**This Post was written in 2018. As such, the content and exhibits in the review below may be outdated. Please look out for updated content on this location in the near future!
It’s been almost 16 years since I have last visited Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens. Back in college, my boyfriend (who is now This Connecticut Dad) took me to see the butterflies for Valentine’s Day weekend. I remember being amazed at the sheer number of butterflies fluttering over my head.
Last month, during our spring break, we experienced Magic Wings through a child’s eyes. What a whole new world it is when you visit a place with kids!
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens is located on Route 5 in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. It’s literally up the road from Yankee Candle. It is about 45 minutes from the Connecticut/Massachusetts border.
(Google Maps)
Magic Wings is open almost every day of the year (they are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day). Their hours are always 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last admission is sold at 4:30 p.m.
When you enter the main doors, you’ll walk into an open atrium. There are tables and seating, as well as a few places for great photo ops.
If you head to the back of the atrium, you’ll find a coat room which comes in handy during the colder months. Trust me, you will NOT need a coat inside the conservatory. It is basically the tropics in the space where the butterflies are housed and the rest of Magic Wings is comfortable. If you opt to wear a coat inside, you’ll want to hang it up in the coatroom!
There are also NO STROLLERS allowed past the gift shop. So if you do bring your stroller into Magic Wings, you’ll need to park it in the coat room. Honestly, it’s probably best to just leave the stroller in the car.
Also towards the back, there is a ticket counter for admission to the conservatory. On our visit that day, the ticket counter was closed and they were directing guests to pay and enter through the gift shop.
To the left of the atrium is the gift shop. As I mentioned, we were directed to purchase our tickets at the gift shop counter on our visit today.
The gift shop has lots of souvenirs and butterfly themed items for purchase. You can also bring home a caterpillar that will hatch into a butterfly!
We headed to the counter first to purchase our tickets and get our hands stamped! Admission to Magic Wings is currently $16 for adults; $14 for seniors (62 and over); $10 for children ages 3 to 17; $10 for students (18 to 22) and free for ages 3 and under. Admission is good for the WHOLE day; you can come and go as you wish.
The handstamp allows you to enter and exit the conservatory as much as you like!
From the gift shop, you will head into a small room with reptiles, frogs and other creatures!
We spotted a gecko stuck to the glass window! There were some amazing colored frogs. And the stick bug was really cool!
They also had a small butterfly display to get you ready for what was about to come next!
The main door to the butterfly conservatory was just off to the side of this small room. You can’t really miss the very prominent display.
They have a fair amount of rules displayed on the entrance doors to the butterfly conservatory. There are also rules just outside of the gift shop. Some of the big rules are that there are NO STROLLERS allowed past the gift shop (and therefore, not allowed in the butterfly conservatory). They do allow wheelchairs. If you have a very little one, it’s best to babywear or carry. If you have a walker, let them free. There is no food or drinks allowed inside with the butterflies. There is no running and you should watch your step (butterflies land on the ground)! Children under 13 must be watched at all times. Butterflies should not be touched or handled; however, they could land on you, and that’s okay! In fact, it’s pretty awesome when they do!
It seems like a lot of rules but these are living creatures and this is their home, so it’s important to be respectful of them and follow the rules!
When you enter the first door into the conservatory, you’ll be in a small hallway. I’ll explain the purpose of this further down, but you’ll go through a second set of doors to enter the conservatory!
Inside the conservatory, you’ll feel like you are in the tropics! Just a warning, it’s warm in there. If you are dressed for a cold day, you will get hot inside the conservatory! We actually went in and out of the conservatory a couple times just to cool down!
But the heat is what creates this beautiful atmosphere!
Right near the entrance, you will spot the nursery. Here you’ll see all the stages of the life of a butterfly! The case is filled with live chrysalis. They explain that most hatch in the morning to early afternoon, and once the butterfly emerges, they hang out in the nursery for a few hours until their wings are dry. Once they are ready, they are released into the conservatory! We didn’t get to catch a butterfly emerging but I imagine it is an amazing sight!
So what exactly will you see in the 8,000 square foot conservatory? There are over 4,000 exotic and domestic butterflies flying in here!
They are fast and fluttering all around, but you can usually find them hovering near flowers or near the food.
There are plenty of places to sit down and enjoy the wonder of it all! We loved the gazebo!
If you stand still long enough, or even sit for a while, you may get a rare treat! Having a butterfly land on you is not guaranteed but when it happens, it’s pretty amazing!
I even had one curious butterfly land on my camera lens! He was ready for his closeup!
Of course, the conservatory is home to other animals. You may spot birds wandering around on the ground and in the air. There is also a friendly parrot. There are a few tanks with reptiles, a koi pond and some huge tortoises!
Walking around the conservatory, you’ll also spot members of the Magic Wings team. There was one young guy showing off some of his special friends to the kids that day. He was super friendly, and also very informative. I learned a lot about butterflies that day!
You can spend as long as you would like in the conservatory. Like I mentioned, it is warm in there, so when you are ready for a break, you’ll want to head back the same way you entered. However, this time you will need to be a little more observant when walking through the doors to exit. Because, hitchhikers!
They really want to make sure you check yourself for butterflies; there are mirrors in the hallways when you exit. Make sure you close the door to the conservatory tightly before you open the door to the reptile room!
You are free to spend the whole day at Magic Wings with your admission. They even have a cafe on site where you can grab lunch or just a snack. The cafe is located to the right of the atrium and coat room.
They have a pretty good menu with soups, salad, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, sandwiches and wraps. There is a kids menu as well. You can also grab an ice cream, cookies, drinks (hot and cold), and various snacks.
We ended up grabbing a few drinks and a cookie for the little guy, and enjoyed our snack in the atrium. I spotted a few picnic tables outside, but we stayed inside since it was starting to rain!
Outdoor food is not allowed in Magic Wings, so if you plan to bring any, you’ll want to enjoy it outside before you come in.
We returned back to the conservatory after our snack for a while. In total, we spent over two hours at Magic Wings. I was honestly surprised (and impressed) at my child’s interest and behavior. I had been a little hesitant about trying this place out with him- he has a ton of energy and a typical three year old attention span. We came here with the understanding that we may not stay for a long time. He clearly surprised us both. He was very excited and definitely gave us a good workout that day, but he was into the butterflies. He was afraid to let one land on him, he mostly watched on with curious eyes, but he loved seeing all the them flutter over him and land in front of him. And he really enjoyed the other animals and reptiles they had at Magic Wings.
I think this is definitely a great place to visit with the family and kids. Little ones that you can wear will enjoy the sights, older ones will love activities like a scavenger hunt for the different types of butterflies. As for toddlers and preschoolers, well, you know your child best!
We had a great afternoon at Magic Wings, and afterwards, we took a little trip down the street for a sweet treat at Richardson’s Candy Kitchen. If it’s maple season, you can check out Williams Sugarhouse just across from Richardson’s. And of course, you can also head down the road to Yankee Candle (one of our favorite places)!
This about sums it up…
281 Greenfield Road – South Deerfield, Massachusetts
Hours: Open Daily (except Christmas and Thanksgiving), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Costs: Adults: $16.00
Seniors (age 62 and over): $14.00
Children (age 3 through 17): $10.00
Students up through age 22 with valid student ID: $10.00
Children under age 3: Free
Features:
- Strollers Not Allowed inside gift shop or conservatory (babywear or let your children walk if they can)
- Great photo opportunities – Bring your camera!
- Outside food and drink not allowed
- Food for sale in Cafe
- Admission Price is for the whole day (you can come and go as you’d like)
- Very warm temperatures inside conservatory!
- Bathrooms located next to Cafe
- Ample free parking
