UK CAFE Insectarium

S-202 Agricultural Science Center NorthUniversity of Kentucky Department of EntomologyLexington, KY 40546-0091

2019 Charles Barnhart Fund for Excellence Recipient

The UK CAFE Insectarium features a variety of live arthropods from Kentucky and around the world, including spiders, scorpions, and insects. The USDA-inspected facility was made possible by the 2019 Charles Barnhart Fund for Excellence. We currently hold 12 species.

Tours

Tours last about 1 hour and can accommodate about 10 people at once. Visitors will have the opportunity to hold or pet a few of the live specimens, if they elect to do so.

Booking

The Insectarium is open weekdays by invitation only. Contact Blake Newton at blaken@uky.edu to arrange a tour. We suggest a $20 donation per tour group, payable by check to "Kentucky 4-H Foundation."

Multiple Groups

Our insectarium is very small, and can only hold about 10 people at once. If you have more than 10 people, we will need to split into multiple tours. The rest of your group may wish to walk around campus while waiting for tours to cycle. We may also be able to arrange other things for you to do depending on the interests and age-level of your group, such as a tour of the College of Agriculture.

Arriving

When you book a tour, we will work with you to plan your arrival. Typically, groups are dropped off at our building and then picked up at the conclusion of the tour or tours. Parking on UK's campus can be a challenge, but may be practical for certain groups and can be arranged in advance for a fee through UK Parking Services. 

Other Insectariums

There are other amazing insectariums to visit around the region.

• Idlewild Butterfly FarmOffers tours of their USDA-inspected insectarium during certain times of the year. They also have a outdoor butterfly house stocked with live butterflies in the summer and spiders in the fall! 1100 Logan St, Louisville, KY 40204(502) 384-8953https://www.idlewildbutterflyfarm.com/ 
• World of the Insect - Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical GardensThe Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical gardens is the home of World of the Insect, one of the largest (and one of the first) insectariums in the United States. Admissoin to World of the Insect is included with regular admission to the zoo.3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45220(513) 281-4700https://cincinnatizoo.org/plan-your-visit/exhibits/world-of-the-insect/