Frequently Asked Questions
We're sure everyone has a ton of stellar questions, and we would love to hear them! Below, we answer our most commonly asked questions.
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Of course! Our friendly and knowledgeable owner Nina Salem is available by phone or text (312-961-7219) calls are her prefered method of communication. We also have a dedicated team to help us respond via email and social media messages. Response time can vary, but will try our best to respond in a timely manner and help in any way we can. If you have a time sensitive question please try calling us first as its the best way to get you the service you need.
We represent a lot of small independent artists therefore all sales are final and all items are sold in As Is condition. If there is a defect in your item we can try to help fix it or work something out within 10 days of purchase as long as it was not caused by user error but please keep in mind that we are under no obligation to, we like to be kind and make sure both are customers and artists are supported. Unfortunately, we cannot pay for return shipping or any major repairs as we are a self funded orginization.
Our museum is hands on and touch friendly for the most part. Anything with a green dot is able to be picked up and held, or can be felt for texture. Anything without a green dot can be touched gently (1 to 2 finger touches) . We take pride in having interactive exhibits and tactile displays that allow for a hands-on learning experience. However, for the preservation of our insect specimens, we ask visitors not to touch them as they are very fragile.
We understand that plans can change, and we strive to accommodate our guests' needs to the best of our ability. As a small organization deeply committed to providing enriching educational experiences to our community, we invest considerable time and resources in preparing for our events. Many of these preparations involve organic materials that are time-sensitive and require meticulous planning.
Once you purchase a ticket, our team begins the intricate process of preparing materials tailored to your experience. Given the nature of our work, rescheduling certain activities can be challenging. Therefore, we have implemented a no-refund policy to ensure the continuity and quality of our educational offerings.
However, please know that we are always eager to make accommodations whenever possible. Your satisfaction and enjoyment are paramount to us, and we will do our utmost to address any unforeseen circumstances or special requests that may arise during your visit. Thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to strive for excellence.
Thank you so much for thinking of us, We accept donations in various forms! Whether it is needed materials or monetary, we are grateful for any contribution that allows us to continue creating art and educating our community! If you would like to make a monetary donate, you can do so by clicking on our button below.
If you would like to donate materials, specimen, display items, live animals, or items for our foster animals please contact us via email at theinsectasylum@gmail.com to reach our team to schedule a drop off or just come by durring our operational hours.
Our main level of the museum is fully accessible to wheelchair users and individuals with mobility impairments. Unfortunately the upper and lower classroom spaces do require a set of stairs to enter. We are committed to ensuring that everyone can enjoy and learn from our exhibits comfortably so if you or a loved one needs additional support with the stairs, having animals brought down or a class moved to our lower level, we will always try to accommodate. For classes, please let us know in advance (at least 24 hours) so we can prep the back area to fit the needs of the project.
Yes, if requested in advance or on a day we are not focused on other necessary tasks, we offer guided tours led by knowledgeable staff members who provide in-depth insights into the exhibits, sharing fascinating facts about the animals and their natural habitats. We are a small team but we try hard to give every guest a fantastic experience. We always appreciate tips or donations to the museum for these dedicated tour experiences.
Our admission prices vary depending on age and any ongoing promotions. On a typical day, our pricing is as follows.
Adults: $25
Senior Citizens (ages 65+): $18
Students (with ID): $18
Educators (with ID): $18
Children ages 2–13: $15
Children ages 1 and under: FREE
We offer a $5 discount for people on disability, SNAP or WIC, and group bookings of 12 or more individuals, and a $2 discount for library card and CityKey pass holder discount off the cost of admission on standard days.
We host Community Days biweekly where general admission tickets are $10 and $5 for seniors, students, educators and kids. To get tickets to community day please visit our events page.
Photography for personal use is permitted in the museum. However, we ask visitors to tag us in social media and credit us in any publications or prints. If possible, we request that there be no flash photography as it can be harmful or startling to our staff, live animals and other guests that might have sensory sensitivities. If flash photography is nessisary or you would like to use special lighting please reach out about booking the space for a photoshoot. We love colaberationg with other artist to bring really dynamic sets and props to shoots.
We’ll ship your package anywhere that can accept deliveries as long as it is legal to do so, and you pay the delivery fee, taxes, licences if nessisary and trip insurance. Since we work alot with organic materials importing and exporting items from USA can be challanging because we repect and honor all laws. Inside the USA tricky states are GA, LA, CA They all have very strict laws regarding sales of animals and we respect them.
As long as your purchase is within the confinds of the law we are happy to accomidate shipping!
Our museum focuses on Eco-Sustainability and preservation with a deep emphasis on conservation. With this in mind, we are very particular about our specimine and where they come from. Most of our specimens are vintage from other collectors and entomologists. They have all been ethically sourced* based on what we feel is honest and true to our vision of our mission.
*Ethical sourcing is a hot topic in the community because it means different things to different people. The majority of our collection died of natural causes, failure to thrive situations, or unfortunate experiences like road accidents. All of our larger game animals are vintage with a majority of them coming from zoos. The very few specimine in the museum that were hunted were done so under strict regulations. An we have been assured from reliable sellers that the animal that was hunted (not by us and in most cases before we were born). Was specifically harvested to feed a community and any the remaining pieces of the specimen were utilized in a respectful way to create education and artistic materials. All of our insects lived full lives and died of natural causes.
Yes, we regularly host special events, workshops, and educational programs covering various topics related to taxidermy, entomology, art, music, and wildlife conservation. Please check our events page for all upcoming events and schedules. We tend to schedule our events one month in advance as we have a small team and have to work around our outside bookings schedule.
Planning a visit to our museum is simple! You can either walk in during our operating hours or schedule a visit in advance by contacting us via phone or email. Our friendly staff are always happy to assist you in planning your trip.
Our hours of operation are:
Wednesday: 3pm - 8pm
Thursday- Sunday: 11am - 8pm