Butterfly House Closure FAQ
Butterfly Garden Opening & BHA Closure FAQ
Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium (SFZA) is taking the next step toward a one-campus organization, opening a newly-constructed butterfly garden on the Great Plains Zoo campus with target opening of mid-February 2027. At the same time, SFZA will sunset the butterfly conservatory at the Butterfly House & Aquarium campus in Sertoma Park, and permanently close the building to the public as of January 4, 2027.
With the opening of the butterfly garden on the zoo campus, the SFZA team is laser-focused on preparations to bring a one-campus attraction to fruition. This includes moving butterfly and garden-focused staff to the zoo campus, and empowering aquarium staff to prepare to care for many more animals, as they maintain the current aquatic animal collection.
Beginning January 4, 2027, Monarch members will receive enhanced benefits at the zoo campus, including exclusive early entry, additional guest passes, early registration for ZooCamps, and more. Monarch members should watch their inboxes for upcoming information about these exclusive benefits.
For now, SFZA will maintain it as a staff-only satellite campus. Many staff members work at the Sertoma Park campus, and many more team members may need to work there as aquarium construction ramps up at the zoo., It could also serve as a quarantine space as aquatic animals arrive in preparation for the new aquarium opening.
Some events and experience-focused roles will transition to the zoo campus. Other team members will have the opportunity to apply with SSA, our partner organization that operates guest, retail, and culinary services at the zoo campus.
No. The butterflies will live out their natural life cycles in the conservatory. In early 2027, all new butterflies will begin emerging at the zoo.
- The ambassador animals will move to the zoo campus, along with the biologists that care for them, the plants, and the butterflies.
- Conservatory and aquatic animals will continue to be cared for in their current homes, with a plan to move them to the zoo in the future.
Kindergarteners in the Sioux Falls School District will have the exclusive opportunity to access the Sertoma Park campus during a field trip each school year, while it is SFZA's primary aquarium location.
- All plaques and pavers within the Butterfly House & Aquarium building will be represented in the new Butterfly Garden on a new plaque. Bricks outside the building will not be represented in the new Butterfly Garden.
- Families interested in taking their plaque or bench may contact Info@GPZoo.org after our January 4 closure to coordinate pickup. (This does not include floor pavers in the conservatory or brick on the patio, which will remain a part of the building and exterior structure into the foreseeable future.)
The Aquarium's construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2027, with anticipated opening of the completed facility in late 2029.
The Butterfly House & Aquarium's social media will sunset along with the building. We will continue to give behind-the-scenes glimpses of the teams work at that facility as we continue working towards our one-campus goal.