Ooty

State – Tamil Nadu
Best To Travel – March to May
STD Code - 0423
Main Attraction – Ooty Lake and Churches of Ooty.
Climate- Summer – 24.3 degree C., Winter -4.8 degree C.

Located in the state of Tamil Nadu, Ooty is one of the most popular holiday destinations of South India. The hill station lies amidst the verdant hills and the lush green valleys and proves to be a perfect retreat for the tired souls. This capital of Nilgiri district, is popularly known as the "Queen of Hill Stations". The entire area has abundant vegetation and the lavender blue gleam of the mountains promises a holiday of peace and renovation.

History
A British Collector by the name of John Sullivan discovered the hill station of Ooty and developed it as a summer resort, realizing its potential. The original name of Ooty was 'Udhagamandalam, but it was shortened to 'Ooty' after the arrival of British, somewhat because the Britishers had some difficulty in pronouncing it. Before the hill station of Ooty was discovered, the area was mostly inhabited by Todas. These tribal people still inhabit the area.
Places of Interest
Ooty has plenty of attractions, both on and off the beaten path.

Rose Garden – Located near the Etiennes Road, the Rose Garden is spread in 10 acres. In winter when the 1,919 varieties of roses of all hues are out, a stroll in the scented garden proves to be an unforgettable experience.

Ooty Lake – Ooty Lake was constructed by the very founder of the hill station of Ooty. This artificial lake is two and a half km and was built in the year 1824. Once this lake was hedged by dense gallery forests. More than 12 lakhs of tourists visit the lake every year. One can also enjoy boating here.

Churches of Ooty – Union Church and Holy Trinity Church, Gothic and Tudor in appearance., with magnificent stained glass windows, intricately carved pews, plaques detailing the British battalions are worth a glance here.
Some of the major churches of the place are:

• St. Stephen's Church
• St. Thomas Church
• Kanal Church

Art Gallery - The Art Gallery has various collections of contemporary paintings, tribal objects, an ecological display and various Tamil arts and crafts worth seeing.

Botanical Gardens – The Botanical Gardens are major attraction of the place. One can find the fossilised tree trunk about 20 million years old. A summer festival is held every year in May, which showcases a grand flower show. There is a Rose Garden here which is spread in about 10 acres and in winters one can delight one's senses by glancing at about 1,919 varieties of roses.

Lamb's Rock - Lamb's Rock is another vantage point that is ideal for taking pictures and is a wonderful picnic spot. It is merely 9kms. From Coonoor and is known for the splendid views it offers of the plains of Coimbatore and the tea states in the surrounding areas.

Accommodation
Hotels of various categories are found in the hill station of Ooty-

• Savoy Hotel
• Holiday Inn Gem Park
• Hotel Sullivan Court
• Hotel Lake View
• Hotel Regency Villas Palace
• Hotel Sinclairs
• Nahar's Nilgiris Hotel

Tongue's Delight
There are a number of good restaurants in Ooty, whose food boasts of the power to pull visitors to them time and again. To mention a few are:

• Chandan Vihar
• Tandoor Mahal
• Ooty Coffee House
• Chinkos Chinese Restaurant
• Hills Palace.
• Hotel Sanjay
• Kurinji Restaurant

Check IN- in Ooty
By Air
The nearest airport to Ooty is at a distance of about 88kms and is located in Coimbatore. There one can take Indian Airline flights to Coimbatore, Bangalore, Cochin and Chennai.

By Rail
The Ooty railway station is merely 2kms from the City Centre and the other railway station is 46km away at Mettupalayam. There is also a toy train that connects Ooty with Mettupalayam and Coonoor, another famous hill station.

By Road
Travelling by road is a not a bad idea either, since Tamil Nadu has a very good road network. The state has many highways that connect distant places and make travelling much easier.