Open daily, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM with early closure Sunday, December 8, and Sea Center late opening Monday, December 9. Check our hours or calendar for more details.

Butterflies Alive!

In the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion

Ended September 2

The extremely popular Butterflies Alive! exhibit returns to the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion every summer. Featuring a dazzling variety of more than two dozen tropical butterfly species from Costa Rica, this immersive experience welcomes guests to walk through a beautiful garden while about 1,000 live butterflies flutter freely around them. Peer into the emergence chamber in Santa Barbara Gallery to see butterflies at an earlier stage of life. You might witness an adult butterfly popping out of its chrysalis! Learn more about the science behind the exhibit in our short video series.

Butterflies Alive! is included with Museum admission. Members are always free. Last entry into the pavilion is at 4:30 PM. Reservations are recommended. The Sprague Butterfly Pavilion is ADA accessible; visit our accessibility page for more information.

Exhibit sponsored in part by LLWW Foundation and the Walter J. and Holly O. Thomson Foundation
Media Sponsor: NOOZHAWK
Thank you to all of the donors who sponsored a butterfly and recognized on the Wall of Wings.