With spring finally here, your kids are probably eager to spread their wings. And a great way to (literally) do it? Check out one of the butterfly gardens in NJ, where littles can marvel at all the different colors and species of plants and butterflies, and you’ll be able to sneak in a few Insta-worthy photos. Plus, they’ll learn how a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly and what plants to grow to attract butterflies to your 2023 garden. If you are in the mood for more nature trips, check out where to see flowers in NJ. (featured photo credit: istock/Tim Speer)
Here are 8 Butterfly Gardens in NJ to visit this spring
Watch a metamorphosis at The Watershed Institute, one of our top butterfly gardens in NJ. Photo Credit: @theh2oshed / Seth Siditsky
The Watershed Institute
The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House in NJ — and The Watershed Reserve in general — is host to a wide range of native butterflies and native plants that provide their nectar and shelter. Help your kiddos look for the well-known golden monarch butterflies (hint: they’re known to shelter on milkweed species plants). Inside the butterfly house, you can find a recreation of all the habitats in Central NJ, from the fields to the wet meadows to the forests.
Cost: Free
31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, NJ 08534
(609) 737-3735
Essex County Environmental Center
The Essex County Environmental Center is an education center that emphasizes creating awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the environment. The butterfly garden is located inside West Essex Park among trails and a bunch of child-friendly gardens, including a Learning Garden. After exploring the Butterfly Garden, stop by the pollinator garden, which focuses on native plants that attract pollinators (like butterflies).
Cost: Free
621 Eagle Rock Avenue, Roseland, NJ 07068
(973) 228-8776
Wheelabrator Wildlife Refuge
Wheelabrator is a waste management company with a commitment to a clean environment. As such, Wheelabrator Gloucester has a wildlife refuge and nature trail on 150 acres of wetlands around the facility — and towards the front of the sanctuary is a butterfly garden in NJ to check out. After you finish up there, take a break at the picnic pavilion. If you want to make a whole afternoon of this with your fam, follow their guide to exploring the rest of the refuge.
Cost: Free
600 US-130 (before you get to the gate, turn into the parking lot), West Deptford, NJ 08093
(856) 742-1484
Tenafly Nature Center
Tenafly Nature Center’s Butterfly House in NJ has various butterflies to admire. In the Pollinator Garden, the plants, birds, and insects that inhabit the garden vary by season. This year, the Butterfly House will be open from mid-June to Labor Day.
Cost: Tenafly Nature Center members — free. Non-members — $2 per person or $10 per family.
313 Hudson Avenue, Tenafly, NJ 07670
(201) 568-6093
Van Vleck House & Gardens
The variety of plants at The Mark Landrum Children’s Butterfly Garden in NJ is a beautiful backdrop for your photos of the kids — but they also provide food and shelter for the local butterflies (and birds). Look for the two milkweed plant species in the garden that attract monarch butterflies, and herbs like dill, parsley, and fennel are popular among swallowtail butterflies. You can also swing by the turtlehead, bee balm, and honeysuckle plants to try and get a glimpse of some hummingbirds.
Cost: Free
21 Van Vleck Street, Montclair, NJ 07042
(973) 744-4752
Take in the colorful butterfly garden at Van Vleck House & Gardens. Photo Credit: @liora.chaya
Camden Children’s Garden (currently closed)
The Philadelphia Eagles Four Seasons Butterfly House in NJ at Camden Children’s Garden offers a wide array of butterfly species for you and your littles to marvel at. The spacious 1,200-square-foot butterfly house in NJ gives your fam plenty of space to walk around and enjoy the tropical feel. Make sure to stop by the peaceful pond and bubbling fountain for some photos for the ‘gram.
Cost: $6 for general admission; children one and under are free
3 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ 08103
(856) 365-8733
Turtle Back Zoo
If you’re looking for a spot filled with butterflies, check out Turtle Back Zoo’s Butterfly Tent — this 100-foot-long space has over 700 butterflies from six different North American species. Your littles can see butterflies in their various stages in this one space, from eggs to caterpillars to chrysalises to butterflies. And after you finish marveling at the butterflies, make an afternoon of it — you’ve got the whole rest of the zoo to explore. Open Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Cost: $2 per person for the Butterfly Tent in addition to Zoo entry fees
560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange, NJ 07052
(973) 731-5800
Woodbridge Township Butterfly Garden
Woodbridge Township’s Butterfly Garden in NJ, which the Woodbridge River Watch maintains, is simple but peaceful. Let your littles explore the garden walkways, sit on the nearby benches to enjoy the spring weather, and check out the charming gazebo.
Cost: Free
Omar Avenue, Avenel, NJ 07001
(732) 738-1311
Historic Smithville Park and Smith’s Woods
Listed on the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places, this is a must-see spot for a day trip with your littles. This 312-acre park is full of diverse habitats and terrain, freshwater streams, the 22-acre Smithville Lake, fishing, canoeing, and of course, seeing the butterflies. The Butterfly Garden is located in the Smith’s Woods section and is a beautiful place to spend the afternoon.
Cost: Free
803 Smithville Road, Eastampton, NJ 08060
(609) 265-5858
Have you been to a butterfly garden in NJ?
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