Audubon Insectarium

The largest free-standing museum in the United States dedicated entirely to insects opened on Canal Street on June 13, 2008, occupying 23,000 square feet on the first floor of the U.S. Custom House Federal Building. More than 50 live exhibits and multimedia elements earned the Audubon Insectarium a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Science Center in 2009. The Formosan termite exhibit carried local weight — the species costs Louisiana an estimated $1 billion a year in damage. A working kitchen served insect-based dishes to visitors, including chocolate chirp cookies, making the museum's subject matter edible as well as observable. In September 2020, the Audubon Nature Institute announced the temporary closure of the Insectarium owing to revenue shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum reopened on June 8, 2023, relocated to the site of the Audubon Aquarium. Combination tickets are available with the Aquarium and Zoo, all part of the Audubon Nature Institute family of attractions.