Doutor Fernando Costa Park, known as Água Branca Park, is a great place to take a walk, a tour for two, read a book, relax, have a picnic, or drink a typical coffee from the countryside of the state listening traditional viola.
Inaugurated in 1929, the park, which runs daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., has several options for children’s activities, with a playroom and a kids’ reading area – in some days it counts on the presence of storytellers. It houses a permanent amusement park with inflatable bouncy balloons and carousel buggies, and playgrounds with swings, seesaws and various toys that are scattered throughout the park. Throughout the year, there is also a wide range of programming aimed at children.
For animal lovers, the park is great for direct contact with various species, such as carps and turtles, which are in tanks scattered around the place, or peacocks, chickens, chicks and cats that are loose in the park. Sometimes you can see marmosets through the trees. The site also has an aquarium with the main species of the state watershed, with an entrance fee of R$ 2 per visitor.
Elderly people also has space in the park, such as the Square of the Elderly, a place with gym equipment, which is quite frequent. Several activities are also developed throughout the year, such as anti-stress gymnastics and yoga – the schedule should be consulted directly in the park.
Options for all tastes
The park hosts several fairs, such as organic products that take place every Saturday; there are also other fairs, such as handicrafts and food that take place in the park’s stables or the exhibition fairs of small and medium-sized animals.
The picnic is another program that can be done in the park, which has a space with tables and benches, for the more traditional it is possible to spread the towel on the ground, under a tree, place usually chosen by couples to make a romantic snack. Another much sought after space is the one dedicated to reading, with several options of books and tables that can only be used to study or to read. It is a very comfortable place amidst the green and the shadows of the trees.
Casa do Caboclo is a great choice for those who like the countryside, a typical farm setting with a wood stove and wooden tables. The rustic atmosphere is inspired by the country houses and serves typical coffe, among the delicacies served, is the famous cavaca – corn bread roasted on the plate of a wood stove. At weekends, coffee is served with live music, traditional viola and sertanejo music. In addition, other environments of the park refer to the farm, such as the stabling and the arena, which are still used for riding.
A tour that is much sought after not only by the children, but also by the general public, is the little train, where people have fun strolling the streets and dependencies of the park, it costs R$ 3 per person. Another attraction of the park is the Relógio do Sol (a Sun Clock), which marks the passage of time in the various countries by observing the position of the sun. The park also houses a museum of geology, the Mugeo; a Reference Center on Environmental Education; and various exhibition spaces.
Service:
Address: Av. Prof. Francisco Matarazzo, 455 – West Side – São Paulo (near Barra Funda Metro Station).
Phone: (11) 3865-4131.