Posted:
6/4/2020 |
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Date: Friday, June 5, 2020
Contact: Missouri Botanical Garden Public Relations Dept.
Phone: (314) 577-0286 (media use only)
Email: cmartin@mobot.org (media use only)
SOPHIA M. SACHS BUTTERFLY HOUSE TO REOPEN JUNE 16
Reopening will start with guided tours only
For Immediate Release
The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Chesterfield plans to reopen to the public on June 16. The first week will be for Garden Members only.
St. Louis County officials on Thursday approved the Butterfly House’s reopening plan, which includes additional health and safety protocols to continue efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The safety of the visitors, volunteers and staff is our top priority.
To ensure the safety of all, the Butterfly House will reopen in phases. During the first phase, the Butterfly House will be open for guided tours only. Each tour will be a minimum of two people and a maximum of nine. Tours will start 20 minutes apart, with staggered arrival times. No more than 16 tours will be sold each day.
Staff-guided tours will take guests on a journey through a new circus-themed exhibit, "Under the Big Top," featuring special insect displays and botanical collections. All hour-long tours will include a private butterfly release and live animal encounters. Advanced reservations are required.
In accordance with guidelines from St. Louis County, masks are required for everyone over the age of 9 and recommended for ages 3-9.
Butterfly House hours will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday. For more information visit butterflyhouse.org.
Following the first phase, the Butterfly House plans to move to timed e-ticketing entry, with limited hourly capacity, on July 7. Tickets will be available in 60-minute time slots both online and by phone only. No walk-up purchases. Same-day e-ticket purchases may be limited, depending on availability. For more information, please visit butterflyhouse.org.
The Missouri Botanical Garden’s main campus and Shaw Nature Reserve, a Garden site in Gray Summit, will also open June 16. Both the Garden and the Nature Reserve will implement additional protocols, including requiring e-tickets purchased in advance and limiting capacity. For more information, please visit mobot.org or shawnature.org.
Until the reopening, keep up with the Butterfly House on social media. Staff continue to share photos and video online, including a weekly “Snack Chat” live video, where you can learn more about the many insects the Butterfly House cares for.
The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House of the Missouri Botanical Garden is located in St. Louis County’s Faust Park at 15193 Olive Blvd. in Chesterfield.
The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in south St. Louis, accessible from Interstate 44 at the Vandeventer exit and from Interstate 64 at the Kingshighway North and South exit. Free parking is available on site and two blocks west at the corner of Shaw and Vandeventer. Shaw Nature Reserve of the Missouri Botanical Garden is a 2,400-acre natural area located just south of Interstate-44 at exit #253 in Gray Summit.
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The mission of the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House is “to foster a greater understanding of plant and animal relationships in the environment in order to promote the conservation and restoration of natural habitats.” The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House of the Missouri Botanical Garden is located in St. Louis County’s Faust Park at 15193 Olive Blvd. in Chesterfield, Mo. The central feature of the attraction is an 8,000-square-foot glass conservatory where visitors mingle with more than 60 species of the world’s most beautiful butterflies in free fligh