I'm on a business trip in Scottsdale, Arizona and promised my twins I'd stop by the city's new Butterfly Wonderland complex. At 10,000 square feet, it's the largest indoor rainforest in the US, home to Silver Spotted Flambeaus, Peacocks Pansys, Tailed Jays (pictured), and hundreds more. I'm no science-buff (and this would not have been at the top of my to-do list), but once you promise your kids something, there's really no going back. So my mommy-guilt made me go—and I'm glad. I only wish I had the kids with me. The place is incredible (even if insects aren't your thing), with a 3D theater, a live ant colony, an aquatic center with Motoro stingrays you can touch, and my favorite part, a gallery where you can witness the metamorphosis of a Blue Morpho Butterfly. If you're headed to the Southwest with the family, it's definitely worth checking out.
Clara Sedlak is a mother of two and Special Projects Editor at Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter at @csedlak1.
