Unbelievable this Eco Park and Boathouse is in Chennai City

In the recent decade, Chennai City has benefited from many of its public spaces which have been turned into dumping yards being restored and turned back into children parks, walking parks and playgrounds. Now, most of them are clean, landscaped beautifully, well maintained and even have working toilets! I often go to a few of them – the Amma Park in Saidapet, Ashok Nagar Park, Sivan Park KK Nagar, Panagal Park T.Nagar, Jeeva Park T.Nagar, Natesan Park T.Nagar and Nageswara Park Mylapore.

About two years back, the city got a new sprawling 16-acre eco-park with its own lake, where you can go for a boat ride or even do some fishing. And it is the Chetpet Eco Park, near Ega Theatre.

I have been wanting to go it but managed to visit it only today. WOW! The park is beautiful, has a long walking track that’s wide and runs for nearly 1.2 – 2 Kilometers. There is a cafeteria, Boathouse for hiring row/pedal boats, Shop to rent a fishing line, and lots of benches to sit and enjoy the view. It is unbelievable, this oasis of calm and beauty exists near the busiest traffic zones of the city – College Road/Kilpauk area. The Eco Park can be reached easily by public transport –  it is next door to the Chetpet local electric train station, and about 15 minutes walk from Pachaiyappa College Metro station; there is ample parking available near both the gates to the park.

There is a fee for entry – ₹25 for adults, ₹1o for kids and ₹25 for car parking  – and it’s worth it. There are monthly passes for regular walkers.