Visiting World of Wings

Who doesn’t like a butterfly? A beetle? A cockroach? Okay, I probably lost you on that last one. Believe it or not, though, there is a place nearby in which you can see all of these creatures (most behind a glass tank). My daughter and I recently took a visit to World Of Wings in Teaneck, NJ and had a chance to see them all. Thanks to Groupon and a friend who wanted to have an adventure with her son on her birthday, we hopped in the car and hit the road (a triumph because I always said I would never drive through NYC on my own!).

World of Wings is housed in a huge building with a giant dragonfly in front of it – kind of hard to miss. Externally, the building is super kid friendly, complete with hidden bug statues behind many bushes and colorful things to look at. Internally, it’s decorated with all kinds of insects and reptiles (mostly fake), but it’s not as creepy as it sounds. I really think the décor  helps kids to understand that bugs aren’t as yucky or scary as they may seem or are portrayed by their parents.

We first found a fun little playroom probably used for demonstrations. Our kids (both 2 years old) had a great time playing with plastic food and the like, but we had to go and see things that they couldn’t play with at home. The problem was convincing the kids, and unfortunately we wasted a lot of time here.

That’s when we found the butterflies.

The atrium wasn’t quite as big as we were expecting for a place that touts itself as a place to see live butterflies, but it was still really cool. We walked into a secure room that was kind of tropical in temperature, with large butterflies (and a few small birds) freely flying around. There was a circular path around the fauna with plates of oranges – we were told the butterflies were highly attracted to them – at eye level placed all around the path. In all honesty, my daughter was only semi-interested in the butterflies, but she’s probably a little young to appreciate them. She was more interested in the fish and the turtle in the pond. I, however, couldn’t get enough.

Then we went through the insect and reptile exhibitions, which, as someone who is not a fan of either, was both interesting and nauseating. Of course, my daughter was infatuated by the live cockroaches exhibited living in a mini VW bug. The presentations, however, were very appealing to small hands and learning.

From there we went to the giant bubble room to make our own bubbles, and then headed to the cafeteria. The food was surprisingly decent and well-priced for a place such as this. Even after full bellies, we could see we were losing the kids and sought out the soft play area, recommended by another parent we met earlier in the day. If we lived closer, I would probably seek out a membership solely for this play area: a giant ball pit, slides, trains, climbing rocks, books, rideables, music, and more. It almost seemed like you’d find something knew every time you moved.

There is another large play area with arcade games, a climbing wall, dance area, craft room and other activities for older children, as well.

All in all, I would recommend World of Wings for anyone with children 4 -12. I think the novelty was lost on our two, and I’m not sure just one year would make a difference. General admission is a bit much for me, at least, to want to visit often ($16 for 18+ and $11 for 2+ plus gas), but we’ve already decided to go back at least once when the kids are older.