Parque del Café facts for kids
| Previously known as National Coffee Museum Parque Nacional del Café | |
Plaza of the National Coffee Park
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| Location | Montenegro, Quindío, Colombia |
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| Coordinates | 4°32′N 75°46′W / 4.54°N 75.77°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 24 February 1995 |
| Owner |
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| General manager | Pedro Nel Salazar Hoyos |
| Theme |
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| Attendance | 1,050,000 (2017) |
| Area | 125 hectares |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 27 (as of 2018[update]) |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
| Water rides | 4 |
Parque del Café (which means Coffee Park in English) is a super fun theme park in Quindío, Colombia. It's located about 4 kilometers southwest of Montenegro town. The park was started by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia and the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Quindío. It first opened its doors on February 24, 1995.
The park has two main parts. Near the entrance, you'll find buildings with a museum and exhibits. These show you the history, culture, and how coffee is grown and made in the region. Further into the valley, there's an exciting amusement park with lots of rides and shows. You can travel between these two areas using two gondola lifts or a chairlift. There's also a cool walking path through a coffee plant farm.
Besides the thrilling rides, Parque del Café offers other cool things to see and do. You can watch animatronics shows, explore a global coffee garden, and try delicious coffee-themed foods. The park also features traditional Colombian buildings. In 2009, the park welcomed its five millionth visitor! It has become one of Colombia's most popular places to visit, with over a million visitors in 2017.
Contents
How the Park Started
The idea for a coffee museum began when Diego Arango Mora and his wife Margarita visited a Sugar Museum. Margarita thought that if there was a museum for sugar, there should definitely be one for coffee, Colombia's most famous export! Diego, who was part of the local coffee growers' committee, agreed. He talked to Jorge Cárdenas Gutiérrez, the head of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, who also liked the idea.
It took many years to make the museum happen. There were challenges, like banks not wanting to lend money because they didn't think it would make a profit. Also, other parts of Colombia wanted the museum in their areas. But Diego kept working on it.
The museum finally opened on February 24, 1995. In its first year, 250,000 people visited! However, surveys showed that mostly older visitors enjoyed the museum. Younger people and kids said they might not come back. So, Diego decided to add an amusement park to attract more young visitors. The first new attractions were the gondola lift and a steam railway. Later, a roller coaster and other fun rides were added.
Exploring Coffee Culture
This part of the park helps you learn about coffee and the local culture in fun ways.
- Interactive Coffee Museum: Learn all about coffee's journey from bean to cup.
- The Coffee Show: Enjoy a lively show that tells the story of the region through music and dance.
- Traditional Country House: See what a typical old Colombian farm house looked like.
- Quindian Town Plaza: Walk around a plaza designed like a traditional town in the Quindío region.
- Indigenous Cemetery: Learn about the ancient tribes that lived in the area.
- Look-out Tower: Climb an 18-meter tall tower made from guadua (a type of bamboo) for amazing views.
Nature and Trails
- Coffee Garden: Take a walk through an ecological trail that shows you many types of coffee plants.
- Bamboo Forest: Explore a beautiful forest filled with tall bamboo.
- Horse Rides: Enjoy a relaxing ride on horseback through the park's scenic areas.
Awesome Rides and Attractions
The amusement park section has 27 rides as of 2018! Here are some of the exciting roller coasters:
- Montaña Rusa: This roller coaster is also called "La Broca" (the drillbit). It's the longest roller coaster in Colombia, stretching 1,050 meters! Its name, "Russian Mountain," comes from early roller coaster experiences in Russia back in the 1700s and 1800s.
- Krater: This thrilling coaster has a 30-meter drop! It opened on February 24, 2015, to celebrate the park's 20th birthday.
- Yippe: This 550-meter long roller coaster opened in 2018. Its name and design celebrate Colombian coffee culture and the Willys Jeeps that have traditionally carried coffee.
Other fun rides include the Cyclone, tall drop tower rides, a splashing log flume, and two carousels (Cafeteritos Carousel and Children's World Carousel). You can also enjoy a Ferris wheel, bumper boats, bumper cars (dodgems), go-karts, and a traditional train ride with live folk music!
See also
In Spanish: Parque nacional del Café para niños
- Amusement park
- Coffee production in Colombia
- Colombian coffee growing axis
- Ecotourism
- Juan Valdez
- List of amusement parks in the Americas
- Quindío Department
