Humans always benefit from learning about untamed wilderness, whether it be via nature hikes or integration into a pack of wild boar for long enough to become group treasurer. Today’s Groupon gets you close to nature with ease: for $12, you get a year-long pass to the Victoria Bug Zoo (a $25 value).

The Victoria Bug Zoo boasts a bountiful collection of live and robust multi-pedied insects, housing everything from warm and fuzzy tarantulas to the cold-hearted giant centipedes that wander the Sonoran Desert. Your Groupon is good for an annual pass to the insectorium, where you can freely roam the colony of more than 40 species of ’sects, bypassing the glow-in-the-dark scorpions to make a bumble-bee-line to the 400-leg millipede or the enormous ant farm. While bugs are kept safely in glass-enclosed insectariums, the friendly staff is known for hands-on education and often releases the friendlier of the bugs to mingle and wander up and down the arms of brave visitors.

The brightly coloured zoo is privately owned and curated by a friendly entomologist who is dedicated to teaching children and adults alike all about the world of arachnids, insects, corgis, and other multi-legged crawlers. Your pass to the Bug Zoo will be valid for an entire year, which makes it an ideal option for insectophobes trying to slowly overcome their fear or anyone looking to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or last day of school in the company of tiny friends.

Reviews

TripAdvisors, Yelpers, and Yahoo! Travellers give Victoria Bug Zoo 4.5-star average ratings:

• I was shocked by how much I learned and was thrilled at a chnce [sic] to touch all these interesting creepy-crawlies. I learned more about ants than ever before and I'm 60 years old. – A Yahoo! Contributor
• The tour guides are very good---they know incredible amounts of stuff, are VERY safety oriented, and keep the tour moving along with humor and interest. – Lee_Harker, TripAdvisor