Located in North Aston, about half an hour outside of Sheffield, the Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre is one of those gems you rarely hear about. Or at least, I (as someone who used to live in Sheffield) had never heard of it until last year.

The Butterfly House has lots to see both indoors and out. Inside a tropical area is full of butterflies, exotic birds and leafcutter ants and reminds me of many a place I went as a kid. Hot and humid, this part is also home to beautiful flowers, reptiles and some creepy crawlies (I skipped the spidery part…). There is a lot more than just butterflies here though and outdoors we found all sorts, in fact I was impressed by how many different animals there are. I also liked how, when approaching an enclosure, you could never be quite sure what you would find as some rather unlikely animals were coupled up: meerkats and porcupines dwell together and a skunk, an angora rabbit, a prairie dog and some mara lodge side-by-side.

As a lot of the areas are outside it was lovely to be there on a mild sunny afternoon. At £8.95 for adult entry, I was pleased that there was so much to see; we spent an entire afternoon wandering around and, as you can see, taking a lot of snaps. I would imagine it’s a perfect family place – but to be honest it’s ideal for anyone who loves animals as I think my boyfriend and I enjoyed it just as much. This is of course a perfect excuse to share some animal photos – today I’m sharing some of the ones I spotted outside and tomorrow I’ll give you a peek from the inside.

Did I mention there are a lot of owls there…?

Have you ever visited the Butterfly House? Find out more here.