Kéroul Path - A New Universal Tour Route Through the Botanical Garden

MONTREAL, Sept. 14 /CNW Telbec/ - On September 14, Montréal's Nature Museums will be officially opening the KÉROUL path at the Botanical Garden, a 2.55 km route specially designed and adapted for visitors with limited mobility. The marked path winds through the Perennial Gardens, the Garden of Useful Plants, the City Gardens, the Garden of Innovations, the Alpine Garden, the First Nations Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Chinese Garden, the Rose Garden and around the Insectarium, taking visitors to the Botanical Garden's most interesting attractions. The path was created in co-operation with Kéroul and with the financial support of RBC Royal Bank and the Montréal Nature Museums Foundation.

"In keeping with our vision and our mission, this new path will help people enjoy nature to the fullest. It is clearly marked and well documented, so that all our visitors will feel welcome and respected and have access to our main attractions," explained Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, Executive Director of Montréal's Nature Museums.

"The idea for this path took root several years ago, when we set out to make the Botanical Garden a "garden for everyone," added Gilles Vincent, Director of the Botanical Garden. "The Garden is already part of the Kéroul Accessible Route tourist map, because it meets the organization's stringent accessibility rules. Now all our visitors will be able to go right into the heart of our gardens, whether it's to admire the splendid flowery brook, breathe in the heady scent of the roses, contemplate the quiet in the Japanese Garden or enjoy the fresh, cool air under the tall trees in the First Nations Garden."

Follow the green markings and explore an increasingly universal garden

Permanent green markings on pavement, concrete or stone chips and a detailed map available at the ticket booth will make it easy for visitors to follow the Kéroul path. The Nature Museums team has been working to make sure that each visitor has a memorable time. This new path accessible to people with limited physical ability is in addition to the Courtyard of the Senses, a garden opened in 1999 that appeals to all the senses and that won an award in 2004 from Kéroul, an organization that works to make tourism and culture accessible to people with limited physical ability.

"The Kéroul accessible path is not just for people in wheelchairs or seniors. It's for everyone who has a temporary and permanent mobility issue, trouble getting around or reduced autonomy. Just think how much families with young children in strollers are going to love it!," says André Leclerc, President and CEO and founder of Kéroul.

Work on the path began in 2006 with a study that looked at the accessibility of all the existing paths by the Botanical Garden, Kéroul and a number of visitors with limited mobility. Construction and signage work got underway with a $50,000 donation from RBC Royal Bank and $75,000 from the Montréal Nature Museums Foundation.

The Botanical Garden welcomes more than 900,000 visitors every year.

Montréal's Nature Museums - the Biodôme, Insectarium, Botanical Garden and Planetarium - helping people enjoy nature to the fullest.

Visual available on request.

For further information: Nature Museums: Nadine Fortin, Communications Co-ordinator, 514 868-3053, [email protected]; Kéroul: Claudette Vachon, Communications Department, 514 252-3104, [email protected]