- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Victoria Bug Zoo
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
18 reviews for Victoria Bug Zoo
18 reviews in English
-
Review from Morgan H.
Vancouver, BC
3/29/2010
This place is wonderful.
It really brings out the 7 year old in me (except the part that was thoroughly afraid of bugs). Honestly, we were just looking for places to go to kill time on our vacation in Victoria and decided to go here. I mistakenly thought this place was a bug museum, so when I found out that there were live bugs and we could hold them, I was more than excited. They have a variety of bugs whose stories are told by very enthusiastic employees that give a tour of the small place. The best part though was if you're over 19, you can hold a tarantula and a scorpion, which I never thought I would do in my life. As a side bonus, the owner owns a very cute dog who we ran into in the gift shop, so if you see her, make sure to say hello! -
Review from Katie O.
10/23/2011
My friend and I were up in Victoria on a recent weekend, and she suggested the Bug Zoo. I was not excited to be amidst a bunch of creepy-crawlies, but I caved.
So glad I did! While the zoo is a bit small (only two rooms), the bugs on display are interesting to look at and interesting when described by our wonderful guide, Dan.
While my friend shied away from holding any of the bugs, she was more than happy to snap some pictures of me holding a tarantula, giant millipede, and leaf bug.
Now if only she'd gotten a decent picture of Dan... ;o) -
Review from Marty M.
8/14/2011
Not as much a zoo as it is just two small rooms. But, what it lacked in exhibits it made up for in the knowledgable and friendly staff.
We had a pleasant experience and definitely a must to take the kids here. -
Review from Jens J.
11/12/2010
Located across the street from the Empress Hotel.
If this zoo had been more than just two rooms, it would have been five stars. But this was a fun experience that is not just for kids. When we were here (it was not crowded), there were two very knowledgeable docents who briefed us on the insect exhibits and pulled the bugs out of their terrariums to let us hold them.
The biggest kick was getting to hold a tarantula. While they are fearsome looking creatures, most are quite harmless.
I was most fascinated with the "walking stick" insects. They are just like green twigs or big blades of grass. I imagine in their natural habitat that they blend in to the point that they are near invisible. -
Review from Daniel D.
8/24/2011
Definitely not worth the money. A lot of the bugs were repeats and in total, there were probably 5 or 6 interesting bugs...Pretty lame..
-
Review from Scott K.
8/8/2008
I never get sick of watching Leaf Cutter Ants! Simply... a trip!!!
his place is great for dates, and kids... hopefully not both at the same time!
Ooohhh... and water bugs are freaking awesome!
Taste great too!
(Don't really eat their bugs... some are rather expensive... trust me... I learned this the hard way.) -
Review from Antonia W.
Toronto, ON
4/3/2010
My bro unfortunately came and visited me in Nov when it was raining for an entire week straight. I tried to think of as many indoor activities as possible .... so we went to the Bug Zoo, which I don't think I would've checked out if not for the rain!
It was a weekday afternoon so it was just my brother and I plus a mom, dad, and their 3 year old son in the zoo. I've heard people say they didn't have a good experience cuz it was so crowded and they didn't get to hold the bugs. The zoo is basically one big room filled with tanks and tanks of bugs. You get a bug zoo guide who will take you around the room, talk a little bit about each one, and take out the bugs for you to hold.
Honestly, playing with the bugs was a lot more fun than I expected!! It's actually pretty cool, I love the mantises, they're so cute ^o^ You can also put a giant millipede across your face if that's your thing. AAND, you can see the bug that inspired Darth Vader, or that's what they told us at least....! Anyway, not sure about a repeat visit, but go if you haven't and you like bugs. -
Review from cheryl W.
Calgary, AB
5/31/2011
This is our favorite place to go for fun when we visit Victoria! We have been coming to Victoria for years and we come specifically to go to the Bug Zoo. It just keeps getting better and better. It is great for all ages and as our kids get older they enjoy it more every time. This is an experience for EVERYONE and ALL AGES. We love the bugs. They are amazing but the staff are always very good too. We just went there again for the long weekend and are thrilled with our time there again. They have the best admission rates of any of the other attractions so it is really good value. Probably the best money we have ever spent in Victoria, considering the over priced movie theaters and bad restaurants with unpleasant serving staff!
I wish every city had a Bug Zoo! It does get busy because it is so GREAT! -
Review from D.J. Y.
8/6/2008 1 photo
Okay, so I left this place with my skin crawling and itchy all over. *Whoah, what was that!?!*
I did leave with a better understanding of bugs in general and plenty of snap shots of the kiddos holding all kinds of bugs. Our youngest, Snake-girl, she's 5yo, we had to drag her out of this place, with the promise we'd be back...soon-ish... G-ma ended up buying her a rather large stuffed bug to take home so the tears would stop flowing. Pops, stayed outside, as just the gift shop creeped him out!
Plenty of great stuff to see here, they give "mini" tours as you come in or let you check things out at your own pace, it's all good. Stick around and wait till the bug-keepers bring something out for show and tell. Your kids will luv it, really!!
And try to find the Queen ant in their ant colony, I guess she's been missing for years now!Listed in: Our Vancouver/Victoria BC must…
-
Review from Nick M.
Victoria, BC
5/14/2011
Great interactive place with lots of learning and interesting fun facts. Only downfall is that it can get very crowded and hard to see the insects. Go midweek to avoid crowds.
-
Review from Emilie S.
3/12/2011
One of my favorite things in Victoria. It just never gets old.
-
Review from Tom S.
3/21/2011
We had to go here to satisfy my son. He thought it was really cool. It was neat to be able to hold some of the bugs. The place is about two large living rooms in size on the inside. It really started to get crowded in there , so they should limit how many they let on at a time. The staff was very friendly and handled the kids well. Overall a nice place, but I did expect a bit more than I got. My wife and daughter, not being bug fans, left quickly, should have saved the admission charge for them. Oh, well.
-
Review from Mike N.
10/13/2010 2 photos
7/10/10 - At first I came with my gf here and when we looked through the front door it looked like a day care center. A little reluctant we decided to go in since we already paid for street parking. I think we shelled out ~$9 a person for adults and entered into another room where the bugs were at.
The place was small (I'd say 25ft x 30ft) but bugs are relatively small in comparison to animals so there was actually quite a number of exotic bugs. You are welcome to join any group since the guides goes around the whole room multiple times.
You are allowed to hold some the bugs and our guide was excellent at catering to both kids and curious adults.
We stayed a little over an hour but I'd have to say I could stay there all day just watching the leaf cutter ants do their thing. -
Review from Dan S.
7/23/2010 14 photos
This place was a blast. The kids loved it. All sorts of weird and wonderful insects.
-
Review from Scotty D.
9/2/2008
yes this a great idea and a fun place to take the kids but i wouldn't want to be inside when the electricity goes out.
there are many unusual and rare bugs you never get to see but i'm cool with just seeing them here. sure i'm a guy but bugs just creep me out. i have had too many bad experiences with them growing up so having them way up there in victoria is cool. it also reminds me too much of the 70's disaster movie about bugs with radioactive powers. run for the hills people!! :) -
Review from Fraulein C.
8/20/2008
Remember in my other reviews when I mentioned my dad LOVES to take us to educational vacations...well, here we are at the BUG Zoo. Yes! The Bug Zoo. I couldn't help but really like this place a lot. Interesting to see spiders, butterflies (especially when they're also growing in a crafted cocooon), ants, etc. My mom really freaked out each time we took a turn to see another set of bugs. Creeps her out.
-
Review from joe w.
Victoria, BC
7/13/2009
Great for kids of all ages! My 4 year old loved the worker ants working in the tubes and was able to touch a few huge nasty bugs. Great rainy day activity for little kids, pretty affordable ($13.50 for both of us).
-
Review from Jod L.
8/20/2008
even though it is very small(2 rooms)you'll love it-the bugs are great, you can't help but be drawn in-the young guides and knowledgable and fun and very into their bugs-you'll have a good time, I swear
