Straffan Butterfly Farm – Closed
We are sorry that the Butterfly Exhibition closed permanently at the end of August 2015 after 31 years. The reptiles, stick insects and general creepy crawlies have all moved and are on display at Wallaby Woods near Donadea in Co. Kildare which is a great place to visit, especially with children..
Still looking for something to do with the family, why not visit Family and Kids Activities In Kildare and find a venue near you.
There are many weird and wonderful attractions at the Straffan Butterfly Farm in Kildare, Ireland’s first live tropical butterfly exhibition. The butterfly farm was opened in 1986 because of the owners interest in butterflies and in nature generally. There are many wonderful things to learn about butterflies. You will learn a lot by visiting the Straffan Butterfly Farm and learning fun facts such as the difference between a butterfly and a moth, how long a butterfly lives for, their life cycle, the meaning of their patterns and much much more.
Butterflies are fascinating and beautiful creatures and the farm is an indoor all weather centre – a mini visit to an exotic tropical environment here in Ireland. It is an opportunity to see at close range some of the worlds most exotic creatures and observe their interesting life cycles.
At the Farm there is a large exhibition area of butterfly collections from all over the world with a special emphasis on educational and living displays. In the tropical butterfly house you can relax among colourful blooms and exotic plants while butterflies fly and feed around you.
They also have a living exhibition of creepy crawlies including Tarantulas, Scorpions, Stick Insects and Reptiles, all of which are safely behind glass! You can see Black Scorpion, Red Knee Mexican Tarantula, Milk Snake and ‘Iggy’ their Green Iguana
Spend the day at Straffan Butterfly Farm and bring your picnic as they have a great picnic area.
Whatever the weather is, there’s always something to see!
Facilities At Straffan Butterfly Farm
- Exhibition area and Tropical House are all indoors so can be enjoyed in any weather.
- All displays are wheelchair accessible.
- Ample parking available.
- Gift Shop
- Toilets
- Picnic area outdoors
The Butterfly Farm School Tours
The Straffan Butterfly Farm has been educating children on school tours since 1986 and now some of these “children” are now bringing their own children back to see the butterflies again.
Each school tour is divided into small groups and allocated a guide who will show them all the stages of the butterfly life cycle in the butterfly house. Children have sharp eyes but it takes very sharp eyes indeed to see through the natural camouflage of some of our insects on display. These “hidden” insects are all pointed out on the tour so that they are not missed.
Questionnaires are also available in advance of the school tour. Over the years a trip to the Farm has been a great hit with the kids with many schools returning year after year
Group Admission:
- Booking is essential to ensure they can accommodate your group on your chosen date. For more details or if you would like to make a booking Tel. 01 6271109.
Directions To The Straffan Butterfly Farm Kildare
- From Dublin / M4
Take the M4 Westbound. Take the Maynooth Exit and at the roundabout, take the 2nd exit for Straffan. Follow this road until you reach another roundabout. Go straight through this roundabout following the signs for the Butterfly Exhibition. In the village turn right at the petrol station and follow this road for about a mile. The farm is located on the right hand side.
- From Dublin / N7
Take the exit signposted for Straffan. Follow the signs all the way to Straffan. Once you reach Straffan, you will pass the main gate to the K Club on your left. Take the very next left turn at the church (on left), petrol station (on right). Follow this road for about a mile till you reach the The Farm which will be located on your right hand side.
