Original Butterfly House
Mackinac Island
The Original Butterfly House Mackinac Island is one attraction to put on your "things to do" list. Between the shopping, the bicycling, the carriage rides, walking and exploring the Island, many people long to find a quiet place to just relax and rest. There is no place better to enjoy a short reprieve from all that exercise than a visit to the quaint Original Butterfly House of Mackinac Island.
Located near downtown Mackinac Island just behind St. Anne's church sits a yellow house with an attached green house filled with beautiful plants, charming little waterfalls and ponds with hundreds of exotic butterflies from Asia, Africa and North and South America. This is the Original Butterfly House Mackinac Island. It's just a ten minute walk from the downtown area and well worth the trip. Older people might find the hill a little intimidating but, they can make the trip to the Original Butterfly House in one of the Island's fine horse drawn taxis. There is a bike rack to park your bikes in front of the building.
A Butterfly House With History
The Original Butterfly House Mackinac Island is not only unique sight to see and a novel experience, it is also quite historical as it was the first butterfly house established in Michigan and the third in the United States. The greenhouse was originally used to grow flowers for the Grand Hotel and other businesses, but when the owner read about a butterfly house being established in Europe he decided to open one on the Island.
What You Will Find in the Original Butterfly House...
Step inside and if you are lucky you may see a butterfly emerge from it's chrysalis, watch as it wings fill out and dry through a special window. Experts say between 10 am and 1 pm is your best chance to see this miracle occur. Then step inside the green house itself and be greeted by butterflies of many species on any given day, flitting about, resting on plants, or enjoying the nectar from the fruit the owners haved provided. Sit quietly and enjoy the flight of the butterflies and the soft music provided.
Don't rush through the green house...it's fun to observe the butterflies but also enjoyable to watch the children squeal with delight when finding butterflies among the leaves, to see a teenager (even boys) just relax and observe the wonders of this special place, and watch adults become enthralled with these beautiful winged insects. Sit down and just "smell the roses" for awhile.
Wear bright colored clothing and you will increase your chances of having one of these beautiful creatures land on you where you can observe them up close and personal! See how wonderfully marked these delicate little insects are. When you enter the Original Butterfly House Mackinac Island, you are given a chart that helps you to identify the various butterflies. What fun to see just how many different butterflies you can spot! Kids especially love this activity!
Don't Forget Your Camera!
Of course you are going to want to bring your camera and fully charged batteries to capture as many of these butterflies up close as you can. You may never get a better chance to see so many different types of butterflies all in one place at one time.
Two things that makes the Original Butterfly House Mackinac Island such a wonderful place to visit is that - there is a guide on hand to answer any of your questions and
- the owner is more than happy to teach those who are interested in starting their own butterfly garden at home telling what plants are best for the type of butterflies your garden will attract.
After you have seen your fill of the butterflies in action you can then visit the insect room attached to the butterfly house. While not quite as colorful as the butterflies themselves there are several intersting insects that the entire family will enjoy learning about.
The cost of visiting the Original Butterfly House Mackinac Island and Insect World is $8.50 for adults and $4.00 for children. Keep your receipt for you can come back at a later time on the same day without having to pay a second time. However if you visit
the Original Butterfly House Mackinac Island online
the site explains how to get a special coupon for $1.50 off for any adult or child's ticket.
They also offer special group rates for groups of ten or more than you can take advantage of if you have a large family or are traveling with friends.
Insider Tip: It certainly is nice to know that amid all the hustle and bustle of life on Mackinac Island, there is an indoor place where you can sit back, relax and be surrounded by the beauty of flowers, plants, butterflies and people enjoying the simple things in life. The Original Butterfly House Mackinac Island closes early for the butterflies go to bed early!
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