The Marais Poitevin Regional Natural Park
The Marais Poitevin Regional Natural Park is a wonderful place for families to explore ! This « Grand Site de France», also known as Venise Verte (Green Venice), is an eco-friendly tourist destination with a truly amazing environment : a unique landscape featuring a myriad of tiny waterways and leafy silence. To discover the history and wildlife of the area and lots more besides, visit the Maison du Marais Visitor Centre, Place de la Coutume at Coulon.
Here you can learn all the secrets of the Marais Poitevin. Visit the living museum and understand life in days gone by using digital tools, a projection on a giant screen, games, treasure hunts, exhibitions, heritage workshops and boat rides with commentary – an all-round experience!
Learn and have fun at the same time is the key to this discovery centre, great for children and fans of new technology. Expert guides enthral even the youngest of visitors and make them aware of the history and biodiversity of the Marais.
At the heart of the living museum the Maraiscope projects onto a giant screen an animated model of the 100,000 hectares of the Marais. Other exhibitions include old furniture, eel fishing and how traditional punts are built.
Geocaching in ‘Venise Verte’
Have fun exploring the Marais Poitevin through 5 treasure hunts especially designed for families and discover the marsh villages of Coulon, La Garette and Magné.
Nature walks and nature boat rides take place in summer to discover the features of the Marais, its flora and fauna including many butterflies and amphibians.
Discovery workshops are held during (French) school holidays on themes including the architecture of marshland houses, biodiversity in the marshes and the life cycle of eels.
The local inhabitants of the marshes have made the most of its natural resources for a very long time and we must thank them for having invented Angélique liqueur, made from angelica a marsh plant whose crystallised stalks are used to decorate buns and biscuits. You can try local products at the Maison du Marais Poitevin.
You mustn’t leave the Marais Poitevin without strolling through its villages with their elegant houses, boardwalks, footbridges, tiny ports and lanes. It is not surprising to know that the villages of Coulon and Arçais are part of the national network of character villages ! Make sure you pop over to La Garette, a typical marsh village with old houses beside the water.
Here is a selection of comments left in the Visitors’ Book at the Maison du Marais :
« A wonderful museum which explained the wealth and diversity of the Marais Poitevin. An instructive and useful place to visit before leaving on a discovery trip on the water. Thank you to our guide Bastien ! Congratulations ! » Claude and Paule July 2017
«Super, friendly, energetic staff. Keep up the good work ! Thank you for the costumes, it was great fun especially for the youngsters. We really enjoyed the visit. Thank you. » Le Sud. August 2017 »
Discover Deux-Sèvres with Gites de France Deux-Sèvres : Boat trips on the Marais Poitevin, Château d'Oiron, Abbaye Royale de Celles-sur-Belle.
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