Current Ride Hours: Thursday & Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday & Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Flight – A live butterfly experience

Flight – A live butterfly experience is open for the season.Flight a live butterfly experience logo

Come to the Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park Visit and visit Flight – a live butterfly experience! The over-2,000-square-foot habitat is lushly planted with pollinator-attracting flowers and filled with hundreds of tropical butterflies representing dozens of species from Central, South, and North America. Learn about these winged wonders through educational signage, and study the butterfly life cycle in the nearby emergence chamber. New butterflies emerge daily, and we encourage visitors to consider membership so they can visit multiple times. Flight is scheduled to remain open through September, weather permitting. This park project was made possible with City of Santa Ana youth benefit improvement funds.

Price

  • Included with zoo membership or purchase of zoo admission.

What to expect

Hours

  • All open times are subject to weather and staffing.
  • Flight is typically open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
  • We recommend you arrive prior to 3 p.m.
  • The Flight habitat is subject to capacity limits. If you arrive after 3 p.m., please stop by Flight to ask staff if there is waitlist availability.

Waitlist

  • All Flight visitors must be added to the waitlist prior to entry.
  • You can add yourself to the Flight waitlist via QR code when you arrive at the zoo ticket booth.
  • Enjoy the Zoo while you wait, and receive text notification when it is your turn to enter Flight.

Tips

  • Dress like the flowers – wearing light or bright colors may help attract butterflies.
  • Stand like a tree – sudden movements will cause the butterflies to take flight.
  • Wait for the weather – butterflies are most active in bright sunshine, but not when it gets too hot.
  • Be ready to take photos – if a butterfly lands on you, it may not stay for long.

Flight rules

For the safety of the butterflies, Flight has specific rules. Behavior that is unsafe for the butterflies will not be tolerated. Visitors breaking Flight rules will have to exit Flight, or in extreme cases, will have to exit the zoo.

  • You may not touch, pick up, or swat at 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.
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