A visit to Children's Park & Snake Park in Guindy, Chennai

If you have kids at home and want to keep them occupied for half a day, you should consider visiting Children's Park & Snake Park in Guindy, Chennai. We visited Guindy National Park last week and had a great time there.

(Also read: Mahabalipuram, Muttukadu, & Crocodile Park   A visit to Arignar Anna Zoological Park - Vandalur)

Guindy National Park consists of Children's Park and the Snake Park. There was a time when Children's park used to be filled with a variety of animals. However, today it looks almost deserted. There are only a few animals in the park, such as monkeys, turtles, crocodiles, peacock, and deers. Though the park was running short of faunas, it is rich with flora. The whole area looked like a dense forest. The trunk of the trees have grown large - indicating that they're there for several hundreds of years. There were a couple of banyan trees also in the park.

One thing worth mentioning is the play structures in the park. The park had a good collection of play structures for kids. The play area was filled with joy, vibrancy and noise. It was nice to watch the kids playing with full enthusiasm.

We then went to the Snake Park which was nearby. The Snake Park is maintained very well. It had a good collection of pythons, cobras, and a variety of other snakes. The park has a collection of snakes that live in land, and also the ones that live in water. In addition, the park had crocodiles and turtles. My daughter enjoyed watching them all. The locality was maintained very well - neat and clean. We were lucky enough to see the live show of snake (at around 3 pm).

The Guindy National Park is open between 9.00 am to 5.30 on all days (except Tuesdays). One of the things that has improved in public/recreational facilities in Chennai is the restroom and water facilities. Guindy National Park isn't an exception.

Guindy National Park has enough parking facility for cars, two-wheelers and even tourist buses. In fact, the touristers who come to Guindy to visit other nearby attractions such as Gandhi Mandapam, Kamaraj Mandapam, and Rajai Memorial also park their vehicles near Guindy National Park. These attractions are at a walkable distance from Guindy National Park. You can spot a few deers roaming near the parking lot and chasing people for food.

My daughter enjoyed the visit to Guindy National Park, more than us.

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Mahabalipuram, Muttukadu, & Crocodile Park
A visit to Arignar Anna Zoological Park - Vandalur

Semmozhi Poonga - The Greenway in the heart of Chennai city

Spectacular landscapes, vibrant fountains, and colorful gardens - these are some awesome features of our newly inaugurated Semmozhi Poonga. If you are in Chennai and want to kill a couple of hours, Semmozhi Poonga is the place to go to.  The park is conveniently located at the heart of Chennai city, near Anna/Gemini Flyover and US Consulate.

(Also read: Anna Tower Park - A boon to Anna Nagar Residents)

The park was opened to the general public a couple of months ago and it continues to be fresh, clean and beautiful. The park has several features attractive enough for kids, adults (especially, couples & group of friends), and elderly people. The entrance fee is very nominal - Rs.5 for adults and free for kids under age 10. Folks who want to do their morning walk in the park can pay Rs.150 per month. The park is open on all the days, between 6 am - 8 am for morning walkers and 10 am - 8 pm for the general public. There is no extra fee for photo cameras/camcorders.

The entrance to the park has an arch with a vertical garden, which is an attention grabber. There are vibrant fountains at the entrance, welcoming you with a smile. The water coming out of the fountains resemble the party logo of the ruling government. There is a security guard checking the visitors to make sure that they aren't carrying any eatables or plastic. Some of the folks still manage to sneak-in snacks and other eatables in plastic covers.

The gardens are maintained very well. I saw a number of workers landscaping, mowing, fertilizing and watering the plants. There were plants and trees from various part of the world. The whole place looked as-if it is covered by a green blanket. Though Semmozhi Poonga is in the middle of the city, it was relatively calm, peaceful and filled with fresh air. The walkways are designed to meet the needs of morning walkers. They are well-laid and clean. The park has a man-made waterfall, which looked very natural. The ponds were filled with "Ujala whitened" ducks.

They have deployed 'police women' in large numbers - I saw at least 10 or 15 of them, in the park. Majority of them were just "chit-chatting" or "glued to their mobile phones".


The park has wonderful play structures for kids and many of them are on-par with what I've seen in US. No wonder why there were many kids from different schools, picnicking there. The school teachers had a tough time to manage the enthusiasm and excitement of the kids. The kids behaved as-if a hungry man saw food, after days of starvation. It was absolutely impossible to control them. They were climbing over all the play structures. The whole play area looked like a beehive filled with bees. (Also read: Mahabalipuram, Muttukadu & Crocodile Park)

The play area is restricted for kids under age 10. However, I noticed that several elderly kids (10+) were playing there with excessive enthusiasm. I did try telling a few elderly kids "not to play on the play structures as they were meant for smaller kids and the structures may break if the elderly kids use them". However, none of them seem to be listening.

At first, I complained to the police women... but they escaped easily by saying "Sir ! We are deployed to safeguard the place against drunken folks and miscreants. It is hard for us to control the kids. You should complain to the officials in the administrative department". I went to the administrative office and complained to the personnel there. The administrative personnel said "Sir ! We have been telling the elderly kids and parents about this. But, it is hard for us discipline them. The signboard clearly says that the play area is for kids under age 10. But, none of them seem to follow the sign. Thanks for your complaint. We'll see what we can do". I'm sure nothing is going to change - but, I had a satisfaction that I did my job. (Also read: If I don't care, who will care?)

In general, Semmozhi Poonga has good infrastructure for visitors. There are several benches for people to sit and relax. There is abundant parking space for cars and two wheelers. The restrooms are in good condition. The park maintains its cleanliness by not having any eateries and by not allowing hawkers. There are trash-bins in many locations inside the park. (Also read: A visit to Arignar Anna Zoological Park - Vandalur)

Overall, I liked the few hours that I spent in Semmozhi Poonga. It show cases our Tamil Nadu government's passion to create parks in several areas inside the city. I wish the park continues to be maintained very well, in the coming months/years also.

Anna Tower Park - A boon for Anna Nagar residents

Recently, I had been to the Anna Tower Park (also called as Dr. Visveswaraya Park), in Anna Nagar. The park was simply gorgeous. The dense trees giving a fresh green cover, the chirping birds, colorful playing structures, well-laid walkways, sound of the fountains, ponds filled with lotus flowers, and the majestic tower ... made the place to look like heaven. Anna Tower park is a boon  for folks who want to spend their evening hours. The last time I visited this park was nearly 10 years ago. It was in a pathetic situation, then. Thanks to Chennai Corporation's increased interest in constructing, renovating and maintaining parks in Chennai. Anna Tower Park looked very young and colorful.

(Also read: A visit to Arignar Anna Zoological Park - Vandalur  A visit to Children's Park & Snake Park in Guindy
)

The 135ft tower in the center of the park, painted in fresh orange, is an eye catcher. I was curious to take a peek at the Chennai city from the top of the tower. However, access to the tower was closed. I was told that the access is restricted due to increased suicides and "pairs" using walkways as a "hangout" place.

The entire park was very busy - folks who are exercising, readers who are buried into their books, students hanging out with their friends, elderly couples chit-chatting, families relaxing, and kids playing. Despite the "busyness" engulfing the park, everyone gets their privacy.

The park had a meditation court, a small pond, kids play area, walk-ways and grass land, an arena for dance/music, cricket pitch, skating rink, and water fountains. In the night, they switched-on fancy lights, which made the entire place to look very colorful. The park also had well maintained rest room facilities. There is enough parking available along the road side for both two wheeler and cars. There is also a constable standing outside the park, to maintain some order. (Also read: Semmozhi Poonga - A Greenway in the heart of Chennai) 

It looks like kids are taught "skating" lessons in the mornings and evenings in Anna Tower Park. Also, the park is used for hosting week long annual celebrations of "Chennai Sangamam", a Tamil cultural festival. You can easily spend two or three hours in the park. There is lots of entertainment for kids. Adults can also spend time peacefully in the park. 

Anna Tower Park is definitely a boon for the residents in and around Anna Nagar.

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Semmozhi Poonga - A Greenway in the heart of Chennai 
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A visit to Children's Park & Snake Park in Guindy

Mahabalipuram, Muttukadu & Crocodile Park - A visit to ECR attractions

We had been to the East Coast Road (ECR) during the New Year Holidays to see a few attractions. We rented/hired Tata Safari for Rs.1900 and visited a few tourist places along the coast, including Mahabalipuram. It is several years since I drove past ECR and the areas along ECR has grown by leaps and bounds. The road condition is really very good. There are lots of places to see/visit near ECR. Our first stop was at Muttukadu Boat House.
  

Also read: 

A visit to Arignar Anna Zoological Park - Vandalur
A visit to Children's Park & Snake Park in Guindy
 

I was quite impressed with the way in which the boat house is maintained. Muttukadu Boat House has adequate parking facilities, neat restaurant, and well maintained rest rooms. The boats had life jackets for everyone. Of course, they charged about Rs.400 for 7 people (which was on the higher end). There was a separate fee for still camera and camcorder (I guess I paid about Rs.50 for the camcorder and Rs.25 for the still camera). We had reached a bit earlier in the day (by 9.30 am). So, it wasn't very crowded. Also, the weather was very pleasant for boating. They also had water scooters. The motor boat driver took us around for nearly 20 minutes. The lake was clean and the scenery around was beautiful. We came back from the ride and paid Rs.10 as tip for the boat driver (Well, the driver asked for it even before we got down from the boat). We spent about an hour in the boat house.

We then visited the Crocodile Park. They charged about Rs.20 for adults and Rs.10 for the kids. However, the charge for video camera (camcorder) was whopping Rs.100. The crocodile park was maintained very well (except for the restrooms, which could be a bit more cleaner). This is the largest collection of crocodiles that I've ever seen in my life. They had pools in which there are nearly 100+ crocodiles. This justifies the huge amount that they collected for the video camera. They also have a pool with glass viewing and it was awesome. I believe you can also feed/touch crocodiles and we didn't try that (Though, there were a few head hunters roaming around. I guess they get a commission, if they sign-up people for crocodile feeding). We spent nearly 2 hours in the Crocodile Park. Kids would definitely love this place.

Our next destination was Mahabalipuram. Oh my god ! It was heavily crowded. I guess New Years weekend is the wrong time to go to this place. It took us nearly 30 minutes to get to the parking lot. Also, there was hardly any space to move around near the Shore Temple, parking lot. It is nearly 15+ years since I visited Mahabalipuram. The place has developed many folds. Our government has been doing a wonderful job of developing and maintaining the infrastructure, there. There are beautiful parks around every attraction, with proper rest areas & restroom facilities. We had packed and brought lunch with us. We had our lunch in the park. The entry fee was very nominal - just Rs.10 for one person. There was no camera or camcorder fee, in any of the Mahabalipuram attractions. We visited Shore Temple, Five Rathas, and Krishna's butter ball. We were very tired and didn't have the energy to climb to the light house. So, we dropped that from our list. We spent nearly 4 - 5 hours in Mahabalipuram and left the place by around 5.30 pm.

We made a stopover in Tiger's cave and it was very dark at that time. We went to the beach from there and spent a few minutes drenching our legs in the sea water. The return traffic was very bad and we reached home by 8.30 pm.

Overall, I was quite impressed with our government's job in maintaining these attractions. Most noticeable of all is the maintenance of rest areas and restroom. Kudos to them !!

This is the first mega outing since my R2I with entire family and friends. It was very enjoyable and memorable.

Also read: 

A visit to Arignar Anna Zoological Park - Vandalur
A visit to Children's Park & Snake Park in Guindy

A day at Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur

We went to Vandalur Zoo, in Chennai on Oct 2nd (Gandhi Jayanthi holiday). The main objective of the trip was to show my daughter, all the animals in 'action'. We left home at about 9 am and took a train to Vandalur, from the Nungambakkam Railway Station. The train reached Vandalur station in about an hour. The zoo is about 0.5Km from the Vandalur station. We came out of the station and took an auto-rickshaw. We reached the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (aka Vandalur Zoo), at about 10.30 am. The entry fee was Rs.20 per adult and Rs.25 for a still camera (& a whopping Rs.150 for a camcorder. Thank God ! We didn't carry one :)).

The zoo has a very good collection of animals, birds & reptiles (including the high profiled ones such as Lions, Tigers, Elephants, Hippo, Giraffe, Zebra, Panther, Crocodiles, and Snakes). All the children, including my 3 year old daughter, were all very excited to see the animals in 'action'.

I was quite amazed by the improvement in the infrastructure inside the Vandalur zoo. I had visited the zoo, 15 years back, with my friend. I still remember that my friend/I had to walk a lot to find a bench to sit & have our lunch. Now, there are wonderfully covered rest areas, all around the zoo. They have good drinking water facilities and rest rooms also. The rest rooms are also relatively clean (when compared to other public rest rooms) with adequate sources for water. There are trash bins located along the roads/exhibits. There are proper roads & sign boards everywhere. They've also improved the walkways around the exhibits. There is still some infrastructure projects that are in progress. The authorities have made sure that there are no plastic bags or papers flying around. They've strictly restricted the use of plastic items inside the zoo. I also see sign boards that 'warn' people against teasing/feeding animals.

The zoo also has buses ('safaris') that take people around. They also have motor vehicles that take people around in groups. In addition, there are bikes (bicycles) that you can rent for Rs.20 per hour. There is only one restaurant (run by Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation) near the entrance. There is an ice cream shop & a snack bar inside the zoo. There was an awesome turnout on Oct 2nd (because of the public holiday). I'm not sure how crowded it will be during the regular days. They have a park with
kids' play structures near the entrance. You can spend the whole day in the park, if you have kids. I'm still wondering why they haven't commercialized the place yet - with rides, restaurants, small theatres showing animal movies, & other paid services.

We were completely exhausted by the time we stepped out. We took a bus to the Vandalur train station & got back to Nungambakkam by train. Overall, we enjoyed our short trip to Arignar Anna Zoological Park (Vandalur Zoo). I would highly recommend this place to anyone who visits Chennai, with kids.

Also read:  

Mahabalipuram, Muttukadu & Crocodile Park - A visit to ECR attractions 
Anna Tower Park - A boon for Anna Nagar residents