Flight – A Live Butterfly Experience is closed for the season as of September 30, 2024.
Visit Flight – A Live Butterfly Experience at the Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park. Immerse yourself in the movement, beauty, and color of hundreds of tropical butterflies in the outdoor Flight aviary. Study the butterfly life cycle in the nearby emergence chamber, and learn about these amazing, winged wonders through educational signage. Take incredible photos and maybe even make a friend or two if the butterflies land on you. Wear bright colors to attract the butterflies.
The 2,000-plus-square-foot aviary is lushly planted with pollinator-attracting flowers and filled with dozens of species of butterflies from Central, South, and North America. New butterflies emerge daily, and we encourage visitors to consider membership so they can visit multiple times. Flight is schedule to remain open through September, weather permitting. This park project was made possible with City of Santa Ana youth benefit improvement funds.
Hours
While the Flight experience is included with your paid Zoo ticket, the habitat is subject to capacity limits. We recommend you arrive prior to 3 p.m. Add yourself to the Flight waitlist via QR code when you arrive at the ticket booth. All Flight visitors must be added to the waitlist prior to entry. Enjoy the Zoo while you wait, and receive text notification when it is your turn. The waitlist is open daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you arrive after 3 p.m., please stop by Flight to ask staff if there is waitlist availability. Please note that all open times are subject to weather and staffing.
Flight rules
For the safety of the butterflies, Flight has specific rules. Behavior that is unsafe for the butterflies will not be tolerated.
- You may not pick up, swat at, or touch the butterflies.
- Children must be accompanied by adults. For groups, one adult is required per five children.
- You may not run or stomp in Flight.
- Food, drinks, strollers, and service animals are not allowed into Flight.
- Plants and fruit may not be moved, picked, or removed from Flight.