Travel Review: South Florida's Butterfly World!

The tourist season in Miami is going to be in full swing soon and I wanted to share one of my favorite places in South Florida to visit for locals and visitors alike....Butterfly World. A world of tiny creatures.

I love to go there with my grand kiddies,it is such an enchanting little park and the boys love it as do my daughters and everyone who goes with us from out of town, since this is one of the places on our "to do" list for visitors.

From the first moment you enter you are greeted by those lovely little creatures as they gently flutter near you...at first it comes as a surprise but it does not take long before you really enjoy that close up view as they fly around in the beautiful foliage throughout the park especially near the bountiful flowering gardens...

One of the first stops on the well marked trail is the Laboratory, here you find a fascinating sight in the glass enclosed display area where you can watch transforming live pupae as they change from crawling leaf chewing creatures into the wide winged wonderful beauties they become...we learn from reading the little plaques on the wall that some of the pupae take years to transform while others just a few days...it all depends on the species...one question asked is how long do they live?

The answer is varied, some species only have a lifespan of just 3 days, others, a few months, but the average butterfly lives about a week to 10 days...sad to think that all that work to transform and live is for such a short time but thats mother nature!

Next we headed out to the area they callParadise Adventure Aviary where you can watch the various species of butterflies sip nectar from the nearby flowers which are grown for that particular purpose...there are other food sources left out for the butterflies among the many plants, even old bananas, the older the better they say, so you spot them everywhere, boy, a monkey would have a field day at this park!

Onward we march on this trail where ponds are filled with huge fish you an feed if you have the quarters necessary for the little machines nearby.

The Tropical Rain Forest is next, filled with beautiful colorful butterflies of every size...this is the perfect spot to sit on one of the many benches to take it all in....they will sit on your hands, arms and shoulders if you are still enough and extend your arms out.

Next the Butterfly World Lake awaits, another lovely sight. Then you have to walk across a small suspension bridge over that lake to get to the Lorikeet Encounter, one of our favorite spots....I'm not too thrilled with that bridge since it can be very shaky especially when groups of children run across as deliberately bounce around...

Just on the other side is the English Rose Garden, Roses are a rare sight down here so it is nice to see those beautiful colorful flowers displayed in such a delightful setting.

Then on to the Lorikeets, these flitty little birds will eat right out of your hand when you offer them the special nectar you can buy for a dollar a cup, which can get expensive since it doesn't take long before the birds finish them off, but it really is a fun treat for the children, they even put the cups on their heads...

The Lorikeet is a combination parrot and parakeet with vibrant feathers and are extremely people friendly, well, they are used to being fed nectar from all people who visit and put cups of their favorite food on the top of their heads, what a photo op this is, if you are quick enough with your camera.

Next stop on the trail is the Jewels of the Sky Hummingbird Aviary ...another very rare treat since hummingbirds are hard to find down here, I've never seen so many, and what busy little birds they are, flying around at amazing speeds...They too don't seem to be afraid of people and will fly right near you during their search for the foods they live on which are planted for them, just like they would find in their own native lands.

Did you know: that Hummingbirds wings beat about 60 times a second, that their favorite color is red, they have no sense of smell, can live to be 12 years old and fly at about 45 miles an hour...there are many other interesting facts to be learned in this exhibit, oh, and they don't actually hum...

Another fascinating spot for the kids is the Insectarium but I stayed out of there, really wanting no part in seeing big dead bugs on display...though the boys really did seem to enjoy the place..yuk

Time to go but first a trip to the gift shop, plenty of beautiful items on display featuring all the little critters you have just witnessed in the park...I found a Butterfly bird feeder for my yard, which I love to fill everyday, hoping to find a few exotic birds, among the numerous Mourning Doves I see daily...maybe one day I will spot a hummingbird, though I do see butterflies often which makes me happy.

Butterfly World is a delightful place and an easy visit for everyone since it's a small park and a treat for people of all ages.....I recommend it highly to anyone who has a love of nature and the creatures who share our planet, even the teeniest tiny ones.

Located at: 3600 W.Sample Road, Coconut Creek, Florida
For more information you can also call 954-977-4400

Rates :
Adults and Seniors $21.95
Children $16.95 (ages 3-11)
Under 3 are Free