The world has still not recovered from the Coronavirus and South Florida is looking to shut down once again. I have been keeping safe however; I wanted to get out of the house and get some sun and take in some nature. I visited Butterfly World, nestled in Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, FL. It was my first time visiting the butterfly park. The park comprises regional and exotic butterflies and aviaries and a butterfly and bug museum.
It’s funny because, as I am walking out of my house, I was greeted by two butterflies and a dragonfly that raced my car out of the complex. It was a rare occasion for me to see both out in the wild, especially at the same time.
I started my journey in the main lobby which house’s the gift shop and a lab where some butterflies are cocooned. Once you leave the main building, you walk into a butterfly enclosure with several exotic butterflies and loads of foliage. It was like a sanctuary. The butterflies were out and about, flying around. Some of them will come up to you, I can imagine they are used to humans by now. Most of them are off, doing their own thing.
There are plenty of butterflies and plenty of shade for the summer, South Florida weather. Before leaving the exotic butterflies, you are treated to a beautiful river and waterfall. It was a great place to sit and take in the environment. I could’ve sat there all day.
After leaving the exotic sanctuary, you encounter your first aviary. This aviary is filled with beautiful and colorful birds. I loved the way the birds danced around each other, and two Budgies could not seem to separate from each other. No matter how close I got to them, they were always so close. It was a perfect photo.
After the first aviary, you come out to a walkway and a nice vision of a lake with a fountain in the middle and a bridge to get to another aviary. That was followed by a parrot feeding enclosure and the Butterfly & Bug Museum, which I was a little hesitant to go into because I don’t like bugs. However, I pulled myself together and went inside. There were walls full of different butterflies, moths, spiders, etc. They were all from different parts of the world. So many I’ve never seen or heard of before.
I was a little antsy to walk into the live parts as they had scorpions, roaches, and spiders. Three things I am afraid of. I walked carefully through this part, just in case. Lol!
After the museum, I finally walked across the bridge to get to the second aviary. Before you go inside, 2 parrots welcome you. They mainly sat and stared but, they were beautiful. One even gave me a perfect pose. Then I walked into the aviary. This one was a little less active than the first one. It seemed these little birds were hiding, mostly. I had a few encounters with one of the little ones hopping around the walkway. I just wish more of them came out.
Last, before leaving you can visit the gardens where there were many plants and flowers on display. Unfortunately, all the plants and flowers were not in bloom so I didn’t get to see their full beauty.
Overall, I had a nice time. I would visit again as I am a sucker for nature. I would say it takes about an hour to go through the whole thing but you can go around in a circle how many times you want. There was no restriction on how long you are to stay there. Also, they practiced social distancing, and you had to wear your mask throughout the park, regardless if you were in the more open, outside area. They are running a half off special until July 31st. So, you are in the south Florida area. I would recommend you check it out.
