sertoma butterfly house & marine cove

It was neat. The place is a lot smaller than it looks. But you get to pet sea cucumbers and well that pretty much rocks! Then you have the baby sharks you can pet and the sting rays!!!! Then finally there is the butterfly room!!!! All I can say is if you want a butterfly to land on you wear Red! It's pretty special and worth the $$. I'm not a fan of gifts shops that are part of the exhibits because with small children it causes friction. All in all it's magical!

Loved this place, especially the butterfly part! It is cool to see all the different kinds of butterflies that they have here. Also the baby quails in the butterfly room were so cute! :)

What an enjoyable place to visit and the Marine Cove has some very interesting displays and the kids can even pet the stingrays - how often do you get to do that? However, my interests were the butterfly's and their many wondrous colors. It is a treat to spend some time watching these graceful creatures go about their business and interact with each other and the humans enjoying them. Can't say enough about the very helpful and friendly staff who (as I understand it) donate their time and expertise to make this a special part of Sioux Falls. This is a low cost, high value attraction and a great place to take your children.

Sertoma Butterfly House is fun and educational for kids. It is a non-profit organization and is the only place you can see stingrays in the midwest - they have 3 that people are allowed to touch along with some sharks, starfish and sea anenomes that are also hands on. The Flight Room is wonderful - especially in the winter. To be warm and be surrounded by plants, flowers and, of course, butterflies flying all around you. Highly recommend you visit!

This was my 95 year old father-in-laws favorite place to "warm his bones" on a cold wintry day. The butterflies fluttering in the sunshine and the bubbling brook are so relaxing. There are lots of benches surrounded by lush foliage that create wonderful spaces for reflection and meditation if you are privileged to have the space to yourself or a few others.

The aquarium was very interesting, though not large, with several activities. The butterfly house was hot and humid, but also interesting as you get to walk around with the butterflies. We enjoyed ourselves. Also nice park with unusual playground equipment on the grounds and a nature center across the street.

This is the place! A little pricey, but in the end it was worth it. Very quiet and peaceful. Would definitely go back.

The price for this was kind of steep - $30 for a family of 4. But the butterfly house was very calming. We enjoyed hanging out and watching the beautiful butterflies zip around.

I liked some volunteers work at this place. I was impressed with one huge butterfly. Also, they have very cute quails.

We stopped at the Sertoma Park to have the kids run and burn of energy after being cooped up in the truck for 6 hours and have a picnic dinner. It was excellent!! The park has a huge shelter where you can picnic out of the sun. It has at least 4 separate play systems that are huge, new and great condition - all different from each other and circling the pavilion. The butterfly house and marine cove are an added bonus! We didn't have time to enjoy them, but they looked beautiful! This is a must-see if you are traveling through Sioux Falls with little ones.

I was in town for an unexpected day because of travel delays and this attraction was suggested to me. I thought I was only going to see a butterfly house...and truly, the admission to just that is completely worth it. I spent an enchanting hour or so with some 60 species of butterflies fluttering around me. Such exquisite beauty at close hand. What I didn't expect is that visitors are also treated to another room of salt water tanks...sea anemones, baby seahorses, colorful tropical fish, corals...the tanks were fascinating and the docents were friendly and knowledgeable. What a wonderful experience! I am so glad I visited!

I'd read the reviews and was concerned that I wouldn't get my money's worth out of the visit. But I felt as if I'd died & gone to heaven The Butterfly House was so nice. After the reviews, I didn't expect to see so many butterflies, or to have such knowledgeable volunteers to talk butterflies with.The Butterfly House IS NOT the size of a big box store. It is small enough that you could walk around it once in 15 seconds, if you have your head down and aren't really "into" butterflies. But I am into butterflies and loved it. The volunteers were friendly and made sure we didn't accidentally take any butterflies out on our clothing. This place is a little jewel. It was the highlight of my day! I posted a few of the pictures I took there on my Facebook Profile - camilleronay

Thank you for visiting the Sertoma Butterfly House & Marine Cove, Kristina. We are sorry to hear you were disappointed with your visit. We are a small, nonprofit organization that operates entirely on admissions, gift shop sales, and donations (the only attraction in Sioux Falls that does not receive funding from the city or state). Our facility displays two touch pools and eleven aquariums, as well as the 60'x60' butterfly house. The Sertoma Butterfly House & Marine Cove is a one-of-a-kind, year round destination for the state of South Dakota. We encourage our visitors to take their time to explore the incredible details of our exhibits, interact with the animals, and be inspired by nature's beauty.

My 2 year old son LOVES the butterfly house! From the Stingrays and Sharks to the Fish displays, and finally the Butterflies ... A hit all the way around! I wouldn't bother bringing in the Stroller they aren't allowed in the butterfly portion and there isn't really room for them in the rest of the exhibits either. Besides your kiddos will be to busy to sit down anyway! Bring your camera :)

A nice place to stop for an hour or two. The Marine Cove was our favorite, where you can touch and enjoy the sea life. The price is a bit steep for what there is to see, but something everyone should do at least once.