Places to Visit in Ooty

1. Botanical Gardens - The 22 Acre Botanical Garden was laid out in 1847 and is presently maintained by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The Botanical Garden is a lush green and well maintained Botanical garden. A flower show along with an exhibition of rare plant species is held every year in the month of May at this garden. The garden also has a 20 million year old fossilized tree. One can find a diverse variety of flora, ranging from rare trees like the cork tree, the paper bark tree, and the monkey puzzle tree, flowering bushes and plants, fern house consists of ferns and orchids. Another major attraction is an Italian-style garden bordering a pool.

2. Lake & Boat House - This is an artificial lake built by John Sullivan. Boating is the major attraction at the lake. The boat ride allows visitors to enjoy the serene environment at a laid-back pace. The lake is bound by grooves of eucalyptus trees which augment the scenic beauty of the area. Next to the lake there is a Mini Garden with an amusement park for children.

3. Centenary Rose Park - Situated in the heart of Ooty town, this garden has been beautifully laid out in terraces with rose tunnels, pergolas and bowers with rose creepers. Today this garden has the largest collections of roses in the country like Hybrid Tea Roses, Miniature rose, Floribunda, Ramblers, roses of unusual colours like black and green, which are some of the more than 3,000 varieties of roses.

4. Stone House - This was the first properly built house in Ooty (at the area called old Ooty), built by John Sullivan. It is situated inside the premises of the Government Arts College. It now houses government offices.

5. Toda Huts - There are a few Toda huts on the hills above Botanical Garden, where Todas still dwell. There are other Toda settlements in the area, notably Kandal Mund near Old Ooty

6. St. Stephen's Church - This one of the oldest churches in the town, and is a local landmark. Its architecture is essentially early gothic revival with stained glass typical of the era. It differs from British churches of the same era as it has simplifed butresses and a stucco exterior. The churchyard is full of colonial headstones, and it remains an active place of worship. It is located near the District Court house building.

7. Wax World - A wax museum that houses life-size look-alike wax statues of personalities of Indian history, culture and heritage housed in a 142 year old bungalow on the road from Coonoor to Ooty, just before entering Ooty town.

8. Tribal Museum - The Tribal Museum is part of the campus of Tribal Research Centre which is located at Muthorai Palada, 10 kms. away from Ooty town. It may be easily visited by car or local bus. It is home to rare artefacts and photographs of tribal groups of Tamilnadu as well as Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Anthropological and Archaeological primitive human culture and heritage. The Tribal Museum also displays houses belongs to Toda, Kota, Paniya, Kurumba and Kanikaran.

9. Doddabetta Peak - It is the highest peak (2623 meters) in the Nilgiris and is about 10 km from Ooty. It lies at the junction of the Western & Eastern Ghats and offer beautiful vistas of the Nilgiri Hill ranges. It is surrounded by dense sholas. One can have a panoramic view of the landscape through the TTDC telescope.

10. Pine Forest - Situated between Ooty and Thalakunda. This tourist destination known as pine forest (locally also known as pinus forest) has featured in the Tamil movies. It is a small downhill region where pine trees are arranged in an orderly fashion.

11. Ooty Mountain Railway - The railhead of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. The station itself is part of the World Heritage Site. Ooty Railway station offers a unique glimpse of the British raj built railways. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is one of the oldest mountain railways in India. Under consideration since 1845, the line was finally opened by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway Company. The railway is one of the few in the world that is dependent on steam locomotives.

12. Bee Museum - The Honey & Bee Museum is a novel project at Ooty by the NGO, Keystone Foundation. It depicts information on indigenous honey bees and traditional indigenous tribal people who harvest them.

13. Thread Museum - located on the same road as the Boat House. This artificially embroidered garden bearing natural models of plants and flowers using self developed technology of hand woven embroidery has taken 12 years with the effort of 50 lady artists,using more than 6 coroe meters of embroidery threads.

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