Family and recreation
ACTIVITIES AROUND THE ESTATETerra Botanica
Located on the outskirts of Angers, Terra Botanica is a theme park dedicated to the wonderful world of plants. In the 15th century, the so-called King René, a lover of plants and flower gardens, introduced Mediterranean varieties in Anjou. Then, the great explorers brought back many plants that were grown in the gardens of châteaux along the Loire river, and later in the nurseries that opened in Angers in the 19th century.
A world of bright colours and delicate fragrances 30 minutes by motorway from the Orangerie de la Touchardière to make you live unforgettable moments.
Pieces of heritage and vegetable novelties are displayed with 500,000 plants coming from all over the world: exceptional collections of orchids, roses and palm trees.
On the path of this adventure, you will come across various attractions that will enrich you through entertainment. By getting aboard a helium-inflated balloon, you will have the opportunity to behold a stunning panoramic view of Angers and around.
After striding across this park, children and adults will gladly embark on a Nutshell, an aerial track to fly above the park, almost touching the crown of trees.
Once you get back to the Orangerie de la Touchardière under 30 minutes, you will be able to stroll in the park and try to practise your newly-acquired knowledge or to simply talk about the emotions of the day while sipping a fresh drink.
The Zoo of La Flèche
Located 15 minutes from the Orangerie de la Touchardière, the Zoo of La Flèche was the first private zoo to see the light of day in France. Founded in 1946, it is still taking a prominent place and belongs to the first 5 zoological parks in France in terms of attendance, with about 400,000 visitors per year.
Set up deep in a forest with a total 18 hectares (45 acres) dedicated for visiting, this remarkable zoo hosts mammals and many birds, as well as reptiles that find shelter in 2 vivariums.
Aware of the challenges the flora represents for its residents, the Zoo stresses the importance of plant conservancy and includes in its sceneries more than 800 vegetable species, all of them being carefully distributed in accordance with the settings that were recreated for the animals.
The town of La Flèche in the département of Sarthe has been famous since the 17th century for its National Military “Prytanée” (academy), which has boarded a great number of former students gone famous, from René Descartes to Jean-François Clervoy and Patrick Baudry, by way of Jean-Claude Brialy.
On the way back to the Orangerie de la Touchardière, how about making a small 20-minute detour and stop by Malicorne-sur-Sarthe to visit its most famous artisanal shop of glazed earthenware?
The Cadre Noir of Saumur
The Cadre Noir is an elite equestrian institution with strong ties to both the town of Saumur and the National School of Equestrianism, which became the IFCE (French Horse and Equestrianism Institute). Founded in Saumur in 1815, it owes its name to the traditional uniform of Saumur’s horse riding school, black with golden stripes and signs.
The Cadre Noir of Saumur gathers all the corps of professors of the National School of Equestrianism. Those horseriders are absolute experts in their field and their mission, among others, is to handle the maintenance and the influence of French equestrianism: during exceptional galas, whether on site in the main manege of Terrefort or across the world, they demonstrate the most diverse facets of academical equestrianism.
For the training of students, they are also tasked with preparing horses, which they show off in national or international contests.
Individual or group guided tours are organised all-year-round, and so are Morning Shows several times a month, where you can gaze at the manege’s young horses being trained.
Parc Anjou Aventure
Less than 30 minutes from the Orangerie de la Touchardière, the Parc Anjou Aventure in Écoufflant will enchant children and adults. Treetop courses, orienteering, no less than 11 tracks with gradual difficulty, ziplines, suspension bridges, spider webs and many other swings are awaiting you!
Once properly harnessed and with maximum safety, you will be able to test your agility and your sense of balance in the middle of the forest of the Domaine des Sablières.
Expect lots of laughter, adrenaline and memories.
Doué-la-Fontaine’s Biopark
Stretching over 14 hectares (35 acres), this splendid zoo occupies the exceptional troglodytic site of a former shelly sand quarry. Located 17 km (10 miles) from the town of Saumur and 70 km (43 miles) from the Orangerie de la Touchardière, the biopark of Doué-la-Fontaine is a place dedicated to the conservancy of threatened wild environments.
More than a thousand animals, making up a total of a hundred species, live there and move around reconstitutions of their natural habitat. The biopark strives to help these endangered specimens reproduce, with the aim of reintroducing them into their original milieu. Maybe will you have the chance to see their newborns.
Likewise, do not miss out the visit of Rochemenier’s troglodytic village as well as the Perrières to find out more about the so-called “Shelly Sand Mystery“.
The Blue Mine
A unique site in Europe, the Blue Mine offers you to take a trip down into the depths of the Earth’s with an authentic mining wagon.
Located 12 km (7 miles) west of the town of Segré and 45 minutes from the Orangerie de la Touchardière, you will go down 126 metres (about 400 feet) under ground to discover the former mining site.
The guided tour in the galleries and extraction chambers is an invitation to a real trip back in time. Operating from 1916 to 1936, it did not resist the 1929 crisis. Along the galleries, the guide will make you discover the origin of slate, its extraction techniques and the daily reality of the miners who dug up the blue-ish rock in the early 20th century.
Once you resurface, the visit goes on with the discovery of the main steps to manufacture a slate in accordance with the methods of yore. “Débiter, querner, fendre, rondir” are as many French words (some regional) for chopping with their own specificity, which you will grow familiar thanks to demonstrations.
After that, you may go visit the National Stud-farm of Le Lion-d’Angers.
On the road back to the Orangerie de la Touchardière, you may stop by Cheffes and visit the Atelier du Détour where Blandine Dandrel will show you off her ceramics and sculptures.
To contact us
We remain at your disposal either through the following text form
or by phone at +33 (0) 6 20 39 53 22
so that we may review together the stay you wish to plan.