|
Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village
|
Officially opened in May 1980 by founder Len Cullen and his wife, Connie, the Gardens have been a major tourist attraction in Whitby and the entire Durham Region for 25 years.
Cullen Gardens & Miniature Village was a popular tourist attraction in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. In May 1980, Len and Connie Cullen officially opened the park to the public as it remained as a popular Whitby tourist location for a quarter century. [1] It combined the natural beauty of floral displays with a unique southern Ontario themed miniature village. It included many houses and trains that would travel around and between the houses. It was a good place for both children and adults.
On 1 January 2006, Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village closed.[2] The land, however, has since been purchased by the Town of Whitby, to remain in the public domain as a municipal park. There has been speculation that the property may link up with the Heber Downs conservation area. At the time of its closure, the park was co-owned by Sue-Cullen Green and Bryan Green.[3]
The miniature Village is no longer in existence. The model buildings were sold to the nearby City of Oshawa for a quarter of a million Canadian dollars. Oshawa later put them up for sale again rather than opening an attraction of it's own, citing budgetary austerity.[1] The golf course formerly attatched to Cullen Gardens continues to operate and serve the public. The gardens themselves, which continue to exist in modified form as of a Whitby municipal park, are no longer maintained to the degree they were under the former owners. A master plan for the future development of the land is currently in preparation by the city of Whitby (July 2008)and public input is welcome.[2]
See also
References
1"Oshawa will sell miniature village" October 17, 2007 TheStar.com Retrieved July 15, 2008 from http://www.thestar.com/News/article/267665
2Conversation with Cullen Gardens Area Master Plan Coordinator, City of Whitby, July 15, 2008.
External links
|
