Cullen Gardens & Miniature Village was a popular tourist attraction in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. Officially opened in May 1980 by founder Len Cullen and his wife, Connie, the Gardens were a major tourist attraction in Durham Region for 25 years. [1]
Contents |
Cullen Gardens combined the natural beauty of floral displays and gardens, along with a unique southern Ontario-themed miniature village. The miniature village included many houses and trains that would travel around and between the houses. Other features included radio-controlled miniature boats. It was an entertaining attraction for both children and adults.
During the Winter holiday season, Cullen Gardens was host to the Festival of Lights, which featured huge displays of Christmas lights throughout the grounds, often decorating large topiaries.
On 1 January 2006, Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village closed.[1] The land, however, has since been purchased by the Town of Whitby, to remain in the public domain as a municipal park. There has been speculation that the property may link up with the Heber Downs conservation area. At the time of its closure, the park was co-owned by Sue Cullen-Green and Bryan Green.
The miniature Village is no longer in existence at the site and the model buildings were sold to the nearby City of Oshawa for $234,000. Oshawa later put them up for sale again rather than opening an attraction of its own, citing budgetary austerity.[2] The golf course formerly attached to Cullen Gardens continues to operate and serve the public. The gardens themselves, which continue to exist in modified form as a Whitby municipal park, are no longer maintained to the degree they were under the former owners. A master plan for the future development of the land is currently in preparation by the city of Whitby (July 2008) and public input is welcome.[3]