The Chattahoochee Nature Center is a refreshing step off the beaten path. During a visit, your family will learn about plants, insects and animals inside the Discovery Center. They can also explore and see nature up close by venturing on center grounds. A great time to visit is during the annual Flying Colors Butterfly Festival. It’s a weekend full of educational and entertaining family fun.
Chattahoochee Nature Center
9135 Willeo Rd.
Roswell, GA 30075
Education and Entertainment at the Flying Colors Butterfly Festival
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When I read that the festival was approaching, I grabbed a book off of my 4 year old daughter’s shelf on how butterflies develop. After seeing pictures of a caterpillar and all the things it went through to morph into a beautiful winged creature, my daughter was eager to attend the festival. An opportunity to see butterflies up close and the fact that she would be able to get her face painted were the main selling points. To fan the flames of her excitement, the week prior to the festival, I printed out coloring pages of butterflies for her to paint and adorn.
Finally, it was Saturday and the time had come for our butterfly adventure to begin. When my husband, my daughter and I arrived at the festival, the main parking lot was already full. However, there was overflow parking near by and complimentary shuttles (aka yellow school buses). As soon as we arrived at the Chattahoochee Nature Center and exited the bus, helpful staff directed us to the Discovery Center where we *paid for admission and received a small pink map detailing the festival’s activities.
Butterfly Release
We arrived just in time for the Butterfly Release – my favorite part of the outing. The gentleman in charge educated the audience on the types of creatures we would see. Among the 200 plus butterflies released were Zebra Long Wings and Painted Ladies both beautiful in their own right with distinct markings. He mentioned that butterflies in GA are known to be somewhat small and advised that if they landed on us we should get them to a flower right away so they could eat. The day we attended the festival the skies were a bit overcast. It was said that butterflies don’t like to come out on a rainy day. The butterfly keeper alluded to the fact that because the butterflies are so small a rain drop could potentially kill them. He went on to say that they prefer sunny days… (sounds like most people I know).
Butterfly Sidewalk Art
After the butterfly release, there was musical entertainment at the pavilion. We headed over to the pavement area where sidewalk chalk beckoned kids of all shapes and sizes. My daughter quickly wrote her name on the pavement in the artistic way that only a 4 year old could do. It was neat to see all of the colorful drawings from budding young artists.
After our brief art excursion we explored the grounds of the nature center and marveled at the various caged birds we encountered such as bald eagles, hawks and vultures.
Food for the Family
We followed a trail up to the grassy picnic area where there was food from Barberitos and Bruster’s available for purchase along with Kettle corn (yum) and cool, refreshing drinks. There was also a table full of plants for sale in case you wanted to attract nature’s beauties to your own back yard with a personal butterfly garden. A bubble blowing machine kept my daughter entertained as my husband succumbed to the buttery sweet smell of the kettle corn and purchased a bag we could all share. We watched our daughter meander over to a large kite-like butterfly tent where other kids seemed to be enjoying themselves. Some families brought their own blankets and grabbed a spot on the grass, basking in the sun while they ate.
Butterfly Crafts and Face Painting
Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore of the Georgia heat, my daughter was ready for her next butterfly adventure – face painting and crafts. To my delight, both of these activities were inside a well air-conditioned hall. We munched on our kettle corn as we waited in line. There were several face painting stations which kept the line moving smoothly.
My daughter did not waiver in deciding what she wanted on her cheek – a butterfly of course. In addition, a lady bug was painted on the opposite cheek and she couldn’t have been more delighted.
After the face painting, we made our rounds to the craft tables. I was impressed by all of the activities available. We gave each of the following crafts a try:
Flower Straws – Pre-cut paper flowers were available for kids to color and decorate with glistening shapes. A straw was added to resemble the stem of the flower.
Butterfly Antennae (my personal favorite) – A cute headband of construction paper, colored pipe cleaners and cotton balls resembled the antennae of the most honored guest.
Bead Bracelets – Beads of various shapes and sizes accompanied by the string necessary to hold them together were there for kids to create their own jewelry. My daughter made a bracelet full of heart beads and my husband joined in on the fun as my daughter insisted that he wear a bracelet too! He was able to convince her that the heart shapes were not his “thing”. Reluctantly, she agreed to help him create a more traditional look with black, yellow, white and green beads.
There were also butterfly and caterpillar bracelets you could make out of colored pipe cleaners. All of the crafts were simple and easy to assemble and there were several people at each station ready and willing to assist in the creation of butterfly goods.
Butterfly Costume Parade
Throughout the day we saw young and old alike dressed in bumble bee, butterfly, dragonfly and some indistinguishable costumes. They were all awaiting the finality of the festival which took place on both Saturday and Sunday – the Butterfly Costume Parade. Unfortunately, it began to rain lightly when the parade was about to take place. Since we were unprepared with no umbrella in our possession we decided to take the shuttle back to our car. Next time we go, we will definitely build in time to watch the parade (rain or shine) and I may even splurge on some butterfly wings so that my daughter and I can participate!
* I received two free tickets to the festival in exchange for a review. We paid for the third ticket. My review reflects the experience my family had and would be the same whether or not we had to pay the full amount.
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