Last week the family and I were lucky enough to get the opportunity to return to one of our favourite UK destinations, Stratford-Upon-Avon, where we once again stayed with the YHA in one of their pods. Having been before we knew the area and what to expect but also wanted to explore somewhere new, so when we got the opportunity to visit Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm we couldn’t wait to go. You can read our full review and see for yourself if the Butterfly Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon is worth a visit for you and your family.
Is Stratford-Upon-Avon Butterfly Farm worth visiting?
In short, yes, Stratford-Upon-Avon Butterfly Farm is worth visiting with children especially if they have a keen interest in wildlife, nature or educational fun. There is plenty to see and do and loads to learn both inside and out but to find out exactly what we thought of our visit, what we would and wouldn’t recommend and our top tips for making the most out of your visit, read on.
What to expect at the Butterfly Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon
The Butterfly Farm is situated on Swan’s Nest Lane, just by the River Avon, in the historic market town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birth place of Shakespeare. It is the UK’s largest tropical butterfly house where you can see some of the world’s most beautiful butterflies up close as well as moths, birds and insects too.
When you arrive you will be greeted by a lovely garden with a wildflower display for you to enjoy at your leisure. The paths are large and easy to navigate making it great for children to explore and burn off some energy and excitement before they enter the actual butterfly farm itself.
Rainforest Flight Area
The Rainforest Flight area is the main attraction and the room we liked the best. In here is where you will find hundreds of colourful butterflies as well as a few small birds free flying around the room. It’s fascinating watching them fly so confidently near visitors as they do get really close, in some cases they will even land on you so do be prepared for this. As well as the spectacular butterflies you can also explore the tropical blossoms, fish-filled pools and tropical waterfalls. It really does give you the experience of being in a wonderful tropical environment, especially as it is so warm inside. If you are keen photographers or nature lovers then you will really enjoy the Rainforest Flight Area thanks to its incredible display of colours, statues, twists and turns making it very instagramable.
We were also very surprised to find there were also two iguanas just pottering about. At first when I read the sign for this I thought it was a joke, spotted one and still thought it was a joke as it was so still I assumed it was a statue, until it literally rolled its eyes at me and gave me quite a shock and the boys quite a giggle. Had I known this in advance it would have probably made me anxious walking round but let me reassure you that in reality they are probably as anti social as you can get. Sitting high up on a bridge watching the world go by without any intention of getting any closer to you, so do not let this put you off, in fact it was quite magnificent to see these remarkable creatures roam free and to have so much space to explore compared to the much smaller tanks we often see them in at the zoo.
Top Tip – regardless of the weather outside make sure you are wearing cool clothes or layers that can be removed as it is very warm inside
Top Tip 2 – when you get to the beautiful waterfall and stop to admire the carp swimming under the bridge and take a photo or two like everybody else, make sure you go back onto the path and follow it behind the waterfall as this leads to a creepy crawly enclosure which we very nearly missed.
Minibeast Metropolis
The Minibeast metropolis is home to one of the UK’s largest insect collections. We were fascinated by the large enclosure for the leafcutter ants that were busy walking across their rope busy the whole time we were there. In here you will also find stick insects, beetles, snakes and spiders including the largest tarantula spiders we have ever seen. Prior to our visit we didn’t know about this part of the Butterfly farm so it was a lovely surprise and one I recommend you don’t skip.
Discovery Zone
The Discovery Zone is great for those that love every day to be a school day or are a bit of a self confessed geek like myself. In here you will find lots of information about the amazing life cycle of a butterfly, the different species of tropical butterfly from different countries and fascinating facts your children can impress their teachers with!
Nature Inspired Gift Shop
On your way out you will pass through the nature inspired gift shop. Personally, I am not a fan of having to leave attractions through the gift shops but if you are looking for a souvenir then you will find some pretty gorgeous things in here including lots of educational toys and activities as well as books, stickers and teddies.
Top Tip 3 – If you are looking to save some money but still want to let the kids have an extra treat then my top tips is grab some cheaper butterfly toys, stickers or books before you go and then gift them to them as you’re leaving to avoid the gift shop prices.
How much are tickets to the Butterfly Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon?
The butterfly farm is suitable for visitors of all ages and it costs (correct at time of writing)
| Standard Adult | £8.95 |
| Standard Senior 60 years+ & Students | £8.45 |
| Standard Child 3-16 years (under 3’s free) | £7.95 |
| Family- 2 adults & 2 children OR 1 adult & 3 children | £27.50 |
How long do you need at Stratford Butterfly Farm?
We would recommend you give yourself at east 1 hour, any less and you will be rushing. We stayed for about 2 hours and found this was enough time to see everything we wanted to see, take in the information we were reading and go back and see a few things again. This isn’t an all day activity so if you are visiting the area we advise that you team this with other activities like a walk down the river, a shopping trip or maybe even Shakespeare’s House.
Parking, access and pushchairs
If you are travelling by car then there is a large public car park outside the entrance of the butterfly farm. If you are a Blue Badge holder then there are some parking facilities on site.
There are disabled toilets and the whole butterfly farm is on a flat level with paths wide enough for wheelchairs and pushchairs to get around easily.
If you need specific access arrangements or information then contact the butterfly farm direct as the staff are very helpful and if they can accommodate you then they will.
Is Stratford-Upon-Avon Butterfly Farm suitable for toddlers?
I think this really dependants on your toddler. There are lots of bright colours and of course the butterfly’s are pretty cool to see but if your toddler likes to run, touch things and gets uncomfortable in the heat then maybe this isn’t for them as there are lots of things they can’t touch, including the butterfly’s. There is also a small area with shallow open water which most children wont even notice but a toddler may attempt to touch or fall in.
If you can keep your toddler in a pram then I think they will be more likely to enjoy looking around and it will give you peace of mind too.
So, is Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm worth a visit?
In short, yes if you like butterflies, flowers or creepy crawlies, or you are planning taking children that do as they will get to see the largest tropical butterfly display in the UK. This might sound obvious but there isn’t anything else to do there, it really is what it says it is, a butterfly farm. So if that’s your thing then definitely go.
We found that it was reasonably priced costing £27.50 for a family of four (prices may have increased since our visit), however it isn’t that big and you will probably find that an hour to 2 hours is more than enough to see everything. My advice would be to plan it in when visiting the area and combine it with a walk round Stratford or a trip down to the River Avon, both of which are in walking distance from the Butterfly Farm, instead of booking it as a days attraction on its own.
Top Tip 4 – Check the times of the talks in advance and aim to arrive half an hour before hand so that you can have a look round and then watch a talk as well.
Your visit will typically last between an hour and an hour and a half but you can walk around the butterfly farm as many time as you like.
Other things to do near Stratford Butterfly Farm
If you are looking for inspiration for other things to do in the area then we recommend
- A walk by the river
- A trip to Charlecote Park National Trust
- A spot of shopping
- A boat trip
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Two nights glamping in Stratford-Upon-Avon with the YHA