By Katie M. (Triad Smarty Pants) and Jenny D:
With summer just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to share some Smarty destinations that are close enough for day-tripping. So look for these must-do adventures throughout the summer. This week’s Smarty Day trip was featured on Triad Smarty Pants by Katie M.
Voted best field trip of the year by many local schools and churches, this trip will encourage you to spread your wings of imagination! All-A-Flutter Butterfly Farm is located in High Point, NC, and it opens for the season on April 17. I went with my daughter and our playgroup a few years ago, and to this day she still talks about her experience.
The tour lasts approximately 40-45 minutes, which includes a 20 minute presentation on the lifespan of the Monarch butterfly (from egg to caterpillar to butterfly) along with a tour of the 20’ x 48’ flight house filled with live Monarch butterflies busy feeding, breeding and laying eggs. The children are able to observe butterflies up close and are encouraged to feed the butterflies by hand! Monarchs are very friendly – so be sure to wear bright clothing to encourage them to land on your shoulder!
After your tour, you won’t want to leave the scenic countryside that surrounds this farm, so pack a lunch! Picnic tables are available along with plenty of room to spread out a blanket for an old-fashioned picnic. A misting tent is also available for the warmer summer months.
Below are some more Smarty Tips I found on their web site:
The farm suggests that you teach your children the importance of composting before your visit, and any compost-able materials from their lunch sacks should be deposited in our compost garden. Any fruit or vegetable peels and cores will be the items they will most likely have.
If your group is over 30 people, the farm will have to stagger the visits into the flight house. They suggest breaking groups into classes – giving each class at least 15 minutes in the flight house. Some groups stagger eating times for each class, which seems to work well.
The farm does not have a gift shop, but they do sell life cycle kits for $10 each (includes the habitat, a monarch caterpillar, and a milkweed plant to grow the caterpillar into a full grown butterfly.) The kit comes with complete instructions. If any children wish to purchase the kits, they will need to know the number a day in advance of your visit.
If on the day of your scheduled visit, it is raining at 8 a.m., please call the farm to reschedule your tour. The flight house is not covered, and the experience in the wet rain is not as fun for the children.
Port-a-potties, hand sanitizers and are also available, and the flight house is handicap-accessible.
Adults are $6 each, children are $5 each. The farm requests a two-week advance notice for large group tours. The season began in April and lasts through October 15. Teachers and bus drivers are free. If you pay with cash, please have exact change on hand, as most of their business is done with checks. If you need a receipt, they will take your information and email or mail your receipt at the end of the day.
The farm also offers birthday party packages, and family days near the end of the season. More information, including directions, can be found on the farm’s web site at http://www.all-a-flutter.com/ or call (336) 454-5651.
Thanks Katie for this Smarty Day Trip information. All-A-Flutter is roughly an hour and half from downtown Charlotte (see directions below). If you go – or have been – please tell us about it! And as always, be sure to tell them Charlotte Smarty Pants sent you!
Directions from Charlotte
77 North toward Statesville 3.0 miles
Merge onto I-85 towards Greensboro 48.9 miles
Merge on US 52 via Exit 87 towards Lexington/Winston-Salem 23.1 miles
Merge onto I-40 via Exit 107A towards Greensboro/High Point 13.8 miles
Take the Sandy Ridge Rd exit, EXIT 208 .4 miles
Turn Right onto Sandy Ridge Road 1.2 miles
Turn Left onto Clinard Farms Road 1.8 miles
End at 7850 Clinard Farms Rd High Point, NC
Estimated Time: 1 hour 35 minutes Estimated Distance: 93.28 miles
1 comment
Sounds like fun! I did not realize High Point was so close. Thanks for the idea.