible. To being with, the lady who sold us our tickets clearly did not like children and was huffing an puffing as she sold us our tickets - at $7 (!) a piece. so then i think, for $7 this must be good. WRONG. Two roooms, one with dead bugs on pins and a live cockroach display. That display is filled with dead bugs. then upstais (the live room) was also filled with dead bugs, although they were not supposed to be. The whole time there was nbot staff around (not at all like th pictures on the website) and when I asked if someone was going to talk to us, the answer was simplhy "no". poor customer service, badd attitudes, stupid exhibits and 2 rooms. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY!

sherry john

went to insectarium on saturday oct 29. had a blast! took my 3 grandkids, and my mentally challenged brother. they loved it! my brother was so very fascinated. it was great to see him having so much fun. he never shows much expression but he smiled and laughed the whole time. there was a Halloween party going on there. i didnt know, was just going to museum. what a wonderful plus. the staff is so kind and helpful and all smiling the whole time. cant say enogh good things about this place. we thank the staff at the insectarium for having us.

Kim Creighton

What a wonderful place to go as an child or an adult. We went yesterday as the Portside Arts Centers Summer Arts Camp with a group of 24 children and 6 adults and I am not sure who had more fun, the kids of the adults... The butterfly pavilion was magical with so many friendly butterflys that actually sit on your hand, head or wherever they can land. The staff was exceptional and our overall experience was fantastic. We would highly recommend the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion.

Becky Slot

The building was small, there was no toilet paper in the bathroom, and the microscopes didnt work. The butterfly room was the best part, however the large screen shot in there was not on. We asked the staff to put it on and was told they were too busy . I bought a shirt and was charged sales tax. I told them there is no tax on clothing in PA. She had to get a manager to get it taken off. On the plus side parking was free and the lot was large enough. Will not go again.

Brian Brown

For $7 a head I expected a bit more. I did like the live cockroach display. Upstairs was nice when they had a staff members let you hold a bug or 2 but the past 2 times we were there no one around? Maybe I was there at odd times as no other visitors either? However, for the most part my kids enjoyed and have asked many times to go back again. I agree it does need some updating...like many of the buttons they have which turn on lights in the displays did not work.

Damian Matthews

A pretty cool little museum. They have a giant butterfly/moth room with hundreds of live butterflies and moths flying around. The rest of the museum includes a fascinating assortment of living fish, arthropods and lizards, in addition to a collection of preserved insects on display. It is a bit pricy, in my opinion. However, I do believe they offer a discount for kids, which is quite fortunate because I think most kids anywhere from 3yo to adolescents would love it.