The Denver Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center is a Fantastic Family Daytrip

My son loves bugs. He likes to find them, catch them, observe them and terrify his sister with them. My daughter, on the other hand, likes things that are a bit more gentle such as flowers, gardens, and butterflies. When we are looking for a weekend family getaway one of our best bets is the Denver Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center. The Butterfly Pavilion allows my boy to be a boy, and my girl to be amazed, and the whole family walks away learning something.

Located approximately 20 minutes from Downtown Denver at 6252 West 104th Ave. in Westminster, CO, the Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center features some truly remarkable exhibits and experiences. A family, if they take advantage of all the exhibits, educational programs, and nature talks can expect to be there for about 2 hours. If you are rushing through, you can go more quickly, but you will miss out on so much.

Things to Do at the Denver Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center

Shrunk! where a child gets to explore his / her backyard from the size and perspective of a bug. Shrunk! features large animatronic exhibits and larger-than-life insects that you child can explore and play on. My kids are particularly from the super-sized spider-web jungle gym.

The Crawl-a-see-em is the room my son loves. It is full of insects of all sizes an types including a working bee hive with see-through walls so that you can watch the busy bees being busy. If you or your child have the stomach for it, in the Crawl-a-see-em you can have a chance to hold Rosie the Tarantula. If you are brave enough to play with the arachnid, you can earn a sticker!

The Water's Edge is an exhibit that features the shoreline of a marine environment. Here you can view and interact with several marine creatures including spiny sea urchins and horseshoe crabs. So much of the excitement of the Butterfly Pavilion in Denver comes form the fact that many of the experiences are hands-on. The Water's Edge is no exception.

Of course, people go to the Butterfly Pavilion for the butterflies, and in Wings over the Tropics' you can walk along a beautiful winding trail through a lush tropical rainforest and see thousands of butterflies in free flight. They might even land on you. At 12:30 and 3:30 daily, you can watch a butterfly release where the pavilion volunteers release dozens of newly formed butterflies and give a nature talk on all things butterfly. There is also an area where you can see, in real life, caterpillars, chrysalises, and butterflies at various stages of life. These are the real deal - I have even seen a butterfly climb out of its cocoon, and it was an awesome experience.

Planning your Visit to the Denver Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center

The center is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but the doors close at 4:15 for new guests. Admission is $7.95 for adults, and children (3-12) pay $4.95. Make sure to enjoy all of the exhibits and educational programs so you can get the biggest bang for your buck. There is a cafe inside as well as a gift shop. At the gift shop, there are some great gifts that are bug-centered, including real insect snacks and candies. These make great gifts for family and friends - trust me.

One final note, if you are planning a trip to the Denver Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center during the school year, it is best to avoid the mid morning and early afternoon hours. Those are the school field trip times. The 3:30 butterfly release will be your best bet if that is what you want to see, or an early morning adventure will work out fine as well.

When ever you go or whatever you do while you are there, the Denver Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center will allow you and your family to learn and enjoy the world of insects and arachnids in an up-close and hands on way. The memories you make there will last a lifetime.