The Butterfly Place

This place doesn’t even deserve 1 star. I have company from Puerto Rico, I was bragging about all the butterflies. I took them there today.
The butterflies were so beautiful and such a really serene settings.
We got there about 3:30 pm we were told to watch a video. Then to enter to where the butterflies were.
So we watched the video then went to see the butterflies. Maybe 10 to 15 min. later they closed up. We were asked to leave right then and there!
This is not fair! We complained to them that it was not fair, such a short time. Told them that they should of warned us, we would of
come back another day.
They didn’t care at all. Evidently the owner, just shrugged her shoulders. They said we were told when when purchasing the entrance fees.
Which was an out & out lie!
THEY JUST DO NOT CARE AT ALL ABOUT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION !!!
THEY ARE NOT WORTH THE ENTRANCE FEES!!!

I really enjoyed coming here. I went with my boyfriend. When you come in there’s an educational room that has pictures of butterflies and actual displays of caterpillars and butterflies. Then when you enter its amazing. There’s butterflies everywhere. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s a lot smaller than I expected but we were here for a little over an hour. There were also birds but they were hiding because kids were on a field trip and scaring them. They had a koi pond too but it was a little dirty. I enjoyed it a lot and would love to go back

The place was smaller than I thought it would be but I did enjoy my visit. There are benches to sit on and soothing music playing. There is a staff member inside who is more than willing to answer questions and explain to you what you’re seeing. The temperature is kept at about 80 degrees because the butterflies need heat to fly around.

Butterfly’s! So pretty and relaxing watching them fly around. There are tons of them and if you’re lucky you’ll have one land on you! The room is not very large and there are a couple of benches to sit on. Soothing music playing and a very helpful informative lady working inside who pointed out specific types. It was fun to try to identify them using our paper guide as well.
The inside needs some help as the exhibits and the ‘video room’ seems seriously outdated.
Plenty of parking and there are picnic benches outside.

I love it here! It is so pretty inside and it’s always fun. Its not really big enough to spend a whole day, but its a good place to go to kill some time (1 – 2 hours). They have a good gift shop and the staff is friendly. Will be back.

I have been here for childhood field trips and now I take my toddler here on occasional rainy days. It is so peaceful even when it is crowded. The look of wonder in my son’s eyes is priceless. A true gem. I am a forever fan.

Not worth the cost, and it is pretty shabby. It is a family run mom and pop place and that makes it sweet. It needs some serious attention to groundskeeping… picnic area is dry, dusty, and unattractive. I understand that this little place can’t compete with butterfly conservatories in places at large arboretums, but this place is very expensive for a small crowded greenhouse filled with (admittedly) beautiful butterflies and a few tired exhibits. An hour spent here is long enough. Glad we bought 40% off groupon ($ 15) and but we could have gotten in for$ 7 (less than half groupon) if we had known about the policy that adults can get in for$ 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. this is NOT on their website but is posted at the ticket counter… Full price would have been a rip off. Glad we went but once was enough.

Visited early afternoon on a hot Sunday in July when it was not very crowded. There were a few very well behaved children whose delight in seeing the butterflies added to our experience. It is not a particularly large place but the pathway was wide enough and level enough that pushing a wheelchair through was no problem. Lovely and tranquil with background music that did not interfere with the sound of trickling water or peeping birds.
Large bathrooms outside the main area were clean and navigable with a small, push
wheelchair.
It could be pricey for a family visit so look for coupons and Groupon. Also — if you’re in the mood, ask the staff for directions to the ice cream place down the road next to the Nashua River. A real treat with regular portion size so big we couldn’t finish our ice creams!

This is a great place. I took five young children. I was not too expensive and enjoyable for everyone. My five year old was feeling worried about a butterfly landing on her so a really nice person who works their walked around with her and helped her feel better. She taught all the children so much about the birds and butterflies there and gave them some nice butterfly stickers when we were leaving.

A great place that holds hundreds of butterflies and offers the chance to hang out with them in a solarium with cool tropical plants. They have a small gift shop and educational center. We came on a weekend and it was almost too packed to move, they should really have some kind of limit as to the number of people. in such a small place. Maybe try a weekday to avoid the crowds, but this is a great place to bring kids for an afternoon and a little nature education.

Great place for kids of all ages; beautiful butterflies flutter around you as you stroll or just sit watching the magic around you. Highly recommended.

I got one of those groupon deals to this place and I thought it was worth the visit. When you go inside there is an educational walk through that you can go through before going into the actual butterfly section.
They have butterflies that are in their cocoon and I even saw one that was trying to emerge, which was pretty cool.
The inside garden were all of the butterflies are is small but it was nicely set up. There were so many butterflies and flowers and they even had little birds that fly and ones that stay on the ground not sure what they were but they were so cute! I really enjoyed sitting in here and watching all of the butterflies. They had nice relaxing music too. It was a different and fun thing to do. We did this in the early am, so it wasn’t too busy but I’m sure it would get busy. Also wear a tshirt since it is warm and humid inside for the butterflies.

Like so many others, I got the GroupOn and had to check it out.
First, don’t skimp on the hallway outside the actual butterflies. Awesome learning opportunities and you get to see a bunch of neat things like crystalists and different species of caterpillars up close.
When you go in, your first reaction is probably going to be, «this is it?» It’s smaller than you might think and just 1 big room essentially.
But have a seat and watch and you too will discover how awesome this place can be.
Definitely not for those super short on attention span. This is a great venue to take in details, observe how the butterflies move and what they land on, and just enjoy the overall peacefulness of being immersed in the butterfly’s «natural» habitat.
Wonderful for young children and photographers. A great place to go if you want to have a family adventure that doesn’t take all day.
Bring a notebook and have your child record what they see, even if it’s just a scribble on the page. This is a great place for deep and critical thought, even for young naturalists.

Great gem in Westford. Heard about it through Groupon and had a 2 for 1 coupon for our Saturday visit. With or without coupon, I think the price is right.
There are sooo many different types of butterflies and moths to be seen and if you wear the right color clothing (we did not; we looked like ninjas) you’ll get butterflies landing on you which is a pretty amazing experience in itself.
There was a woman working inside the atrium (wish I would have gotten her name) who was very helpful when we asked questions and, even when we didn’t she volunteered great info. There was this one enormous moth — an atlas moth — that she told us only lives about a week because it eats and eats as a caterpillar but once a moth it has no mouth and cannot eat. How sad and yet so beautiful it was.
You can spend quite a bit of time meandering the area looking at the butterflies and even some Chinese quails amongst the beautiful plants and flowers. There are seating areas to just sit and let them come to you.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and it definitely puts a smile on your face.

This place is really neat. Providing you go when there are no screaming children the Butterfly Place is a peaceful experience. It’s fun to watch all the different kinds of butterflies flutter around and they have some kind of flock of mini quail that are SOOOO CUTE. It’s smaller than butterfly sanctuaries you might find in the South but I’m pretty sure it’s the only one in the area. Outside the main terrarium you can see butterflies and caterpillars in cocoon form. The gift shop area is neat too although like most gift stores it’s a little pricey.
This is a fun and educational place to bring well behaved children who are unphased by bugs. It seems silly but I have to say this because some kids see butterflies as nasty bugs, it doesn’t matter that they happen to be pretty and harmless bugs. Last time I was here there was a kid that was absolutely freaking out when butterflies landed on him and took some swipes intending to take the «pests» out so this venue isn’t for everyone. There is a decent chance a butterfly will land on you so be prepared for that. Just stand still and admire it until it flies away.
The only negatives are the price, which is a tad high, and the other people wandering around. Most people are fine but it only takes one rampaging child or one person with a carriage blocking a path to ruin the experience. If you go please leave strollers outside and encourage children to be quiet and careful while in the terrarium area.
Bring a camera! And don’t wear layers, it’s quite hot inside the main butterfly enclosure.

I loved this place. It’s not big and you won’t spend a whole afternoon there, but when you walk in and see the butterflies zooming around, it will put a smile on your face. The little birds are cute, too. I went with a work group of adults and everyone had a great time. We paired it with a lunch at a local diner, so it was a great outing. We also had a Groupon which was half off. There was one huge butterfly kind of hidden behind a tree that never came out and it was the biggest butterfly I’ve ever seen, probably about 10 – 12 inches across.

I visited with my infant son, my sister and her 8-​year old daughter. I have been to a very elaborate and beautiful butterfly sanctuary in Key West, so when I first walked in I was a little dismayed by the small size and inferior beauty of this place. But it is well-​kept and pretty, and packed with gorgeous butterflies, even two days after opening for the season. And once I saw how much fun my niece and even my 5-​month-​old son had, looking at all the butterflies, I felt a little ashamed of my initial reaction. It’s an adorable place, with little quail running around and a great variety of butterflies. A few tips that I think improved our visit:
1. We went around noon on a Saturday, and there were no school groups there to cause the kinds of crowds I’ve seen others complain about. There was plenty of space for everyone visiting while we were there. I have a terribly bulky stroller, and there was plenty of room to wheel it in and then leave it in a corner while we carried the baby.
2. I had a Groupon for two adult admissions for the price of one. Without it, I’d have felt this was a pretty overpriced experience ($ 12 for adults, much less for kids). With it, the price seemed just right.
3. We had kids with us. I did see some adults visit by themselves, but I think I’d have been much less impressed if not for the wonderment of the children I was with.
For winter in New England, I think this is a very worthwhile place to bring the kids for some lightly educational fun.

Summer has drawn to a close and with it the warm weather, but that doesn’t mean good times are gone with it. With the unpleasant overcast weather putting a damper on the possibilities for outdoor activities I thought it would be a perfect weekend to enjoy a little fun indoors at The Butterfly Place. This 3100 sq ft, 27ft high indoor sanctuary/​conservatory in Westford, MA allows visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy the tranquil habitat for the roughly 500 butterflies that call it home. It’s paths are lined with a variety of colorful plants and shrubs, designed as a source of nectar for the butterflies. The lush surroundings also create a beautiful habitat for the other living creatures that call it home such as the quail birds and koi fish that swim in the indoor pond.
We arrived at about 11:30 and found it lightly attended allowing us to really enjoy the habitat without having to fight the crowds. After passing through a few sets of doors we entered the atrium and the butterflies were flying about, landing on the flowers, and seemingly tormenting the young children. While they majestically fluttered by I learned from the guide that there are roughly 50 different species of butterflies from all around the world at any given time. She further explained however that they prefer to showcase local species whenever possible. The butterflies seemed to really enjoy when the heater turned on and they all seemed to take flight at once to enjoy the warmth which was beautiful to watch. Their colorful wings intertwining with each other as they perform a free spirited dance in the air.
We took many pictures and it is definitely worth bringing your camera just in case one decides you might be a nice place to land. We sat still for a while hoping but they seemed to land on the children and older people more than anyone else which amused me since the kids seemed scared when they were crawling on them and the older people seemed to not even notice. It is very warm and fairly humid inside so leave your jackets in the car. The place isn’t very big and I can see how on a crowded day it might be too much to try to navigate along the narrow winding paths.
While I thoroughly enjoyed myself I do want to share one negative which is less about the actual venue and more about peoples thoughtlessness. My biggest pet peeve is people with baby carriages. Some of those things are the size of smart cars and they drive them like big rigs. I think they should be banned from the conservatory and left outside. The paths are just too small and too narrow to allow them. If your child is too small to walk you should carry them. I also think while it is nice to bring wheel chairs for those unable to walk to enjoy the beauty it too is frustrating to find someone left to sit in the same spot and blocking the path. There are benches and you should park those people along the benches so that you are not blocking the paths. That would allow everyone to further enjoy the experience.

Don’t be fooled by my 3 star rating — i genuinely enjoyed my visit to The Butterfly Place (although i must question the person that named it — «place» — is that the best you could come up with?). But i went through a livingsocial deal, and thinking back to the experience, i asked myself, as a (somewhat) adult male, would i have felt satisfied paying full price for my visit? The answer is… maybe.
The exhibits before entering the atrium are very cool — you see larvae in various stages of becoming butterflies/​moths, which, once you get past the grotesque look of a few of them, is really quite a scene. There are informative signs explaining different parts of the butterfly’s development — all in all a great experience.
But then you go into the atrium, and it’s a bit of a different experience. Where the previous room focused on educating you about the butterflies, the atrium is just a ton of butterflies flying around the place. Don’t get me wrong — that is an amazing experience… for the first 5 – 10 minutes. But after i had seen all of the different types of butterflies (and fish, and birds) inhabiting the atrium, i was left wondering «what next?»
It probably didn’t help that at about the same time a crowd of young ones entered and brought the average volume in the atrium up a few octaves, but i stand by my assessment.

For a romantic afternoon, an atrium filled with sunlight, music, flowers, koi, finches, quail, and butterflies cannot be beat. The baby quail had just hatched, and I lost count at ten different butterfly species that I personally photographed.
Before entering the atrium, there’s a learning center that features live exhibits of various species of moths and butterflies at various points in their life cycles. These are not just exhibits; these are the actual livestock breeding areas where the butterflies and moths live before entering the atrium. We saw a cecropia moth larva power-​chowing on a leaf as if it was corn on the cob, and watched painted lady butterflies laying their tiny blue eggs.
The atrium is a magical place. It’s humid in there, so don’t bring a sweater!
The sister site in Deerfield is larger and has an extensive set of gift shops and a cafeteria. The staff in Westford is incredibly friendly, genuinely passionate about butterflies, and helped me to choose a luna moth cocoon for our mom. (She loved it; it’s going to hatch soon, and she’ll set the lovely pale green moth free!)