Escape Winter in Only Year-Round Indoor Butterfly Garden in Upstate New York

Escape the snow and cold and step into a rain forest in the only year-round indoor butterfly garden in upstate New York.

Walk among hundreds of brilliantly colored, tropical and native butterflies in the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden at the Strong Museum in Rochester. Enjoy tropical foliage, a turtle pond, and a cascading waterfall.

Don't forget to visit Watson, the garden’s resident panther chameleon, Watch his scales change color as he adapts to the environment. Look closely and you will also notice several four-footed and fine-feathered friends, including Socrates, the garden's brightly plumaged green aracari toucan, and families of Button Quail.

For a limited time, take in the beauty of more than 150 orchids during Orchids in Bloom. The rare opportunity to get up close to a variety of colorful orchids from all over the world, including Central and South America and Asia, and take pictures as butterflies rest on the flowers is Friday, March 13 through Monday, May 4

"Orchids in Bloom is an exciting annual event we have hosted in Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden for the past four years,” says Craig Sherwood, manager of grounds and live collections at The Strong. “Each year, we see an increase in visitors to the garden who enjoy the opportunity to capture beautiful photos of the orchids along with the hundreds of butterflies that live in the garden.”

Tickets for the museum and Butterfly Garden are $21 for non-members and can be purchased online.

The Strong Museum in Rochester is open Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.