joseph l. popp, jr. butterfly conservatory

We were on our way, we had been there in the summer and the kids had a great time. Now it was one of the coldest days of the winter and we knew there were no butterflies but had heard great things about the birds and reptiles. Unfortunately when we turned in the parking lot, another visitor told us the pipes had frozen and they would not be able to be open that day. We were disappointed but will try again another day.

This place was amazaing. From the parking lot and even entering the smallish building, its deceptive. The room is filled with all kinds of life. You need the docent to show you, otherwise you'll miss most of what's there. Be sure to look down, look up, and look inside. We loved it and will go back. Peaceful, educational, and a delight to experience.

Fun for both old and young. Great photo opportunities and interaction with birds, chicks, turtles, small animals and of course, butterflies. Move slowly and follow the path, as butterflies are everywhere and you want to avoid stepping on any. Very helpful guides share interesting information about individual species and other animals in the conservatory.A display window shows racks of cocoons waiting to hatch.Very informative and a great time!

I am a huge butterfly lover and was excited to find out about a conservatory about an hour away from where I live! I took my family on a Sunday afternoon and we had a nice enough time. The building itself is set back from the road a little bit. The conservatory is a nice size-about what I was expecting. There is a wide variety of butterflies, birds, and lizards as stated-even a sloth and some rabbits. I was thrilled to have several land on me throughout my time there. I did think it was a little overpriced myself. Also, it would have been nice to have some signs up about the variety of butterflies and animals in the facility. There was a woman working there that was very knowledgeable about everything in there from birds to fish and more. She initially did not strike me as the friendliest person when we arrived but was eager to approach us and tell us interesting points all about the inhabitants. Other reviewers are correct that it does have an "off" odor but I almost expected that too. Overall we enjoyed our time there with my sons asking if we can go back!

The Joseph L. Popp, Jr. Butterfly Conservatory is a sizable 3,000-square-foot tropical habitat of tropical plants and trees for exotic tropical birds, butterflies, tortoises, lizards, fish, and frogs. Many species housed here are on endangered lists. The approach up the walkway leads visitors past a lawn/garden area with a gazebo.The entrance if through the gift shop. It is open daily from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Admission prices are:$12.00 - Adults $9.50 - Children (11 & under $9.50 - Seniors (65 & up $9.50 - College Students with valid ID Free - Infants - 18 months. & under All prices are subject to 8% New York State Sales Tax.From the gift shop, you step into a tropical world. I thought that the layout was well thought-out and organized.On my visit, a large Burmese Mountain Tortoise was walking up the cement ramp to the entrance/exit door perhaps trying to make a great escape. She was soon back where she belonged. She was eating her lunch that was a special formula packed with nutrients. It resembled mashed banana with peanut butter, but that’s not what it was. About 10 minutes later, a tiny tortoise was in the same place eating his lunch of the same formula in a tiny cup. Walking around the conservatory, I saw a Zebra Striped Butterfly, a Blue Morpho, a Black and White Striped Moth, and a magnificent Chinese Red Capped Golden Pheasant, plus a Philippine Sailfin Dragon, a tree-dwelling lizard.Words of caution:It’s advisable to walk slowly around the conservatory because a lot of the free-roaming smaller lizards and birds are camouflaged in the plants and trees. It’s easy to scare them or have a close call in stepping on one of them. The Blue Morphos are difficult to photograph as they flutter about almost incessantly.There is also a seasonal café on the grounds.This attraction is just as much for adults as it is for children. In fact, adults outnumbered children 5 to 1 during my visit. The conservatory is wheelchair accessible. If you found this review helpful, kindly click YES below.

Easy to find, however the parking lot is a bit misleading. It is surrounded by woods with no clear entrance to the building. We left once because I thought we were in the wrong place. If you park facing away from the road look for the small sign and sidewalk to the right. Adults were $12 and kids were $9.50 which seemed a bit expensive. It was smaller then expected. It could use a good cleaning. All that aside we did have a great visit. The plants are beautiful. Butterflies and birds fly around. Turtles roam the room. The young girl working in the room was awesome. She brought out a hedgehog and a salmander (I think). She was willing to answer questions and made the visit more enjoyable. All in all a great way to spend a few hours.

We had planned on visiting the butterfly conservatory with family and friends and were very disappointed to find out they were not open. We re-checked the days and times and they clearly were supposed to be open Kids were disappointed as were the adults..If you advertise and have signs up giving times and dates then you should be open, otherwise change the signs so people don't arrive and then get disappointed.

This conservancy is located right on Rte. 7 ( close to I-88 ) and is an easy drive from all points. Good value for the money. Allows you direct access to the beauty of live butterflies landing everywhere...including on you!

Took family there who came from out of town. Staff was extremely rude! Bought a gift, realized it was busted so I tried to return it. Was told that I couldn't return it because we probably broke it. Worst service ever! Do not go!

If you think you would enjoy standing in the center of a person sized terrarium and allowing your eyes to discover butterflies, birds, iguanas, turtles, etc. which are going about their business, then this is the place for you and your family. Knowledgeable and helpful staff. Fascinating experience.

Website said it was open as of March 15. Went to go there on Tuesday, April 14, during Spring Break (for CT residents), and parking lot was empty except for one car. Attempted to call. Greeting did not say it was closed; I hit zero and phone just rang. Walked up to the door and sign said closed. Bummer.

Actively interested in nature, we recently visited this conservatory. To say the least, the web site is very inaccurate. First, there are NO butterflies in the winter, only a selection of tropical birds, and a few animals. The path to the facility was not properly cleared, and the grounds were very run down. But as we had travelled a fair distance, we thought we would give it a try. On entrance the service was terrible and we we were grumbled at for paying cash and not credit. This should have been a hint to turn around and forget about it, but we thought we'd give it a try as sometimes appearances are deceiving...Wrong.On entrance, you are confronted with the combined smell of animal and bird excrement. The plants and surfaces were covered in bird excrement and the place looked like it was rarely cleaned. The facility is small, and most of the animals are in cages and do not look very healthy. In addition, while they do have a sloth it's in a large cage that it shares with rabbits and a small "litter" box in the corner. While there is a heat lamp in the cage, the overall temperature of the room is moderate and certainly not warm enough for tropical birds and animals...We ware our winter coats the whole time. Because the temperature is not warm enough, most of the plants were dying as well. I would not recommend this as a destination worth viewing and was very disappointed. The website and reviews did not provide an accurate reflection of the current facility. It was expensive, dirty, and very run down.

While visiting family in Unadilla we looked up a toddler friendly place to visit. We should've gotten back in the truck when we saw the 8" wide path through the snow that we had to follow to the conservatory...that the dog inside also used as his toilet. We never saw the dog but it barked at us the entire time we paid our admittion. As soon as we entered the "gift shop" a wet dog smell hit our noses like a freight train. There's what we thought to be a very rude sign stating that "we are not a daycare, these toys are for sale!" I thought my mother was going to turn around and leave after the extremely rude woman actually asked my mom to take the garbage she had just put in the waste basket out of it and put it in the bathroom garbage! Not wanting to dissapoint we paid the high admission price and went in. The actual conservatory is very run down and smells horrible. The plants are dying and the pens are dirty. The only reason we're giving it one star is the pretty variety of birds. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody, ever! The pictures and descriptions online are extremely deseaving, I don't know if it was a nice place a few years back but it is completely different than the website pictures.

We went in October not really sure if that was ideal time of year. Entrance gave impression that we would be disappointed, but once inside glad we went. You have to go thru slowly as there are birds, turtles. And lots of critters to observe. Very surprised to see a sloth as well as many tropical birds. Allow an hour or so to enjoy.

For lovers of the off-beat and off-the-beaten path destinations and for anyone who loves animals, this is a must stop spot along Route I-88 (right around the corner from Cooperstown). Yes, it seems to be operating on a small budget and does not offer the amenities of larger museums or zoological attractions, but it is a truly unique collection of tropical wildlife housed in an intimate conservatory setting through which you can wander freely. Butterflys, dragons, tortoises, chameleons, hedgehogs, birds, butterflies, are the creatures whose space you will share. So, in fact, you do need to be kind of careful when you visit. Kids will be rewarded by their respectful observation - there are surprises everywhere. You will have to drag your budding naturalist out of the conservatory. Bring a ball for the younger or more rambunctious kids in your group - there is a big field outside for game playing, a little gift shop, but no food so bring your own snacks.