One sunny morning last month, with rain forecast for later that day, we decided to take the little man to a nice local tourist hotspot in our hometown of Stratford Upon Avon. I hadn’t been to the Butterfly Farm for many years and as Ethan is currently going through a ‘bug loving’ phase, also involving all things ‘creature-like’, we thought this was the perfect place to go.
The Butterfly Farm is situated in perhaps the most stunning area of the town. A stones throw from the picturesque River Avon and the world famous Royal Shakespeare Theatre. On a sunny day, the views that greet you as you park the car, or walk across the bridge from the town centre, are really quite breathtaking. It was this particular day that made me look at our town in a different light. We really are very lucky to live here.
The Butterfly Farm is an indoor attraction that’s perfect for all weathers. It’s home to hundreds of the worlds most exotic butterflies. Visitors are free to walk through their home and get up close to see them in their full glory. Complete with beautiful flowers, waterfalls and fish filled splash pools, it’s a fantastic experience.
There is a Discovery Zone that is full of information about all of the plants that are grown. Some of the worlds largest most camouflaged caterpillars on show with cocoons. Giant silk moths and pupae hanging on the plants – literally right in front of you. There is an Emerging Cage where you can even see butterflies emerging hatching from their chrysalis. It’s fascinating.
There’s also a Mini Beast Metropolis that houses beetles, stick insects, leafcutter ants – walking a rope right above your head and some of the world’s largest tarantulas (behind glass, I promise!!) to name a few.
And of course, no visit to an attraction is complete without a visit to the Gift Shop, where we wandered for quite some time trying to find that perfect keepsake. We ended up with a soft toy dinosaur! As you do!
We had a lovely morning at the Butterfly Farm and Ethan has already asked if we can go back one day. He particularly liked it when the butterflies would land on you as you casually stroll through their habitat, I have to admit, this fascinated me too.
It’s a great place to go with curious little ones. You can spend as little or as long in there as you like, with no time limits. A thoroughly enjoyable morning. I feel privileged to have it on our doorstep.
You can find out more about the Stratford Upon Avon Butterfly Farm by visiting their website or following their Twitter and Facebook page. You can also discover more places to go in and around Stratford Upon Avon by visiting the Shakespeare’s England website.
Many thanks to the Butterfly Farm and Shakespeare’s England for inviting us to the Butterfly Farm – we had a wonderful morning.
*We were gifted entrance to the Butterfly Farm in return for an honest review.
