Krohn Conservatory

The Krohn Conservatory is located in Eden Park - which, by itself, is a beautiful park. When we lived in Clifton I would do my long runs from the house we were renting to Eden Park and run a few loops around the park before heading back home. There are a few dirt trails but they're not very long or really worth going to by themselves (if you're already at the park for other reasons you should visit them). It's just a very well laid out area with great views of the Ohio River. There is a play area for kids with a nearby duck pond. The Cincinnati Art Museum is also located at the park (more on that in another post).

November 2017

When we first moved here and we were asking locals about places to take our then two year old son, one place (or rather event) that was frequently mentioned was the Butterfly Exhibit put on by the Krohn Conservatory every spring. But since our son was so young, we didn't feel it was worth our time or money to take him just yet.

In 2017, I did hear about a holiday train display called Choo Choo Cincinnati (here's a write-up from Cincinnati Parent that is much better than I could ever do). The promise of trains (plus discounted tickets) was enough to get us there for the first time. As expected, Hulk loved it. There were trains and he was happy. I don't think he noticed any of the flowers despite me constantly pointing them out. 

I have never been to any other conservatory, so I have nothing to compare Krohn to. It's humid, it's hot (much like Cincinnati in the summer), there are lots of flowers and foliage. There's a fake waterfall that you can walk behind in one room. To me, it seems small. I don't really know what I am expecting when I go or why I feel that way but it's really only the three rooms with plants. I guess anything smaller than a football field is going to make me feel disappointed? #FirstWorldProblem #GoBigOrGoHome #SuperSizeIt

May 2019

This last spring we finally decided to go (since he's now old enough that we have to pay for him, we obviously thought that through). As promised, there were a lot of butterflies. I knew this was a big event for Cincinnati so I did plan ahead. We went the very first day and we got there a half hour early. There is not a lot of parking for the conservatory and I did not know how they handled tickets (which you can't buy online). I figured they would only let a certain number of people in at a time so in my mind we would buy our tickets and then walk around the park until we could go in. BUT, do to my awesome planning skilz we were one of the first people there. You don't pre-buy tickets and then hang out. You stand in a line to get the tickets (there was ALREADY a line even though we were there so early). And yes, I know that I said we were one of the first people there - that was said in comparison to how many people showed up after us. A LOT. 

Anyways, for the Butterfly Exhibit you don't use the main doors - there's a door on the side of the greenhouse on the side of the building. The line starts there. And you wait. Once inside, you wait in a line that snakes through the building to the room that the butterflies are kept in. There was a bonsai tree display and a side room with craft activities for the kids while we waited. So they did try to keep us entertained but it still felt like a lot of waiting for how early we got there. 

The butterflies were beautiful. The ones they had this year were from Ecuador. They have these scented cards (the orange card that Hulk is holding in the pictures) that they give you. The idea is that the butterflies will be drawn to the scent of the card and land on it. This did not happen for us. JC found a butterfly near a window and scooped it onto the card for Hulk to hold. 

Butterflies near the pond

Some of the other kids were really aggressive. One kid kept trying to take Hulk's card from him because it had a butterfly on it. Otherwise, it was a nice experience that Hulk enjoyed. Little Viking Girl seemed terrified of the butterflies (which is hilarious because nothing else scares her). I think she was just tired and overwhelmed by all the people around her. Both of my kids don't like crowds. I think they get it from their parents.

There's no time limit on how long you can stay in the butterfly room. At one point I got tired of standing there holding Little Viking Girl  and watching my Hulk look at butterflies. So I sat down. I somehow managed to choose a bench with a reporter from Channel 5 news and was subsequently interviewed by the local Channel 5 new station. #CincinnatiFamous

After the butterfly room we checked out the room with the waterfall. It's a long, horseshoe shaped room that has a water feature down the center and plants along the sides of the room. Hulk enjoyed looking at the koi fish and Little Viking Girl like the hanging plants. Overall, it was a fun family outing. I still don't think my kids really appreciate plants but they (or at least Hulk) seemed to enjoy the butterflies. The ticket price isn't too expensive however I highly recommend getting there early on whatever day you plan to go. And plan to wait in line. If you can, bring a second adult to help you manage kids while you wait in line. I hate waiting in lines.