Insectarium

Insectarium Review

In Northeastern Philly, a neighborhood not known for its tourist attractions, is a bug lover's heaven. Revel in this ugly-yet-beautiful collection of thousands of creepy crawlers—tarantulas, giant centipedes, assassin bugs, and metallic beetles that look like pieces of gold jewelry. Started by an exterminator, the museum is home to more than 50 live species and mounted insects from around the world. The 5,000-square-foot space has one of the largest butterfly and moth collections in North America, a working beehive, a tank filled with glow-in-the-dark scorpions, and a kitchen teeming with live cockroaches. It's definitely a place for screaming kids, but it's hard not to enjoy at any age. It's easier to drive here than to take public transportation. By public transit, take the Market-Frankford subway to the end (Bridge Street); transfer to SEPTA Bus 66 to Welsh Road.