With a tropical greenhouse filled with butterflies from around the world and an exhibit area featuring a wide array of insects, arachnids, millipedes, centipedes, and crustaceans, the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium provides a truly unique Montana experience. Whether you’re looking for a memorable and powerful learning opportunity for yourself or your entire family, we’ve got something for visitors of all ages. Come get your bug on!
Hours
Monday
CLOSED
Tuesday
10:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday
10:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday
10:00am – 5:00pm
Friday
10:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday
10:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday
12:00pm – 4:00pm
Location
We are located in the Gerald W. Marks Exploration Center at 1075 South Avenue W., Suite 2, Missoula, MT 59801
Holiday Closures
The Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium and the Bugzoola Gift Shop are closed for the following holidays:
New Year’s Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Admission Tickets
Walk-ins are welcome and daily admission tickets can also be purchased online and used any time during regular business hours on the date you select. However, we recommend using our timed ticket entry system on Saturdays and Sundays to limit the number of guests at any one time in order to provide you with the best visitor experience possible. Please be sure to review our rules below to make sure you understand what can and cannot be brought into the museums, including no strollers, large bags, tripods, etc.
Free for children ages 2 and under.
Group Discounts
Have a group of 10 or more people visiting the Butterfly House & Insectarium? Non-family groups of 10 or more must call or email info@missoulabutterflyhouse.org to schedule a visit. Group rate discounts may be applied on pre-scheduled weekday visits when all admission is purchased in one payment.
SNAP/EBT Reduced Admission
We’ve reduced the cost of admission so you and your family can enjoy all the magic and wonder here. If you have a SNAP/EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) card, simply show it when you arrive to receive our lowest-priced admission of $3.
Through Museums for All, we’re partnering with museums across the country to make sure everyone can experience the best museums have to offer, all for the lowest and most-affordable prices ever. To find other participating museums, visit: www.Museums4All.org.
Know Before You Go
We will offer field trips Tuesday through Friday and classes may be in the museum. We can not guarantee when field trips will occur, but in general, busy times may be from 10 – 10:30 and from 12:45 – 1:30. While we do our best to manage school group sizes to maintain a positive experience for everyone, visitors should note that field trip hours may be busier/noisier than normal. Please feel free to call and find out when field trips are scheduled for your desired date.
While visitors are welcome to take photos or videos for personal use, tripods and monopods are not allowed. Commercial photography requires written permission. We reserve the right to photograph or video record visitors within our facility for promotional purposes. If you prefer not to be photographed or recorded, please speak to a staff member.
The Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium is a tobacco and cannabis-free environment. Smoking, tobacco products and devices, and electronic smoking devices are not allowed on MBHI property, including all buildings, grounds, and restrooms.
Shirts and shoes are required at all times. Out of respect to all visitors, guests wearing clothing that may be taken as profane, vulgar, racial, sexist, or sexually suggestive, including slogans/illustrations, may be asked to change clothing before entering MBHI. Clothing changes (including for the purpose of photography shoots) are not permitted on the premises.
Services animals are welcome, but no pets please. “A service animal is any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks that benefit an individual with a disability” per the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990, Title III 2010 Revised Regulations-36.104. Emotional support animals are not recognized as service animals and are not permitted at the Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium. The following guidelines will help you enjoy your visit with you service animal:
- All service animals must remain on a leash or harness at all times and may not be left unattended.
- You are responsible for controlling your service animal’s behavior. You are also responsible for cleaning up after your service animal.
- If at any time your animal’s behavior becomes a threat to the safety or wellbeing of other visitors or our animals, MBHI reserves the right to ask you to enjoy the Insectarium and Butterfly House without your service animal present.
- Please keep personal items with you at all times or in the provided lockers. The Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium cannot be held responsible for missing items. If you recover an item in our facility that does not belong to you, please turn it into the admissions desk. To inquire about a missing item, please call us at 406-317-1211.
- For their safety, please supervise children at all times. One adult should accompany every five children.
- No climbing, running, sports, or games.
- Two-wheeled scooters, “wheelie” shoes, skates, or skateboards are not allowed.
- Our facility is in a building owned by Missoula County. Even with a concealed weapon permit, you may not carry a concealed weapon in Missoula County buildings.
- Removal of butterflies or moths (alive or dead) is a violation of USDA regulations and may result in civil or criminal penalties.
- Please stay on the pathways in the Butterfly House.
- Please do not run in the Butterfly House or Insectarium exhibit area.
- Please leave flowers, plants and animals for everyone to enjoy.
- Do not collect or remove seeds, flowers, fruits / vegetables, plant labels, etc.
- No food or drinks are allowed in the Butterfly House or Insectarium exhibit area.
- No soliciting.
- No skateboards, rollerblades / skates, hoverboards, scooters or motorized equipment are allowed, except for those who are mobility impaired.
We are fully wheelchair accessible.
Bugzoola Gift Shop
Looking for that perfect gift for the bug nerd in your life? Make sure to stop by our Bugzoola gift shop while you're here and check out the wide variety of handmade, local, and just buggy goodies! We're getting new stuff in every week!
Getting Here
The Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium is easily accessible in midtown Missoula and conveniently located on the Missoula County Fairgrounds.
Driving & Parking
We have parking available on site at lot C and lot A on the Missoula County Fairgrounds parking map, accessible from South Avenue West. Our building is directly next to parking lot C.
Public Transportation
Mountain Line, Missoula’s community bus service, provides zero-fare fixed-route bus and Paratransit service in and around Missoula. With multiple routes running past a bus stop located right next to us, taking the bus makes it easy and free to visit us and skip the hassle of finding a parking spot.
Bicycle
With over 22 miles of off-street trails and 40 miles of on-street bike lanes, Missoula is a great place to get around via bicycle. We are accessible from several bike-friendly routes and we have bike parking available by our main entrance.