Fort St. George, Chennai

St. George fort is the first British fort built in 1653 by the British East India Company. It has a 20 feet thick wall. The fort has a museum which displays many items belongs to the British Raj and memorabilia of the East India Company. The country's tallest flagstaff is here, which may be 300 years old. The museum contains a good collection of some fine existing paintings. The best time to visit the fort is Sunday.

Birla Planetarium, Chennai

Birla Planetarium situated at Kotturpuram boasts is a fully modern computerized planetarium that is of special interest to students and public alike. In Planetarium, they show audio-visual programs on astronomy and is a need for students and lovers of astronomy. This planetarium, built in the memory of Sri B.M.Birla, the eminent industrialist and visionary, is the most modern planetarium in the country. The Periyar Science and Technology Centre is located close to the Birla Planetarium in the Chennai city. It houses eight galleries - Physical Science, Electronics and Communication, Energy, Life Science, Innovation, Transport, International Dolls and Children and Materials Science. To explore the magical world of science and astronomy, the Birla planetarium and the Periyar science and technology institute offer interactive experiments to whet the curiosity of young minds. This is an excellent opportunity for kids.

The Science and Technology Centre is open on all days except on national holidays, from 10 a.m. to 5.45 p.m. Cosmic Show Timings: 10.45 am / 12.15 pm / 4.35 pm Tamil: 12.00 noon / 2.30 pm. Phone: 91-44 - 24410025 / 24416751 / 24915250

Government Museum, Chennai

Government Museum is situated in Pantheon road that is between Egmore and Anna Salai. The museum is one of the prime attractions in the city. The Main Building has a fine archaeological section representing all the major South Indian periods including Chola, Vijayanagar, Hoysala and Chalukya. Chennai Government Museum also houses a good ethnology collection. This is not for its exquisite collection of more than 2000 Indian bronzes and Amaravathi marbles. One of the most impressive is the bronze of Ardhanariswara, the androgynous incarnation of Shiva. The museum is located in the vicinity of Egmore Railway Station, less than a kilometer away. From central railway station, the place is about two kms away. The museum is open on all days except Fridays and National Holidays. The visiting hour of the museum is from 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Theosophical Society, Chennai

It was founded by Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Col. H.S. Olcott of U.S.A. to study religion & philosophy. In 1892 the society moved to Chennai and was set amidst a vast expanse of woods on the estuary of Adyar. This society was started in 1875 with the help of Annie Besant, a foreigner to India, who wanted to revive Hindu culture and values back to India. Above all, the largest Banyan tree which is hundred years old is found on this campus. It spreads its branches and roots covering a space over 40,000 sq.ft. giving a serene ambience. The society is a gated park open only a few hours in the morning and in the evening. It is full of forests, with nice buildings, and quiet Hindu Temple, and a Jain temple. There is also a church and Buddhist temple on the premises. People do live in private residents inside the campus; there is a post office and a book store with very nice books on philosophy. The place also provides for a library bearing rich collections of manuscripts on all major faiths and sacred books.

Connemara Public Library, Chennai

Connemara Public Library is one of the countries National Libraries. It has the largest collection of books and periodicals Touch screen computers have been installed recently to make operations easier. Connemara Public Library is located at Pantheon Road, Egmore. The Connemara Public Library expects to receive every book published in India. The Library's beginnings go back to 1861, when hundreds of books were found surplus in the libraries of Haileybury College (where Indian Civilians were trained in England). These books were sent to the Madras Government, which in turn handed them over to the Madras Museum. Conceived on the lines of the British Museum Library, it was part of the Madras Museum till 1890, when the need for 'a free public library' prompted the then Governor of Madras, Lord Connemara, to lay the foundation.
The new building, which was added to the Library in 1973, has a vast collection of books, a much sought after text-book section, a periodicals hall, a video room, an entire floor for books from the Indian languages, a Braille Library and an IAS study centre. Over six lakh books are available in the library. The Connemara is a place where gems can be found at every corner, but only by the discerning eye. The library, according to old timers, helped to shape the thought of many who later became leaders in public life, including at least two former Chief Ministers, M Bakthavatsalam and CNAnnadurai.

Marina Beach, Chennai

Lining the east of the city is the famous Marina beach, at Kamarajar Road, 3 Km away from Chennai. This is supposed to be the second longest beach in the World and runs to a length of 13 Km. In the beach there is the Anna Park, named after the founder of D.M.K (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) Anna durai and the tomb of M.G. Ramachandran who was a film star and the charismatic Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Statue of Labour is a splendid sculpture depicting the efforts of a team of labourers who are at hard manual labour. The beach can be ideally visited in the early mornings or in the late evenings when the area becomes a virtual ground; with food stalls and other entertainments. With its natural sandy beauty and spacious promenade and beautiful gardens, the Marina beach is a major attraction for tourists visiting Chennai. Some of the most beautiful buildings in Chennai such as the University of Madras, Senate-House, Chepauk Palace, Presidency College, P.W.D office and Ice House are located on the beach drive. At the other end of the beach is the new lighthouse.

Valluvar Kottam, Chennai

Valluvar Kottam, yet another architectural marvel was built recently in memory of poet-saint Thiruvalluvar, who is believed to be lived 2000 years ago. The saint authored a didactic book of epic proportions called Thirukkural consisting of 1330 couplets under 133 headings. The memorial is shaped like a temple car with an auditorium to accommodate up to 4000 spectators. The temple car structure is carved in granite with intricate details using the Dravidian Architectural style. Each chapter of Thirukkural is chiselled in a bas-relief. The auditorium is said to be the largest of its kind in Asia.

Timings: 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Closed On: Fridays and National Holidays.
Location: Valluvar Kottam High Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai - 34.

Anna Nagar Tower , Chennai

This is the highest and biggest park tower in Chennai, located at Anna Nagar Park. It has cyclic stairs. The tower park is so huge that it could easily cover around 20 – 25 acres of land. Most of the area is covered with bushes and overgrown trees. The Park timings are 5:00 am to10:30 am. Then it re-opens back by 4:00 pm and remains open till 6:30 – 7:00 pm, in the weekends the tower is open bit longer in the evening. Full view of the city can be seen from Top of the Tower.

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