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Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium
MP - Insectarium 1.jpg
Main entrance
Date openedJune 13, 2008[1]
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Coordinates29°57′00″N 90°03′50″W / 29.950012°N 90.063968°W / 29.950012; -90.063968Coordinates: 29°57′00″N 90°03′50″W / 29.950012°N 90.063968°W / 29.950012; -90.063968
Floor space23,000 sq ft (2,100 m2)[2]
Websitewww.auduboninstitute.org/visit/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.[2]

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.

In September 2020, the Audubon Nature Institute announced the permanent closure of the Insectarium, owing to revenue shortages caused by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Some of the Insectarium's exhibits will be relocated to space within the Aquarium of the Americas.[4]

Exhibits and attractions[edit]

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[edit]

  1. ^ a b Marszalek, Keith I. (June 4, 2008). "Audubon Insectarium to open next Friday". nola.com. New Orleans Net, LLC. Retrieved June 30, 2012. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. ^ a b Rothstein, Edward (August 2, 2008). "At the Insectarium, Getting Down With All That Skitters, Buzzes or Crawls". The New York Times (subscription required). Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2012. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. ^ "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. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ^ DiColo, Jerry (September 5, 2020). "Crippled by tourism drop, Audubon to shutter Insectarium; eyes move of exhibits to Aquarium". New Orleans, Louisiana: NOLA.com (subscription required). Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.

External links[edit]