The Monteverde Butterfly Garden has been running for over thirty years and is more serious than it sounds. Four screened enclosures replicate different Costa Rican habitats, and the entry fee includes a guided tour that walks you through butterfly metamorphosis with live caterpillars, chrysalises and emerging adults.
There is also an insect collection with tarantulas, beetles, and the famous leafcutter ant colony, kept in a cross-sectioned glass tank that lets you watch the workers haul cut leaves home. It is a particularly good stop with kids, and a useful introduction to the area's invertebrate life before walking in the reserves.