This is a very nice garden/park in Paris. I had done a previous post on its history and rides but have found new cuite pictures of my boys and decided to add to my blog. After all, as said, this blog is my life’s history hopefully for a long time more. At the time, the boys were younger, early teens and they love it. I had my world HQ nearby so it was an easy walk there and then took the kids and mom there too. Let me tell you a bit more on the Jardin d’Acclimatation of Paris ,part I !!! Hope you enjoy the post, and thanks for reading me over these years !
As you might know, France has thousands, and Paris hundreds, some are historical wonders, and others follies to sink in, this one is for the dreamer the kid in all of us. I have enjoy each time here even if just for walks on meetings breaks; it is wonderful and it has gotten better over time me think. The pictures are older the text is new.
The Jardin d’Acclimatation garden park for small children offers more than 40 attractions for children from 1 year old, an educational farm and restaurants on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne at the gates of Paris. A total of 42 attractions, including 17 new ones with 4 large roller-coasters, 500 animals (exotic birds, goats, rabbits, mouflons), 16 restaurants and 18 hectares of nature await you. Including the brand new Toupie which opened its doors on April 2, 2022.
Among these, we can dwell on: The steam engine: one of the 4 roller coasters in the park; The Clock Tower: A drop tower for children; Goat River: A Log Circuit; The Big and the Little Carousel; The Gondolas: A Music Express-style ride…pony rides, a zip line and an acrobatic course. It is also possible to visit the large aviary and discover the shows at the Guignol theatre.
The 18 hectares of nature have been redesigned so that the attractions blend into it. It is therefore a green park where nature remains very present that reveals itself to us. Large expanses of grass allow you to relax in the sun, while the small farm invites children to meet the animals.
The Jardin d’Acclimatation emblematic dragon takes on a new face and the roller coaster takes on the appearance of a steam engine. Among the novelties announced, a 12-meter-high bobsleigh, turbine-style aircraft is born as well as flying boats. For a trip back in time, the attractions are designed in a retro-futuristic Steampunk style, a marriage between the world of Harry Potter and that of the Lord of the Rings or even between Jules Verne and Victor Cabret.
In summer, water games are part of the game. So we go to take advantage of the misters and other fountains available to have fun and cool off.
How to get there: Metro line 1, get off at “Les Sablons” station, exit 2, then take rue d’Orléans to the entrance to the Jardin d’Acclimatation 150 meters further on. There are several bus lines such as 43 – 73 – 82 – 93 that I know of and taken elsewhere in Paris. For those bikes there is a Velib station on Boulevard des Sablons. My choice is the Car park VINCI at the Palais des Congrès. Just go over the Porte Maillot and take the Petit Train, and it will take you free witha paid admission, through the woods to the Jardin d’Acclimatation.
A bit of history I like tell us that the transformation of the Bois de Boulogne in 1852 calls for the creation of a garden park at the entrance to the Forest,and for this reason an association was created in 1854. The association had as an objective to the contribution and introduction of the acclimations of animal species for agriculture ends, commercial or entertainment. By 1858, the association obtained from the city of Paris a concession space of about 15 hectares bordering the Bois de Boulogne to create a garden park of useful animals in the country. At the same time, in 1859, Emperor Napoléon III gives the concession of another 4 hectares; the garden park is opened by emperor Napoléon III in 1860. The garden park is closed to the public during the war of 1870, prohibited the entrance of the public and used to raise animals to feed the population in case of an attack. During this time some animals are evacuated to other zoo parks outside of France but as the transports are paralysed and Paris is attack on all fronts. The winter is hard and the rationing is not enough; some of the last animals are killed for feeding the population such as the elephants Castor and Pollux. At the end of the siege there is only one animal left!
Here it was created Human expositions as wild humans for quite some time. In 1877, some Nubians are shown ,and so on for the next quarter century about 22 human expositions are done . The majority of these were of African origins but also Indians, Laplanders, and Cossacks. The human expo are done at the same time as the animals on many cases from the same region. These wild exhibitionis of the 19C creates huge arguments of the days as the humans were enclosed in cages as well as animals next to them. The garden park becomes in this period a high place of Anthropology in Paris. For the next quarter century that follows the pace of these exhibitions slows down as they were about 15 between 1903 to 1931 the date of the last one. Later ones took a more colonial feel with the tribes shown between each others from all the France colonial such as Sénégal, South Africa, New Caledonia, etc.
By 1929, the land of the garden park owned by the city of Paris is transfered to the city of Neuilly-sur-Seine, and then to the 16éme arrondissement of Paris. In the 1960’s , the garden is renovated and a national museum of arts and popular traditions set up here in 1969 in a new building. There is a small petting zoo farm opening in 1971,a theater in 1973, a lawn(grass) museum in 1975. The tent of Silvia Monfort is set up two years later in 1978. The garden park goes oriental with a tea house, a black lacque bridge, and later a Korean garden. The before mentioned museum is closed out in 2005, and the last scientific works of the grass museum are gone too. In 2006, the group LVMH gets the authorisation to build the Fondation Louis-Vuitton, designed by Architect Frank Gehry, on the site of the old bowling of the garden park that was demolished in 2014. The concession of the garden park to LVMH is renovated for 25 years ending in 2041. As this is done, the group LVMH promise to invest and renovate the garden park,
The official Jardin d’Acclimatation: https://www.jardindacclimatation.fr/en
The Paris tourist office on the Jardin d’Acclimatation: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/jardin-d-acclimatation-p3537
The luxury group LVMH on the jardin d’Acclimatation: https://www.lvmh.com/houses/other-activities/jardin-dacclimatation/
There you go folks, a wonderful garden park of many family memories and open to all. The Jardin d’Acclimatation needs to be visit, it is great ,and now better than ever. If you have children or young teens this is a must indeed in your travels to Paris. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Jardin d’Acclimatation of Paris ,part I !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health ,and many cheers to all !!!
