Audubon Insectarium
4.6(3.1K)google
4.2(261)yelp
FamilyIndoor
Overview
The Audubon Insectarium is an insectarium and entomology museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. As part of its move from its previous location at the U.S. Custom House Federal Building to the site of the Audubon Aquarium, the museum reopened on June 8, 2023. The Insectarium opened on June 13, 2008.
Practical Info
Suggested Duration2-3 hours
Best TimePerfect year-round, with Tuesday through Thursday mornings (10:00 AM - 12:30 PM) being highly superior. Arriving early minimizes the school crowd inside the immersive Butterfly Garden conservatory. Bright morning sun filtering through the glass ceiling makes thousands of exotic butterflies highly active, often landing directly on visitors.
Getting ThereHoused in the same riverfront complex as the Audubon Aquarium at 1 Canal Street. Avoid driving due to heavy commercial congestion. Take any Canal Street Streetcar (Red Line) to its final easternmost stop at Canal Street Ferry Terminal station; the modern ticketing plaza is less than a 1-minute walk toward the Mississippi riverbanks.
Travel Tips
- The Insectarium has officially relocated inside the main Audubon Aquarium campus on Canal Street; do not follow obsolete maps guiding to the old museum site.
- Inside the interactive Butterfly Garden canopy, touching, pinning, or spraying butterflies with external fluids is strictly banned to protect fragile biosystems.
- The Bug Appétit kitchen serves real insect-infused snacks; these contain heavy chitin allergen concentrations, making them highly dangerous for seafood allergy sufferers.
Reviews
Positive
- The newly relocated insectarium is a wonderful micro-universe of nature! Its tropical Butterfly Garden is gorgeous, with thousands of brilliant rare butterflies fluttering directly onto your shoulders.
- Digital interactive units are highly cutting-edge; it features shatterproof glass windows to view giant beetles and bird-eating tarantulas, alongside a fun bug kitchen offering free crispy cricket snacks.
- Amenities are highly modern, clean, and entirely indoors within the same complex as the Aquarium; buying a bundle ticket lets you escape NOLA's intense summer heat or downpours with great ADA access.
- Boasting a prime location right on Canal Street by the river, a streetcar stop sits just outside; the staff are incredibly passionate, making it a top high-value spot for family learning.
Heads up
- If you don't purchase the aquarium combo bundle, a single-entry insectarium ticket is quite pricey; for casual travelers with slight entomophobia, viewing the collection feels like low value.
- Because it shares a main entry gate with the highly popular aquarium, weekend and holiday morning lines for security screening are painfully slow and sluggish, making the lobby loud and chaotic.
- Certain micro-bug tanks are lit too dimly, and camouflaged insects hidden in foliage are tough to spot with the naked eye; when crowded, kids struggle to peer through the glass to see details.
- The on-site cafe prices carry a steep markup; a standard kids' burger combo costs notably more than standard city fast food, and finding empty tables during high-density rush hours is tough.