Who’d have thought that a theme park would be built where plants are the star attractions? Well that’s exactly what has happened in Angers, France.
Terra Botanica opened earlier this year and offers 110,000 square metres of fun with a focus on plant life from around the world!
The park has over 40 attractions and the whole site has been planted with 275,000 plants. It’s a fun and interactive setup which aims to give people a better understanding of our surrounding plant world whilst they’re being entertained.
Yes there’s an educational element here but it still sounds like fun, especially the 4D cinema ride “Journey to the Centre of the Plant” and my favourite, the giant pedal powered “nut shell ride” through the tree tops!
The idea was first raised back in 1998 by the Maine-et Loire Departmental Council and a feasibility study was undertaken. And now over a decade later, with the design by landscape architect Thierry Huau and the help of 94 million euros, the park has opened.
The park is divided into four differently themed areas:
1. Generous Plants – With a focus on the horticultural history of the region, visitors are immersed into a world of plants that give us medicines and foods, as well as other treasures like perfumes.
2. Mysterious Plants – Here the secrets of how plants work are uncovered including how they grow and what makes them different from other living things.
3. Sought-After Plants – Relive the lives of plant hunters and their quest for exotic spices and other botanical treasures from the Orient, Africa and the New World.
4. Tamed Plants – The modern day world of horticulture and landscaping is explored where visitors can learn about how a new plant is bred, play at being a gardener and even muck about with water in the irrigation challenge!
All in all it looks like an amazing project that will keep getting better as the plants grow and the site matures. Next time I’m in France I’ll be making a bee-line for this place! If any of you readers have already been I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
For more details on the park go to www.terrabotanica.fr and for ideas on what else this region of France has to offer go to www.anjou-tourisme.com.
PS Don’t forget to check out The Plant Addict Shop while you’re here.
You’ll find great gift ideas for garden lovers and fellow plant addicts!