The Butterfly Zoo

The place is a little trailer surrounded by weeds in the middle of an abandoned nursery parking lot. If that’s not scary enough, the 2 guys running it are both rude and every question asked of them was answered with sarcasm. Oh… and did I mention the $ 10 per person (any age) fee? Worth it? You be the judge!

Marc displayed excellent knowledge to us when we visited, illustrating all he knew about his extensive collection of butterflies, which come in from all around the world. The staff there was friendly as well. An excellent opportunity for photographers looking to get up close with some beautiful specimens!

We went last year. The butterflies were awesome, the staff was great, and the owner guy was a little odd, but I let it go. This year, however, I was soooo disappointed. My 3-​year old and I were there for about 15 minutes and things were going great! We were both enjoying the amazing butterflies and having a grand olé’ time. Then it happened. They have a plate set out on a milk crate with fermenting fruit for the butterflies to drink, and my toddler was fascinated. So he got down on his knees (with me right behind him) next to the crate to watch. He accidentally knocked over a little spray bottle and as he was picking it up to put it back (he’s a good kid), the owner guy (who is generally rude and socially awkward anyway) YELLED at him, totally freaking my kid out. My little boy turned around and said «Mommy, I want to go home.» The ass-​hat then said «Well, that bottle is full of pure alcohol. I didn’t want him to get hurt.» But the damage was done. My kid was confused and hurt. The whole way home he kept saying, «That man was mad at me.» HEARTBREAKING. And might I add, WHY do they have a unlabeled bottle of pure alcohol in reach of exploring, curious little hands? I figured it was just full of water. Anyway, we are going to try the butterfly exhibit at the RW Zoo instead, to try to repair any damage done.

I was torn between Meh & AOK. I am glad I used the groupon … had I paid full price I think I would have been very disappointed. The butterflies are amazing & the «tour-​guides» inside the enclosure are very kind to the kids & knowledgeable. To be frank, the fellow who seemed to be running the program was not the nicest guy & I found him to be rude from the moment we arrived. His demeanor is not friendly or welcoming. He chided me for using an iPhone (to show the groupon) and was just generally unpleasant. My girls had a good time, but based on his behaviour I won’t be rushing back. That said – worth the price of the groupon, very beautiful butterflies.

Great place for the kiddos. It’s really small, but the staff was friendly and very informative. Just make sure your kids won’t freak out if a butterfly lands on them, because if anyone touches a butterfly, you will get kicked out. Even though it’s small, we probably spent a good hour here just looking at the butterflies. We took our 1-​year-​old and 3-​year-​old nieces, and they both loved it.

Fantastic!!! This was fun
The staff is smart.
Tons of awesome colored butterflies
Although the building is small. It is well worth the money USE GROUPON!

Very cool place albeit a small place. You can make a nice half day/​whole day in and around the area. Not really great for very small children but my 3and a half year old liked it but got fidgety after 20 – 25 minutes. A must for butterfly lovers but me not being one still found myself enjoying the place.

This attraction is wonderful… it’s very small but definitely big enough to see lots of butterflies in all stages of life… take your kids, they will love it! Remember to bring cash with you.

I found a Groupon for admission to the Newport Butterfly Zoo and visited it this past weekend on a trip spanning from Providence to Newport. The zoo is located within a small greenhouse on some sort of farm. From reviews I read elsewhere, I knew it was going to be small. Fortunately we went on a warm, sunny day when they were all flying around and landing on people. It’s quite a wonderful experience and you’re allowed to stay as long as you want and take pictures.
When you arrive you get a briefing from the owner that you cannot try to touch the butterflies and that you cannot open the door. The attendant must let you in and out because they don’t want their butterflies escaping. The owner was very adamant about this, but I can’t really blame him. He has gorgeous large endangered butterflies that are yellow, green, and blue. Normal admission is $ 8 for adults, free for small children, but I don’t remember the price for older children. The website could use some updating. It’s quite hard to navigate.
All in all, I’d recommend it for anyone with an interest in nature. My only recommendation is not to take children who may be scared of butterflies flying all over. We had a few instances where there were kids screaming and crying when the butterflies were going past them.