Things To Do in Chennai

[Arjita]

I would like to know what things to do in Chennai. I will be in Chennai with my parents, who during the day would be busy with business work and in the afternoon until the next morning they would be free. They don't have any plans, and I thought I would take charge of organising some time out and therefore need to know what things to do in Chennai.

We are in Chennai for a total of 5 days, so provide all you know about the things to do. I am not expecting too much from Chennai, but at least it would be something.

 

[briannagodess]

Hello, @Arjita! Welcome to the forum!

Chennai is referred to as the "Cultural City of India." It's a place rich with culture and tradition, hence the title. This is the fourth largest city of the country as well. If you like the busy city life and exploring ancient as well as modern structures, then Chennai would be a perfect destination for you. Here's some things you can do in the city:

Sightseeing

Gardens/Parks

• The Semmozhi Poonga. This is a manmade garden comprising of trees as old as a hundred years old and newly planted ones as well. It has over 500 varieties of trees and plants. There's some play structures that kids can enjoy as well. For the adults, there's lots of benches to enjoy the greenery around you. There's also a manmade waterfall which is quite beautiful inside the park.

• The Huddleston Gardens of Theosophical Society. The headquarters of the Theosophical Society can be found in Chennai. You can find a huge library here with thousands of books. Also, one of the oldest trees in the world is found here, about 450 years old already.

• The Arignar Anna Zoological Park. First established in 1855, this is the firsts ever made in India. There's a lion safari and elephant ride that you can enjoy here.

• The Nellapatu Bird Sanctuary. See some rare species of birds in here like an Ibiza or a Flamingo. There's also a Danish Fort inside although it's already in ruins.

Museums

• The Vivekanandar House. This is dedicated to Swami Vivekananda and houses a collection of items from his lifetime. There's also an exhibition of Indian culture here.

• The National Art Gallery. You can find paintings from the 11th Century here. The Rock and Cave Art Gallery combines old and modern art forms, with the cave settings and touch screen gadgets to make the exploring more interactive.

Libraries

• The Anna Centenary Library. Considered as one of the largest libraries in the world, this holds over 500,000 books.

• The Connemara Public Library. The collections of books here are quite huge, there's even a Braille section.

Lake

• The Pulicat Lake. A great place for relaxing, bird watching, fishing and even boating.

Temple

• The Kapaleeswarar Temple. This is supposed to be a very old temple. However, it is believed that the original structure was destroyed and the structure now was built more recently in the 16th Century.

Fort

• The Fort Saint George. This is now where the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and Secretariat office is located.

Others

• The Little Mount Shrine. The place where St. Thomas hid and was martyred.

• Madras High Court. This is one the largest courts in the world. You can explore the court and even watch a session.

Now, let's go to some of the other activities you can do here in Chennai:

Explore the Culture

• Visit the Cholamandal Artists' Village and see artists at work. This is the largest artists' commune in India established in the year 1966. All things here are built by the artists without sustenance from the government. The houses, galleries, theatres and workshops are all from their hard work and own money. You could see quite an extensive collection of modern and traditional arts in here.

• Kalakshetra Arts Academy. This is a school for preserving the traditional art forms in India. Its main focus of studies are: bharatanatyam, carnatic vocal and instrumental music. They also preserve traditional crafts and textile designing. The craft centre and museum in the academy are worth visiting. You can also witness the free evening performances if you're lucky.

Enjoy the Beaches

• Marina Beach. This is the longest urban beach in India. Unfortunately, you cannot swim here but there's tons of other things you can do here. There's an amusement park right on the banks of the beach. Aside from that, numerous food and beach shacks can also be found here. Witnessing the sunset right at the beach is also quite amazing.

• Breezy Beach. You can find this in Valmiki Nagar in Chennai. It's a less commercialised beach area and swimming is allowed here. The water and the sandy banks are both very clean as well.

Witness the Turtle Walk

• This happens from December to April only when the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles lay their hatchlings on the sands of the beaches. However, the little turtles are left on their own to reach the beach and many of them die doing so. The Turtle Walk is a way of conserving these rare species by taking them to the hatchery. The Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network conducts these walks to bring the turtles to the hatchery. This happens every 11:00 pm from the Neelangarai Beach to Besant Nagar Beach.

Shopping

• You won't run out of shopping areas in Chennai. There's T. Nagar, where all the locals shop for their needs, from home furnishings to traditional clothing items, you'll find it all here. Ritchie Street is the place to go to for cheap gadgets. There's Spencer Plaza which is one of the oldest malls in Chennai. Then, Pondy Bazaar is known for their shoes and clothing items. For luxury and expensive branded items, Nungambakkam is the place for you.

There you go... I hope you enjoy your stay in Chennai!