The Audubon Insectarium is a Natural Science Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s one of the city’s three Audubon Nature Institute’s facilities. In addition to the Insectarium, Audubon also provides a zoo and acquarium.
Wondering exactly what an insectarium is? It’s a facility that ranges from being a live zoo, to museum, to exhibit of live insects. The displays tell you all kinds of things about what we often just refer to as “bugs!”
What’s in the Insectarium in New Orleans?
The Audubon Insectarium is housed in New Orleans’ former U.S. Customs House.
Enormous by any standards at 23,000 square feet, the building fills a whole block between Canal, North Peters, Iberville, and Decatur Streets in New Orleans.
Indeed, the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans is the largest free standing museum in the U.S. with this kind of collection.
It’s a great location, as it’s smack in the middle of all of the activity around Mardi Gras. In fact, I enjoyed a number of parades right in front of it.
Learn More About the History of the U.S. Customs House
The U.S. Customs House cornerstones were laid in 1849, but full completion took some time, in part due to the Civil War (1861 – 1865).
When the Union Forces took control of New Orleans, they used what was built as their headquarters and confinement area for Confederate prisoners.
In 1881, the building, with a number of design changes, was finished.
Now fully restored, the impressive white marble columned building is one of the oldest and most important Federal buildings in the South.
I wasn’t sure which took me most by surprise when I entered, the halls with vaulted ceilings 21 feet high or the row of guards and security equipment I had to pass to get into the exhibits!
The Exhibits
The exhibits were another thing altogether. I’m really not into bugs even though we certainly have enough of them on the Canadian prairies, but I’ve never been more fascinated by exhibits than I was here.
While my visit was later in the day, I had enough time to zip through the Termite Gallery, the Underground Gallery, and Award Nights Theater as well as the Hall of Fame, with the biggest, fastest, and most amazing insects.
What’s the deadliest insect in the world?
The deadliest insect in the world is the mosquito, which kills 750,000 people every year!
So, did you know that what makes crickets chirp is stridulation? It means to vibrate or rub against each other to make a sound.
Or, did you know that some insects have well-formed “ears” on their front legs, thorax or abdomen — but rarely on their heads? Some bugs hear by detecting sound vibrations with different body parts.
And I sure wouldn’t want to be a wood-boring beetle. They live longer than other bugs (record 51 years!) however, die about a month after reaching adulthood!
Snack Time
If your stomach starts to rumble during your visit, you can even taste some insects at the Insectarium if you dare.
The Cooking Show and Cultural Café let you taste all kinds of things you might want to learn the name of after you’re done instead of before!
Since my visit was late in the day, the cooks were already off duty, so I can’t even share any insights on how things like dragonfly hors d’oeuvres and cricket chocolate chirp cookies taste.
Audubon Butterfly Garden
The Audubon Insectarium is also home to the Audubon Butterfly Garden.
Opening the door to the Butterflies in Flight exhibit was like stepping into a tropical wonderland.
Thirty different butterfly types flitted around the 10 plant species, plus free-flying finches added their song to the scene in the Asian inspired gardens.
Linda’s Pick of the Exhibits
I’ll be the first to say that I’ve loved the Louisiana bayous and swamps from my first visit. That’s why it was important for me to spend some time in the Audubon Nature Institute’s facilities.
So my favorite display, of course, was the Louisiana Swamp.
Since I love Louisiana food, I enjoyed getting the low-down on what’s local, like the mudbugs as they’re popularly called.
Red swamp and white river crawfish are the most common in Louisiana.
And while they’re called bugs or fish, they’re actually crawfish, so neither of those things.
Instead, crawfish are crustaceans like crabs and lobsters. They live in fresh or brackish water, and like insects, have hard outer shells.
The first thing I have to eat when I get to Louisiana is some crawfish — the gumbo is amazing!
Who Should Visit the Audubon Insectarium?
After visiting the Audubon Insectarium myself, the biggest thing I learned about bugs was that they’re just as fascinating for adults as they are for kids!
There’s lots of room for families to spread out and enjoy the exhibits. Likewise it’s very accessible for those with mobility issues. Interest wise, there’s something for everyone in this must-see museum in New Orleans.
Our time was limited to an hour-and-a-half, but that wasn’t neary enough!
How Do Your Visit the Audubon Insectarium?
The Audubon Insectarium is in New Orleans, which is located on I-10 in Louisiana. The address is 6500 Magazine Street.
Check out days and hours the Audubon Museum is open on their website.
Find out what’s happening at the Audubon Nature Institute on Facebook.
Watch Audubon Nature Institute videos on YouTube.
Read More Louisiana Museum Reviews
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Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the Audubon Nature Institute for providing me with free passes to all of these amazing places–I really appreciated taking a closer look at this great family attraction in New Orleans. The opinions I shared in this article were all my own and not influenced by the support from Audubon.
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