Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium
Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium is an insectarium and entomology museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. With more than 50 live exhibits and numerous multimedia elements, the 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m2) facility is the largest free-standing American museum dedicated to insects.
Main entrance | |
Date opened | June 13, 2008[1] |
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Location | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
Coordinates | 29.950012°N 90.063968°W |
Floor space | 23,000 sq ft (2,100 m2)[2] |
Website | www |
The Butterfly Garden and Insectarium opened on June 13, 2008.[1] In 2009, it was awarded the Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Science Center.[3]
Part of the Audubon Nature Institute complex, it is located on the first floor of the U.S. Custom House Federal Building.
Exhibits and attractions
- Underground Gallery
Giant animatronic insects and oversized exhibits give guests a bug's eye view of the insect world.
- Louisiana Swamp Gallery
The sights and sounds of the Louisiana wetlands are depicted with aquatic animals and special effects.
- Termite Gallery
Formosan termites can be seen eating through a wooden skyline of New Orleans.
- Butterfly Garden
A garden populated by hundreds of live butterflies with which guests can interact.
- Metamorphosis Gallery
A working husbandry lab where an insect's entire life cycle is depicted.
- Hall of Fame Gallery
Preserved examples of some of the world's biggest, fastest, and most impressive insects.
- Awards Night
A comic film with animated insect characters voiced by Jay Leno, Joan Rivers, and Brad Garrett. Awards Night takes visitors to a red carpet event for bugs; the experience is enhanced by special in-theater effects and animated seats.
- Bug Appétit
Guests can watch chefs incorporate bugs into their dishes and sample some of their exotic creations.
Notes
- Marszalek, Keith I. (June 4, 2008). "Audubon Insectarium to open next Friday". nola.com. New Orleans Net, LLC. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- Rothstein, Edward (August 2, 2008). "At the Insectarium, Getting Down With All That Skitters, Buzzes or Crawls". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- "Engaging with Nature - Insectarium at the Audubon Nature Institute" (PDF). web.archive.org. Themed Entertainment Association. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
External links
Media related to Audubon Insectarium at Wikimedia Commons - Official website