Wings of Mackinac

very cute spot! we checked it out after the first half of the carriage tour. i definitely recommend this add on if you’re taking the tour around the island!

The people inside did not seem to care at all. Most of the butterflies actually looked like they were dying and we saw one worker picking up butterflies and basically trying to toss them up to get them to fly. The bananas were moldy, several Fake flowers and it was overall just depressing. Those butterflies should have people who actually care about them.

We reserved wings for an early morning wedding ceremony with Marie. She was formal and punctual throughout the nine or so months leading up to the ceremony and made a great officiant for our special day. The venue is beautiful with stunning flowers and creative displays. We especially loved our photos in front of the ferris wheel of flowers. Marie was so obviously genuinely happy to perform the ceremony and was accommodating with the vision we had for it. This place will always hold a special place in our hearts and we will be returning the next time we visit the island.

August 2024 - came here with the family. My 3 daughters from 7-11 loved the place. All 5 of us had at least one butterfly land on us. I didn't find it too hot or cold in the building. You can take your backpack inside but strollers and food/drinks need to stay outside. Overall, it was great and I would suggest you visit this place.

Absolutely beautiful place. The staff was outstanding, always prepared with answers to questions. I love how they leave extra ripe fruit out for the butterflies, just the way they like it. They are also great at keeping the butterflies safe, making sure children aren’t touching them. They are well cared for and the garden is beautiful 🤩. If you go on a carriage tour, it is 100% worth the extra money to stop in and visit the butterflies.

If you love butterflies, then you need to stop here. There is a small gift shop, that you enter into and then you go in and see the butterflies. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. They make sure to warn you to watch where you step, as the butterflies are everywhere! There is a lot of really great photo opportunities while you are there. They make sure to check you as you leave so you don't leave with any butterflies attached to you! They will land on you, they will crawl on your hands. Just stay calm and enjoy it.

It's definitely worth the time and money spent! We took our time walking thru the butterfly area multiple times. There are so many different butterflies to see. They were everywhere, including on the ground, so be careful where you step. There are definitely a lot of photo opportunities with the large number of butterflies in there.

My wife and I were really blown away at the selection of butterflies all around us. We spent more time then expected watching and taking pictures. This is a great display to show how much variation in nature there is in something we may take for granted every day like the butterflies.

We added wings to our carriage tour for $9pp x 2 adults, for a total of $18. While the cost wasn't astronomical, it also wasn't a bargain. I can't say that I'd do it again, unless I had kids with me, as most kids were fascinated. The space was small, tho well-maintained. Butterflies were plentiful, tho specimens were not as large of a variety as implied. They were imported- so, something you wouldn't see while out & about. I have mixed feelings on that on one hand, it brought back memories from living in Panama, where these were the norm & a love for them developed. On the other hand, a butterfly garden is a great opportunity to plant native plants & educate tourists on local species. The space was easily overcrowded & it was much like other butterfly houses I've seen, without seats be able to sit & reflect, possibly due to the want for quick turnover to the next set of visitors.

This place should just not exist. First time I've ever gone and reviewed something. The workers were tossing butterflies up to get them to fly, All the butterflies looked like they were dying. We did not see a single one flying. The fruit was rotten and molding, they have fake flowers around. I would say the price is overpriced but what little care they give to those butterflies they clearly need it. The owner has commented on peoples reviews and should not bother, there is little care or effort being put in. They only care about money and adding stupid gimmicks like mirrors and Ferris wheels to the mix. It cost the same to go to The original butterfly house and that has more butterflies, Active butterflies, Insects, several rooms with shadow box type things for displays, A beehive, Turtles, an entire room before the butterfly room to show current stages of chrysalis and cocoons. 0/5 This is a place where butterflies go to die.

This was a fantastic butterfly house! This attraction had so many beautiful butterflies from around the world. The house is fully of butterflies and they are everywhere! If you just sit still for a minute, you would probably have some even land on you and just hang out for a while. This is definitely one of the better butterfly gardens I have visited. It was not too expensive to add the Wings tour onto the Carriage tour and it is definitely worth it! My daughter absolutely loved it and could have stayed all day. If you are visiting Mackinac Island, go see this place. You will enjoy it!

We may be spoiled by having previously visited some excellent butterfly places in Fort Myers and Key West. This garden did not live up to anywhere near those expectations. Very small, few varieties of butterfly. Unless your really bored, skip this site and save your $11 for breakfast.

I used to frequent the Original Butterfly House (no affiliation), but the Wings of Mackinac is a stop on the Carriage Tours, so I decided to visit something new. I bought the combination Carriage Tour + Wings ticket, which made the Wings admission price discounted. $9 admission is pricey in my opinion, seeing as you won't spend more than 10-15 minutes in there, tops. Wings is on the same grounds as the Grand Hotel Stables and the Surrey Museum, which serves as the halfway stop for the carriage tour. Remember to watch your step, don't touch the butterflies (but they might land on you) and have an employee check your back to make sure butterflies don't leave with you. A small gift shop greets you at the exit. The bright and warm greenhouse is filled with approximately 800 butterflies. I enjoyed seeing the different sizes and markings of the butterflies - my favorites had royal blue wings. Sadly, none landed on me, but it was fun to observe them in their element. I'm impressed how some can camouflage so well! Other fun tidbits: -Butterflies like to eat bananas. -Watch them grow in larva stages in the glass casing near the exit. -Butterflies are flown in from foreign countries (South America) and Wings receives a shipment of about 800 per week. This is necessary as the lifespan is only 3-10 days! I wouldn't take a detour to go see Wings of Mackinac, but it's worth buying the combination carriage tour ticket to get access while you're there anyway.

We spent the extra when we bought the tickets for the carriage tour. Figure about 20 minutes. Not a big greenhouse; but you want to move slowly - lots of butterflies - and if you stand still - you may even have one land on you! There are hundreds of butterflies of all different types. They did a great job with the foliage and decor. Nice diversion - yet realize you're spending $9 for the short visit.

I've literally been coming here my whole life and this has always been a fun activity to do here! Absolutely love it!

I like coming here. It's small so there's a wait at times, but once you are inside your inner child takes over, and you find yourself as overdone as they were when they discovered the secret garden. The mounted insect collection and chrysalis display are very cool to look at-so are the beetles and bees in the final room.

This was the first of our stops at the two competitors in the butterfly house cold war that seems to have erupted on Mackinaw Island since we were last here. Wings of Mackinac is the late-comer to the battle and is located at the waystation between the two parts of the carriage tour operated by Mackinac Island Carriage Tours. You can either take the carriage from the departure point on Main Street to get here or you can hoof it up Cadotte Ave, or Fort St from either end of the "strip" on Main Street. The advantage of the carriage option is that you can do this as part of the full tour of the island. The place itself is an enclosed conservatory with a selection of butterflies that are both varied and plentiful. Our two year old had a good time and as that is the target demographic, I'd have to say this place succeeded in its mission.

Stopped here after we were dropped off by the carriage tour. The actual greenhouse area isn't that large but there are a ton of butterflies to make up for it. I've been to several butterfly conservatories and I've never had butterflies land on me...it happened multiple times here which was really cool. We also made friends with one butterfly who loved to hang out on our finger...we had a hard time getting him to fly off. If you are looking for a unique experience, check this place out. It also helped that the temps were damn near tropical which was awesome because it was only 50 outside!

I was visiting Mackinac with my two teenage children, and decided to take the carriage tour. I had no idea what the butterfly exhibit was, but decided to buy the combo ticket as it would give us something else to do. You board the carriage tour, and at the first stop where you have to change carriages is the Wings of Mackinac Conservatory. You go into this building and step into a warm greenhouse filled with butterflies! There are several dozen varieties of butterflies, and it was fun trying to see if we could find one or more of each variety. You have to be very observant, as some blend right into the foliage, while some are very bright and obvious. We took hundreds of photos - it was such a neat experience! I had no idea when we bought the tickets that we would enjoy this stop so much, but it was such a worthwhile visit!! You can spend as much time in here as you want, and it was so worth it.

Well worth the nominal extra fee to stop by on the carriage tour! Lovely photo ops and snacks. Of course there is fudge here too. Enjoy