Do I like bugs? No. Do I have any interest in touching bugs? Nope. Was this place surprisingly amazing? Yes. Touching a tarantula...a live freakin' tarantula was not on my summer bingo card but the smoke from Canada changed that really quick. With kiddos at home that are just "sooo bored", a quick Google search of indoor activities lead me to a Insectropolis. There's plenty to look at and learn at this little...dare I say, hidden bug gem. Do you know the difference between poisonous and venomous bugs? I do, thanks to Noah, the young man that did a stellar presentation. Did you know that you've likely eaten bugs without knowing it? Mmm lobster rolls. Check it out. You won't be disappointed. read more

Lots of bugs!!! Was a great place to check out the local bug community. Had live bugs to pet and a program to let you know about different kinds of insects millipedes, cockroaches, & tarantula. Very knowledgeable staff to answer your questions. read more

See all

Great place for older kids and adults. For the littles, the only thing to hold their attention is the spider on the ceiling, the live insects and the live show. You must see the live presentation, which is fabulous. Everyone if offered the opportunity to touch the millipede and other insects. Most of the exhibits involve insects in cases. Great little gift shop with moderately priced items. Staff is friendly and helpful. read more

Insectropolis - Touching live insets during show - Children's Museums Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

See all

Highly recommend! My kid has been into bugs for years, so when we moved to NJ, we wanted to find a place that would continue to fuel his curiosity. At first when we pulled in, I was a tad skeptical but once we entered, all my doubts went away. First off, ample free parking. You are greatest by a huge praying mantis which was a treat. The staff were very nice and gave us a lot of info from the start and through the end of our time there. We got to learn A LOT, see a lot of different live and dead insects, and the interactive experience was awesome. We got to spend there close to two hours, and not bad for the cost. We are looking forward to coming again. Highly recommend! read more

See all

Took my granddaughter there, she loved it. The exhibits are well done, better than I expected. I recommend it to anyone for a youngster to be entertained. read more

I loved this place! I went months ago, but I still think about it from time to time. As a bug lover, it was such a gift to be able to see so many different kinds of bugs in one place. Especially the millipedes! read more

See all

First time here. Small but spotless museum with a ton of information ... and bugs! Loved it, especially all of the spiders, including the live presentation. Very informative and well done. read more

See all

Insectropolis was well worth the drive for the visit. While the entire venue is not big by any means (the exhibits are built around a single loop), the displays, show, and super friendly staff make Insectropolis the perfect place to go on a rainy day (entirely indoors). There are over two dozen terrariums with live insects which was pretty neat, but it was the expertly curated displays that stole the show in our opinion. Upon careful reflection, the size of the venue is big relatively to the millions of insects they have on display; it is not a human world that the insects live in, but rather an insect world that we live in here at Insectropolis, and the venue does a great job at demonstrating that. The displays are magnificent and does a great job at showing the immense variety and variations of insect species found in the world. I have no other words really to explain these displays but to just recommend that you all go see it for yourselves. We arrived just as the show kicked off which was perfect. The show provided great information on insects as well as the presentation of live insects which guests can interact with on a limited basis (mainly petting with two fingers). In a way, the show almost served to lead us into the walking exhibits. While Insectropolis is definitely great for kids, experiences will vary. We have 5 and 2 year old girls that breezed through the entire venue in less than half an hour and was bored. No fault or blame being placed, but it just so happened that their interest was not with the bugs during this time in their lives. read more

Good eats!!! Always a good place for a snack, and great quick service. Been coming for years, never left with an empty stomach

I finally checked this place out. It was a cute place! Unfortunately, we came at the very end of a presentation but we were able to see about 5 minutes of it but what we saw was really interesting. I even got to pet a Tarantula. It was $10 to get in per adult which I think is fair. The downside is this place is small which I knew going in but the downside was most of the bugs are not even alive. They didn't have a wide variety of anything alive just mainly spiders and cockroaches. This museum is probably best for little kids. I wouldn't recommend unless you have very little kids and I won't be back. read more

Insectropolis was super cute and informative. Perfect place for kiddos. We went during the show and tell time, I think that's what it's called, and we got to see and hold different bugs. read more

See all

Very unique place but there were a few things I didn't love. The price for the size is too much, $8 per person (kids, adults and seniors). Walking super super slow it took us less than an hour to walk through. Most of the bugs are dead which is fine but they didn't have any descriptions of where there from or even the names. Also, there was nobody around we could ask questions (we went on a Saturday afternoon). The one thing my kids did love was the live presentation where you can learn about the bugs, ask questions and touch them. Only thing is it was only 15 minutes. I guess from the reviews I had higher expectations. It's not a bad place if you're nearby but I wouldn't drive to far expecting to spend a day here. read more

See all

This is a great small local insect museum which is sure to entertain young and old. I enjoyed a few fun hours with my grandchildren.

I'm always looking for things to do, so we traveled a bit far to visit this place and we loved it. We felt it was a decent size and had so many neat bugs. There was a great presentation were you got to learn about some of the insects, see them up close and even touch them. This is apparently a children's museum, but we were adults without children and still thought it was great! read more

Calling all small and big bug lovers!! What an awesome experience for all. For $10 a person, you get the opportunity to see hundreds of arthropods. Each area is categorized by species or by their unique skills. Presentations are given in which guests get the opportunity to learn more about the arthropod and even touch them. Taylor did a great job during this show time! With a two year old, our experience took about an hour to an hour in a half. I can see this exhibit taking well over two to three hours for those with older children who will take their time to read the facts provided. If I lived closer I would definitely purchase a membership. read more

See all

Love this place! We went our two kids and their Grandparents. It's $8 (kids under 2 are free) and worth the price. It takes about 45 min-an hour to get through the whole museum and then there is a super knowledgeable young man who does a presentation and brings around a millipede, tarantula, scorpion, and a hissing cockroach for anyone who wants to touch them! Even my daughter (who hates bugs) really enjoyed the museum and even touched a couple bugs! It is very interactive, educational, and fun. The place is not big or fancy but it is well run and creatively designed with giant spider webs above your head and even a real live bee colony. It was a great little museum and the gift shop has some very reasonably priced items for your kids to take home. read more

Insectropolis - Apparently scorpions show up in UV light it was pretty cool! - Children's Museums Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

See all

Lame. Most insects aren't even alive. For $10 this place is such a ripoff. Lots of butterflies and beetles, and more butterflies and beetles... it's definitely not worth $10! read more

So much fun, but also very informative. brought a large group of 5 year old boys and they absolutely loved it. So many amazing exhibits and cool stuff to look at and do. Would totally recommend it for all ages. read more

Really great place to check out with kids. Preschool and primary ages would probably get the most out of the displays and interactive displays. Live displays are mostly tarantulas and cockroaches but there are also millipedes and a few water beetles. They also have living colonies of termites and ants. The highlight for my 1 yr old son was the working bee hive which has its own room. Three times a day they have a showcase, where one of the staff conducts a short show and touch talk where you can see living creatures (cockroach, tarantula, millipede and scorpion) up close and personal (even able to touch if your brave enough). It's a good, inexpensive trip for most kids and if you have a little scientist who has a bit of patience to study and can take the time to appreciate all of the pinned displays then repeat trips are well worth it. read more

Had alot of fun seeing all the many kinds of bugs. There was also pet and learn session about four bugs an attendant brought out for us to see. read more

See all

With it getting chillier out, we have been looking for things to do inside with our almost 3 year old. Being that he loves spiders and bugs, we figured we would make the hour drive to check this place out. It's easy to find and it is $8 for admission although since our son isn't yet 3, they didn't charge us for him (it's free 2 and under). They have numerous exhibits that basically run the entire perimeter of the large building. Beetles, tarantulas, butterflies, ants, walking sticks, and bees were among the attractions. While many are on display preserved, there were many live ones as well. We went through the entire place twice in 40 minutes. Again, our son is a couple months shy of 3 and his attention span isn't exactly "long,," especially with so many exhibits. He was racing through pretty fast to see everything hence we took him through a second time as well. He seemed to really enjoy it as did my fiancé and I. It was neat to see the insects up close and personal. They have a small gift shop and it wasn't crowded when we went right when they opened (10am). read more

Insectropolis - Children's Museums Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

See all

We were visiting family in the area and looking for an outing for the kids when we stumbled upon this little gem. We visit a lot of science museums and nature centers and this is one of the best I've seen - the displays are very well-done: informative, creative, fascinating. I was really impressed with the high quality of the art work throughout the museum. They have insects (and other "bugs") from all over the world - enormous spiders, brilliant butterflies and beetles. Very nice. The touch presentation was interesting. It's not a large place - we were done in about an hour. My 6 year old definitely got more out of it than my 2 year old, but the little one did enjoy being a termite crawling through mud tubes. If I were to make a suggestion, it would be to have more displays like the termite tubes - something very hands-on that even the littlest kids can enjoy (eg. push a big button and hear an insect noise, or a big spider's web to play on). read more

Super cute and fun for a quick adventure! My kids loved it, we were there for about an hour including the presentation. Well laid out, knowledgeable staff and very clean . read more

This is really cool and different place if you're looking for something new and interesting to do with kids.

The admission cost was not bad ($7), however, this place was more for someone who is into bugs... Not me - I was pretty grossed out. It was interesting though. read more

Speaking for my 8yo who took a class trip here, he STILL raves about it and wants to go back! He said it was an amazing time, got to touch the animals, walk near stingrays and saw many cool animals! read more

Surprisingly nice. Friendly and knowledgable staff. Exhibits are well done. It's a great place for toddlers and children that is local in Toms River. read more

Good place to go and learn about insects. The only thing I have to say is the hours are not that good,

We've been here a few times over the last year. (Probably about 3). It's extremely inexpensive to get in (I think like $8 or something), and it's a good way to spend an afternoon. Staff is friendly and knowledgable, the bugs and fish all seem to be well taken care of, no complaints. read more

I am always looking for the fun place to take my kids on the cold winter day so I came across this place. What a great collection of bugs and butterflies! I have never seen that many different kinds of bugs. Some of them are so pretty you would think they are painted. It's amazing that nature had created. This place is not too big - about an hour for the whole display. They have a live presentation during which you can pet/touch the bugs - scorpion, tarantula. Most suitable for the kids 4 and up. read more

As others have said, it's a small place. But if you (or better yet, your kids) like BUGS, this place is great! My kids loved the ant colony and beehive. Being in this area, there are several place nearby to eat before or after visiting. Which, with kids, is a very good thing. The staff are friendly and the admission price isn't too steep. We visit when we come to NJ to visit friends in the Toms River area, so we stop by annually. read more

Unbelievable displays. My family LOVED it. We are all bug lovers and this satisfied all of us. Including the gift shop where i not only bought bugs but I ate them :-) LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT read more