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In addition to beaches, Aruba is filled with farms and sanctuaries…donkeys, ostriches, birds and butterflies!
During our stay we had already visited the donkeys and the ostriches so naturally, butterflies were next on our list .
First, however, there were a few places we wanted to see.
The capital of Aruba, Oranjestad is named after “Huis van Oranje’ (Orange House), the name of the Dutch Royal Family in 1824 during the Dutch colonization. This downtown area is filled with plenty of traditional Dutch multicolored buildings, museums, restaurants and shops scattered through Main Street, the Royal Plaza Mall and Renaissance Marketplace.
Finding a parking space in the downtown area is a challenge, but after a little back and forth, we finally secured a spot. Parking near the National Archaeological Museum of Aruba put us near many of these architectural gems as well as the Wharfside Flea Market, where we perused the stalls looking for Aruban souvenirs and treasures.
A quick six minute walk brought us to the I Love Aruba Sign on Lloyd G. Smith Boulevard the perfect place for souvenir pics! While this particular sign is convenient for cruise ship passengers…Promenade Cruise Port is located adjacently…there are a few other signs located throughout the island (Parliament House, Senor Frog’s, Hadicurari Beach) if you don’t happen to visit downtown Oranjestad.
Jumping back in our car, we headed back toward Palm Beach and made a quick stop at The Old Mill. Known as De Oude Molen, it was built back in 1804 in the Netherlands, meticulously taken apart, shipped to and reconstructed in Aruba in 1960. Planned as a tourist attraction, a new base was constructed and a restaurant ensconced within. Today, The Old Mill is still a top tourist attraction as well as a museum, resort and a top dining option. While we found the museum and restaurant closed due to the early hour, we were able to peek inside at the dining facility which is decorated with furniture and paintings dating between 880 and 1800.
Finally, we headed (almost next door) to the Butterfly Farm. Opened in 1999, it was preceded by the first Butterfly Farm, located in Saint Martin and established in 1994. Located on the French side of the island, it was designed and built by two eccentric Englishmen, William Slayter and John Coward.
Discovering success on Saint Martin, five years later, Slayter decided to open another farm in Aruba. While the farm in Aruba has thrived, sadly, the farm in Saint Martin was destroyed by the category five hurricane, Irma in September 2017.
After purchasing our admission, we were able to join a tour that was about to begin. Here, we found ourselves in a net-enclosed miniature rain forest filled with beautiful flowers, plants and trees…the perfect home for butterflies!
From our guide, we learned about the evolutionary cycle from microscopic eggs, to to caterpillars, to pupae. We were also instructed on how to handle the butterflies and caterpillars and those with brightly colored clothing and citrus scented perfumes were lucky enough to attract these beautiful creatures!
Once our tour was complete, we were welcomed to stay as long as we wanted. While it was warm and humid inside (the perfect environment), we walked around for quite some time, enjoying the beauty of these beautiful winged creatures as they flitted around from leaf to leaf and branch to branch and dined on sugar water and fruit.
While I would have loved to continue our theme of “farms and sanctuaries” and checked out the Bubali Bird Sanctuary, this was our last full day in Aruba that was not going to be strictly a beach day. The next day was to be spent in the sun with our feet in the sand and toes in the water! While birds would be flying overhead, this would be as close as we would come to Aruba’s flying friends!
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I Love Aruba Sign
- Address: Lloyd G. Smith Boulevard 19, Oranjestad, Aruba
- Hours: 24 hours, daily
- Admission: free
The Old Mill
- https://www.aruba.com/us/stay-at/the-mill-resort-and-suites-aruba
- Address: J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 330, Palm Beach, Aruba, Aruba
- Hours: 1700-2300, daily
- Admission: varies
The Butterfly Farm Aruba
- https://www.thebutterflyfarm.com/
- Address: J. Irausquin Boulevard Z/N, Orangestad, Aruba
- Hours: 0830-1630, daily
- Admission: Adults, $16.00, Children ages 4-17, $8.50, Children under 4, free, Seniors, $13.00