The Butterfly Pavilion is a non-profit zoological attraction dedicated to invertebrates, and it is far more interesting than that description suggests. The centrepiece is a tropical conservatory housing over 1,200 free-flying butterflies from around the world. You walk through a warm, humid jungle environment as blue morphos and swallowtails settle on your arms and camera lens — the effect is genuinely enchanting for adults as well as children.
Beyond butterflies, the facility includes a coral reef touch tank, a giant Pacific octopus exhibit, and a live insect collection featuring tarantulas, scorpions, stick insects, and giant hissing cockroaches. The tarantula-holding station is a highlight: handlers place Rosie, a gentle Chilean rose-haired tarantula, on willing visitors' hands. This is, by some margin, the best attraction in Westminster and well worth a detour for families or anyone curious about the natural world.