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If you’re visiting the historic market town of Stratford-upon-Avon you might want to take a break from the Shakespeare-related activities, especially if you’re with children. The butterfly farm in Stratford-upon-Avon is a great alternative if you want to do something different.
Contact information
Swan’s Nest Lane,
Stratford-upon-Avon,
Warwickshire,
CV37 7LS
Website: http://www.butterflyfarm.co.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1789 299 288
Email: enquiries@butterflyfarm.co.uk
Rainforest Flight Area
The Rainforest Flight Area is the main attraction at the Stratford butterfly farm, showcasing the world’s most beautiful butterflies. Throughout the year, you’ll see over 250 different species of tropical butterflies, with around 2000 flying around. As you walk through the entrance, you’re hit with a wave of warmth, as this is a huge landscaped tropical greenhouse, making it a wonderful home for the butterflies. Dotted around are a few benches where you can sit and take in the views, maybe hoping that a butterfly or two will come and say hello.
There’s no rush to walk around the Rainforest Flight Area and it’s nice to take a stroll, pointing out the different kinds of butterflies as you go. You can buy a guide, which shows you all of the different kinds of tropical butterfly, and it’s a nice idea to tick them off as you go around. You’ll also find quite a few feeding spots for the butterflies, and this generally means you’ll be able to find some slowing down a bit and staying quite still for some time. There are so many beautiful, colourful butterflies at the Stratford butterfly farm and we really enjoyed seeing what we could find on our visit.
Other things to see while walking around are fish-filled pools, and information about the butterflies and statues. Be sure to look out for the resident iguanas, Prudence and Bennie as well.
Discovery Zone
Obviously, walking around and being surrounded by exotic butterflies is wonderful but there’s so much more to the Stratford butterfly farm. In the Discovery Zone, an education area, you can learn all about the amazing life cycle of a butterfly, see them emerging from the pupa and learn about what happens once they’re out. Don’t miss the emerging case just as you leave the Discovery Zone, which is filled with rows of pupae! They’re protected by the safety of glass and guests can watch and wait to see a butterfly hatch if they’re lucky.
You will find the odd butterfly in this area that has managed to sneak through from the Rainforest Flight Area.
Minibeast Metropolis
As you walk through the second half of the Rainforest Flight area, you’ll come across the Minibeast Metropolis. This was an area we all loved and spent quite a lot of time in. As soon as we entered this area, the leafcutter ants grabbed our attention. These are one of my absolute favourites and I could spend hours alone watching them walk along from one area to another. If you watch for long enough, you might see the queen, who is significantly bigger than the other ants!
Other creatures in this area include emperor scorpions, medicinal leeches, dyeing poison arrow frogs and rhino rat snakes!
Rainforest Realm
The Rainforest Realm is one of the new areas for the butterfly farm and aims to showcase what can be discovered in the rainforests of South and Central America. You’ll find this area as you walk through the Minibeast Metropolis and it’s towards the back.
Although there aren’t too many animals in the Rainforest Realm, it’s definitely worth visiting as you’ll meet some remarkable creatures. This area is home to a Northern Emerald Tree Boa Snake, ten endangered Blackfoot Dart Frogs, three baby Yellow Spotted Amazon River Turtles, a trio of Basilisk lizards and a Malagasy Giant Chameleon originating from Madagascar.
This area is also worth a visit to see the replicated cenote, something from the Ancient Maya civilisation. A beautiful Spectacled Caiman lives here and has access to cascading water, shallow and deep pools and basking area.
Admission prices (2023)
| Adult | £8.95 |
| Senior 60 years+ & Students | £8.45 |
| Children 3-16 years (under 3’s free) | £7.95 |
| Family- 2 adults & 2 children OR 1 adult & 3 children | £27.50 |
| Extra Child when purchased with a family ticket | £5.60 |
Season tickets (2023)
| Adult | £33.50 |
| Seniors & Students | £31.50 |
| Child | £29.50 |
| Family- 2 adults & 2 children OR 1 adult & 3 children | £65.00 |
| Extra Child when purchased with a family ticket | £14.50 |
Opening times
| January Last entry 3.30PM | 10AM | 5PM |
| February Last entry 4:00PM | 10AM | 5PM |
| March Last entry 5.00PM | 10AM | 5.30PM |
| April-September including all Bank Holiday Mondays. Last walk in entry 5:30PM | 10AM | 6PM |
| October Last Entry 5PM | 10AM | 5.30PM |
| November Last Entry 4PM | 10AM | 5PM |
| December Last Entry 3.30PM CLOSED CHRISTMAS DAY | 10AM | 5PM |
How long can you spend at the butterfly farm?
The butterfly farm has a one-way system once you are inside, and you can go around as many times as you like during your visit. The website states that you get between 60 and 90 minutes to explore the butterfly farm.
Visiting the gift shop
You are welcome to visit the gift shop at the Stratford Butterfly Farm, with or without a ticket. The gift shop is quite large and has a lot of nature-themed products such as soft toys, magnets, and pens. You’ll find a huge range of things to buy with all budgets in mind.
Things to know…
- Parking is available across the road, with Blue Badge parking available on site
- Stratford Butterfly Farm has an area to keep coats, bags and pushchairs before you enter
- You can go round as many times as you like during your visit
- Booking is advisable during weekends, school holidays and the summer months
- Insect handling sessions are available at certain times of the day
Did we enjoy our visit?
A trip to the Stratford Butterfly Farm was the first thing on our itinerary in Stratford-upon-Avon and after quite a long drive, and it was nice to do something so relaxed. Prices are extremely reasonable for the amount of time you can spend at the attractions and there’s loads to see and do. Erin said that when we’re back in Stratford-upon-Avon, the butterfly farm is somewhere she would like to go back to!
