Innovative Film City Bangalore

Innovative film city (http://innovativefilmcity.in/) in Bangalore is located in Bidadi on Bangalore-Mysore highway. It's about 40KMs from Bangalore and would take anywhere from 1-2 hours to reach the place based on the traffic and from different locations in Bangalore. Whole day package costs Rs 599 which includes most attraction. Visit to the park post 3PM would cost Rs. 399. Check for discounts on GroupOn/Nearbuy. There are usually discounts open on the tickets.There is nothing fancy about this park. However if one is looking for a place close to Bangalore for a day outing with a group of friends/family, with availability of food and rest rooms, less crowd and some activity which will cater to different age groups - then this is definitely not a bad option.






We had last visited this place around 7 years back and visited again this December. Nothing much has changed. Though it was Christmas vacation, there was hardly any crowd. We were able to experience each activity at ease without wasting any time in the queues.

My brother and sister were here in Bangalore for Christmas holidays. My brother's kids are very young and we wanted to visit a place where we could spend a relaxed time and also older kids could engage themselves into the activities of their interest. My cousin and aunt also joined. So it was 13 of us - we had an early breakfast and set out in two cars on 30th Dec to Innovative film city. Due to holiday season, Bangalore traffic was peaceful. We reached the park by 9:45AM. The parking lot was empty. Older kids were getting annoyed with the number of pictures we were clicking. They wanted to enter the park and start with the activities :)





We had taken a full day package. Luckily we got some discount voucher on Groupon. Lot of things were covered in the package and that kept the kids busy for the whole day with lots of breaks too. Interesting things available are - Mirror Maze, Roller coaster (not very big - but good for enough), Ripley's believe it or not, Wax Museum, Aqua World (not very great, changing rooms are pathetic), Dinosaur World, Fossil World, Toon World, etc. There are some paid activities too - like Big Boss Tour, Go Karting, bungee jumping etc. Since we had small kids in the group, we covered each activity at our own pace. Food is pretty decent and we did not have any issues. Filtered water was also available at different points to re-fill our bottles.




Post-lunch we went to the Aqua World. The water was not very clean and it was pretty crowded. Nevertheless, we entered the water. The water-rides did not look very safe, hence restricted ourselves to wave pool and kids water-ride area. Changing rooms are a big hassle in most water parks. This was no exception :( After fun with water, we had some chats and chai. We visited the Tribal Museum and also tried our luck with Bow and Arrow. The Magic show was pretty interesting. The magician did some excellent tricks.

We had lots of fun. By the time we exited the park it was 6PM. With evening traffic, we managed to reach home only by 8:30PM. Everybody was tired, had our dinner and crashed.

Kolar

Kolar is a good day trip from Bangalore. Its about 2hr drive from KR Puram bridge. Since Kolar is very dry and hot place, it is best avoided in summer. The drive to Kolar is also pretty dry and no interesting places on the way. Kolar is know for Gold Mines (KGM), however the mines are closed and visitors are not allowed. Kolar is also know for historical temples and make a good day trip. Not many visitors are seen here - probably because of no publicity.

Someshwara Temple

We decided to go for a day trip during my parent's visits to Bangalore. We started on a Sunday after breakfast and in no time reached KR Puram bridge. I guess Sunday morning is the only time when Bangalore traffic is tolerable.

Pushkarni

We reached Kolar by 11am and went straight to Kolaramma temple. The temple is very clean, pretty old and very well maintained. We were the only tourists - I guess :) From here we went to Someshwara temple. This is huge and well kept. The pushkarni and kalyana mantap were worth seeing.

Entrance to Antargange

 From here we went to Antare Gange. We did not visit the caves though, which is a full day activity in itself. We just opted to climb to the top. There are about 150-200 steps and would take 2 hours to return. The climb is well shaded with trees. However with kids and elderly parents, we took multiple breaks and hence took a longer time. The views are great and good excerise. Nothing exceptionally great though.

Kotilingeshwara Temple

We were pretty tired and hungry by the time we returned. Next step was to find a spot to have lunch. Recommended to carry packed lunch. There aren't any good places to eat. We found a nice shade under a tree in a field along side the road. This is one good thing in small towns/villages. You can just stop and have a lunch amongst the green fields under a tree and nobody will question you. You can chat up with the farmers and they are eager to share their experiences and life stories.

Fields

We rested for some time after lunch and started our drive back to Bangalore. On the way we stopped at Koti Lingeshwar Temple. This temple is known for one crore lingas. The feeling one gets here is more of visiting a musuem of Lingas. One can see different sizes and varieties, donated by different people. All in all worth a visit. Avani hills was one of the other places which was worth visiting. However since my parents were tired, we skipped it and headed straight back to Bangalore.

Shivanasamudra - Treat to Eyes in Monsoons

Few days back the news was out in the papers - "KRS Dam is full and the dam gates have been opened to release the water to the river". This meant the water falls around KRS would be full and treat to eyes. One such point is Shivanasmudra, where the 2 falls - Gagana Chukki and Bhara Chukki attract thousands of tourists. These two falls are awesome during monsoon - especially if the rains have been very good. This year is one such year.

This place is about 120 Kms from Bangalore and can be reached via Kanakapura Road or Mysore Road. The roads are pretty good and would take about 2 1/2 - 3 hours by car. We prefer the Kanakapura road as there is lesser traffic and also the road is surrounded by fields which is welcome treat to the eyes.

Gagana Chukki Falls

We started from Bangalore around 8:30AM after a quick breakfast at Adyar Anand Bhavan in BTM Layout. Three more families (Pankaj's cousins) joined us on this trip. The meeting point was Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ashram on Kanakapura road at 8:30 AM. It was 8:45 AM, when we started from the ashram. The drive was peaceful and we reached Gagana chukki point by 11:30 AM. There were a lot of visitors as the news was out.

Bhara Chukki Falls

Nothing much has changed in last decade. Every monsoon, there is a flood of visitors - which keeps increasing every year, the roads have not been improved nor the infrastructure around. There is still no restaurant around :( The only eatables available are chips, biscuits, ground nuts and cucumber. Only option is to pack the food. The bridge to Bhara Chukki is very narrow. Every year there is traffic jam and most of the time is spent is waiting to cross the bridge.

Flooded river

Nevertheless, a good break in monsoon. Just be mentally prepared to accept a lot of crowd and traffic. However the view of the falls is superb. The water looks almost like milk. We had fun visiting both the falls. Since we had packed our lunch, it was a nice picnic under the trees. Spent time playing cards and catching up with cousins.






TIP: Crowd can be avoided if you plan to reach the place before 9/10 AM. You can enjoy the falls peacefully.

Lepakshi

Lepakshi - This is one place which is so close to Bangalore, yet we had never visited it. The monsoon was set and weather was great in Bangalore and we were itching to go for a long drive. And so, Lepakshi was chosen. This is a great place to go with a group of friends/family. I checked with my friends if anybody was free to join us on a day trip to Lepakshi. Most of them were busy with Kids exams and other commitments. One of our family friends Latha & Mohan joined us with their kids.

And so it was decided - we would meet at Konark restaurant on Richmond Road for break fast at 8:30AM and then start to Lepakshi on a Sunday morning. We had found out that there aren't any good restaurants in Lepakshi and best option would be pack lunch. We split some dishes and decided to carry packed lunch and have a picnic. In the hind sight, this was an excellent idea. We really enjoyed it.

On Sunday morning, with lunch packed, we started at 8 AM to meet at Konark restaurant. Latha's family was already waiting for us. We were all meeting after a very long time and everybody was excited to meet each other. Had a good breakfast of Idlis and Dosas. Latha had got her Honda CRV and she suggested we drive in a single car. We parked our car on Richmond Road and all of us (4 adults + 4 kids) hopped in CRV. This was fun. We played a lot of games on our way. We reached Lepakshi around 11:30 AM.

Lepakshi is a small town in Andhra Pradesh bordering Karnataka. This place is about 130 KMs from Bangalore on the NH7 highway to Hyderabad and is famous for Veerabhadra Temple, dedicated to Veerabhadra. Built by the brothers Viranna and Virupanna, the temple is a notable example of the Vijayanagar architectural style. It is famous for its sculptures, which were created by the artisans of Vijayanagara empire. A huge Nandi bull made out of a single granite stone is one of the attractions in Lepakshi. This monolithic Nandi is the largest Nandi in India and second largest Monolithic statue in India. The place is renowned for being one of the best repository of mural paintings of the Vijayanagar Kings. 

Nandi - Monolithic Granite Stone

Seven Hood Snake

The first stop at Lepakshi is the huge Nandi built from Granite stone. The Nandi is around 500 years old and still in very good condition. 200 mts from here is the Veerabhadra temple which was built during the Vijayanagar dynasty in 1500 AD. The temple is still in very good condition and is functioning. Some of the paintings on the ceiling still have clear paints showing the pictures. The carvings on the pillar are excellent. It is best if the temple complex is explored with a guide. Without the guide it is very difficult to know the history and significance of this temple. Unfortunately there is only one guide. But he is pretty good though some of the stuff he mention may not make sense if you think rationally :) 

500 year old paintings on the ceiling

Unfinished Kalyana Mantap

Few interesting points in the temple - paintings on the ceiling, a pillar which is not touching the ground, the huge 7 hooded stone carved snake, the unfinished Kalyan Mantap, the foot of Sita (who was about 8 1/2 feet tall), the huge thali's etc. The entire exploring of temple will take around 1 1/2 - 2 hours. By the time we were done it was 1:30 PM. It was lunch time ans we were pretty hungry. First thought was to have the lunch at the temple complex - but there are quite a few monkeys and also beggars who are constantly pinging you. We decided to stop at some open farm around the temple.

The so called Sita's foot

We boarded the car in hunt of some place - preferably under a tree. We found a farm and went it to check if there was anybody from whom we could take permission to have our lunch in their farm. But none was in sight. There were few cows tied in the shed. We were very hungry and decided, we will talk to the farmer after food. We had a tasty lunch - over ate. By the time we were finishing our lunch, the care taker of the farm came by. He was more than happy to have us in his farm. We chatted with him for some time. Its amazing how people in villages are so friendly and extend their warmth and hospitality to strangers which is not common in cities.

Kids Enjoying in the Farm after lunch

After a relaxed lunch, we started back to Bangalore. On the way back we stopped at Cafe Coffee Day for a short break and then it was straight to Bangalore-Richmond Road to pick our car. We bid good bye to Latha's family. It was one short trip full of great memories.

Wonder La

Wonder La - Only theme park close to Bangalore. One of those places where every child wants to go. I am not a fan of any rides, just hate the very thought of sitting on those scary rides, but enjoy spending the day in theme parks. The whole atmosphere is very lively and colorful. Visiting such places really brings back the child in every person.

This was one place which has been in the waiting list for some years now. I was postponing it because I wanted my younger daughter Shrishti to complete 8 years so that she can go on many of the rides. Atlast the time had come. We planned for a day trip to Wonder La with another family friend - Meera and Venki. It is best to visit theme parks with a big group and ofcourse nothing can beat if the each person has a company.

We (2 families - 8 members) started after breakfast and drove to Wonder La in 2 cars. Wonder La is about 1-2 hours drive from Bangalore. The park is very well organized. They also have a resort. Though the queue for the tickets was long, it was fast moving. In no time we got our entry tickets and we were walking in. All of us were excited. The kids has been desperately waiting to visit Wonder La.

Musical Fountain in the evening

We planned to finish all the dry rides before lunch and do the water rides in the afternoon. Wonder La can get very crowded on weekends and holidays. It is best to start early and finish all the best rides so that we don't spend more time in the queue. Though I am not a big fan of rides, but one gets motivated to do them when in a group. Some of the rides, i would not have done if it was not for the group :)

We had lunch and then got ready for the water rides. Water rides for fun and we played till our heart content. It was late evening and it was closing time for the park. On our way back, we had dinner at "Kamat Lokruchi" and drove back home.

Vineyard Tour (Grover)

We have been planning to visit the Grover vineyard for quite sometime. We wanted to time our visit with the harvest season of the grapes. Best time to visit the Grover vineyard is during the month of March-April when the vineyard are full of mature grapes. We visited the place in the first week of April.

Visit to this place is perfect half a day trip with family and/or friends. The tour typically starts at 10:30AM and ends around 2:30 PM. To book a tour visit their website http://grovervineyards.in/our-estate.html. When we visited the tour cost was Rs. 1000 per person (kids below 11 years go free). Weekday package costs lesser. This includes the vineyard visit, visit to vineary, wine tasting followed by lunch.

We started around 7AM from Koramangala, Bangalore. Had quick South Indian breakfast and headed to Nandi Hills. In summer, the early mornings and late evenings are very pleasant in Nandi hill. As we had visited Nandi Hills many times, we planned to spend only an hour or so in Nandi Hills and then head to the vineyards. The best way to explore Nandi Hills is to trek from the foot hills. For this one needs 1 full day dedicated to Nandi Hills.

We reached Nandi Hills around 9AM, walked around to get some good views. There were quite a few people here. Got to know that Radio One (94.3) had been promoting about the stars visiting Nandi Hills and the crowd was there to see the Bollywood stars. However when we enquired, we got to know that this was an April Fool prank played by the RJs. We spent about an hour and headed to the Grover Vineyard as our tour was starting at 10:30 AM.

Grover Vineyard is on the foot of Nandi Hills. If you are driving on NH 7 to Nandi Hills from Bangalore, take the left turn at Doddaballpur junction (the left turn right before the Nandi Hills turn. Landmark is the Jain temple on the left side of NH7). You will also see a yellow board with "Grover Vineyard. The vineyard is about 14 KMs once you take the left turn on NH7. Once you reach the vineyard, you will be asked to register. There were around 8-10 other families who were taking the 10:30 tour.

The tour started with a brief introduction and history of Grover Vineyard. We were then asked to take our vehicles to visit the vineyard. The vineyard is about 1-2 Kms from the Grover Resorts. Don't forget to carry your Caps/Umbrella/Sun glasses. Its quite hot out their in the vineyards at 11am in March-April. The vineyards are super. We could see 2 main varieties of grapes - Red and Green. Here the staff gives the history, explains how they cultivate different varieties, how they prevent from pests etc. It can get a bit boring for kids especially if one has to stand in hot sun and listen to the lecture. Once the session is over you are left to explore the vineyards. We had great fun in checking the different bunches of grapes, tasting the different varieties and taking pictures.

After the visit to vineyard, we had to return to the resort. We were then taken to the vineary tour. Karishma Grover (grand daughter of Grover - who started the Grover vineyard) anchored the vineary tour for us. The tour involved explanation from how the grapes are stored, crushed, separated, fermented, bottled, stored in cellars etc. We could see different machines involved. We could feel the passion when she was explaining the process.

Last part of the tour was - visit to the cellar. Here the wines are stored in barrels. At this place tables are arranged for visitors to taste the wines. The staff serves different variety of wines for tasting. for each variety they also explain the details of the wine, whether it should be taken chilled or warm, which food goes well etc. We also got tips on how to drink wine including holding of the wine glass. while the adults were busy tasting wines, kids had a gala time playing hide and seek around the barrels.

After tasting about 5-6 variety of wines, we were taken back to the resort where the lunch was being served. Lunch is simple includes Soup, Biryani, Papad and some dessert. Of course there was wine served with lunch :) We had our lunch at leisure in the garden. We also did some wine shopping and started back to Bangalore. All in all a very nice relaxed trip and also very informative. My kids enjoyed the whole tour too.