Immerse yourself amid hundreds of beautiful tropical butterflies. Tropical Butterflies is BACK for its third year from May 1 through August 31. This popular exhibit features hundreds of tropical butterflies that you wouldn’t normally see in Southern California. Your journey begins as you step into the Host and Nectar Garden and wander through beautiful species that are part of a butterfly’s habitat. Next, you’ll stop by our Emergence Chamber where you may just see a butterfly emerge from its pupa! Next, you’ll enter the pavilion where you will have an up-close-and-personal experience with the hundreds of butterflies flying throughout the exhibit. While the pavilion provides many photo-worthy moments, there will be additional photo opportunities outside of the pavilion as part of SOAR.

Additional Information:

New for 2023: Butterfly Feeding Experience

This year, guests have the opportunity to feed our butterflies! There will be one ring per Butterfly Feeding Experience ticket holder, which is returned at the end of the experience.

Please note that there are no strollers allowed inside of the butterfly pavilion. All infants must be carried throughout the exhibit.

The time you purchase your ticket into the Garden is your time to also enter the butterfly pavilion for SOAR. We recommend arriving early to allow time for parking. Additionally, it is best to arrive at the Pavilion at least 15 minutes before your ticket time, so you can explore the host and nectar garden before entering the pavilion at your designated ticket time. After your visit to SOAR, you can explore the Garden’s additional collections at your leisure.

Goldstar ticket purchasers are invited to become Members of South Coast Botanic Garden with a special $15 discount. The discount is only available on the day of your visit, so let our Visitor Services Team know that you are a Goldstar member.