Walking through the World Of Wings is bound to delight and excite your little ones, and, most likely you too. There is so much to do and see there, don’t be surprised if you find yourself turning to the stranger standing next to you and saying “Can you believe this place is in TEANECK?!

It’s happened to us more than once at this unique and delightful museum and playspace.

Driving up to the facility, at 1775 Windsor Road, you get an idea that you are in for a treat. A tremendous rainbow and steel butterfly welcomes you to what would initially believe is a butterfly exhibit. But this place is so much more.

Upon entry, you are greeted by a bright, clean and beautifully decorated animal and reptile exhibit. Tiny turtles play on displays adorned with blown glass accents and rhinestone covered tank decorations. Snakes, big and small, Frogs, toads, iguanas and any variety of amphibian you can imagine lounge around in their well-appointed cages and tanks, posing for pictures and eating their lettuce and strawberry salad.

As you work your way to the back, displays of giant beetles and dragonflies have been preserved behind glass. The insects are oddly, but beautifully, hand-embellished with Swarovski crystals. Enter the butterfly sanctuary, a mini- paradise, with exotic greenery, birds and butterflies flying all around you. With a high glass roof it is like a little spot of paradise in North Jersey.

That’s where the ‘wings’ part of the World Of Wings basically ends.  The rest of this uniquely designed play space is filled with dozens of other attractions to keep your little ones busy for hours. Four inflatable bounce houses fill one room, offering half-hour shifts for your little ones to bounce and slide. Nearby are interactive arcade games you actually ride on for a 3-D experience. While much of the decor seems to be seemingly hand-crafted with care, technology abounds at WOW. There are exhibits that allow you to take pictures against interesting digital backdrops and allow you to manipulate, email or tweet the pics directly from the WALL, books that read themselves exhibits that look like the fell out of a movie about the future.

As you work your way towards the back, the building’s round shape transforms to hold an assortment or private party spaces, each themed to match your child’s personality. In addition to those, there is a  bubble-making exhibit, kiddie cooking classes, and a black and white optical illusion room that might make Willy Wonka’s head spin.

For young crafters there is a beading workshop where kids make their own jewelry and there’s a gift shop filled with the most spectacular Sanrio collection this side of the Atlantic.

And that’s just the first floor.

As you wind your way up the spiral staircase, you’ll find the food. Kosher lunch options are provided on Sunday as well as for Birthday parties. Call for more information. Additional  interactive exhibits, including race cars, an interactive walk-through video game and a dress-up/manicure salon  lead the way to the tremendous back playspace—complete with ball pit, sandbox, ride-on’s and a kids library,  perfect for hours of play for kids up to 5 years old.

The building used to be the private offices of perfume giant Givaudan and you can see how the office spaces have been cleverly redesigned into themed play spaces. The pretty pink princess room;  the cars-themed boys space, the sandbox was installed right in the middle of an office space painted to look like the shores of a resort island (well, maybe that’s a stretch). This is also where you’ll find the ball pit, a favorite of this journalist’s 2 & 5 year olds. Rideables, climbables and interactive technology fills this colorful, safety padded space, offering hours of fun for kids.

WOW has a number of pricing options, including an annual pass. Since they opened their doors last December, prices have fluctuated greatly as they seem to be trying to find their “sweet spot” for daily entry vs. the cost of annual membership, vs. limited access to some exhibits with pay-per-entry to the remaining ones.

Whatever option you choose, the space is definitely worth a visit if you have young kids and are looking for a relaxed way to keep them entertained, or if you need a spot for a special event. With two young kids, we opted for an annual family pass and find ourselves using it frequently, if only just to swing by and use the bounce houses to let off a bit of steam. It’s so close, and with the annual pass, there are no additional built in fees.

Call for birthday party price packages, kosher food and availablility of specific themed party rooms.  Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10-6pm. Learn more about World Of Wings and their various activities, events and exhibits at www.wowbutterfly.com or call them at 201) 833-4650.

By Tova Gold Photos by L’via Weisinger