Forget those cartoons and rollercoasters; as KATHY ARNOLD discovers, Europe's latest family theme park is all about plants

IT'S an Alice In Wonderland moment. Standing next to 10ft-tall flower pots with climbing wisteria stretching some 30ft above me, I feel like Alice when she shrinks to the size of a doll.

This change in proportion makes me see plants from a new perspective which is the aim of Terra Botanica. Situated in the beautiful Loire Valley, France's newest family attraction is billed as a "parc à thème".

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However, this is no Disney or SeaWorld-style theme park with white-knuckle rides and performing killer whales. Here the stars are tulips and water lilies, ginkgos and tree ferns.

Opened in April, Terra Botanica is France's answer to the Eden Project.

Where that Cornish attraction filled an unsightly hole in the ground, these gardens have transformed an old golf course outside Angers, the capital of the Anjou region. Replacing fairways and bunkers are a staggering 275,000 trees and shrubs, vines, flowers and lawns over 27 acres.

They are thriving because Anjou provides perfect growing conditions.

Like a giant nursery, this is France's leading producer of hydrangeas, camellias, apples, blackcurrants, bulbs and plants. The park has four sections, labelled "Sought-after", "Generous", "Mysterious" and "Domesticated". From highly prized tropical species to locally cultivated varieties and from ancient times to today's environmental problems, each theme emphasises the importance of plants in our lives.

Although the message is serious, there is fun to be had. Much is aimed at smaller children with talking garden spades, singing beehives and trees that speak in French but switch to English at the push of a button.

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Youngsters make a beeline for a 15ft tower made of watering cans that turns out to be a fountain. As they take turns cranking the hand pump, water fills one can, which then tips into another and another. The result is laughter and damp little ones.

Like all gardens, it will change through the seasons and as plants mature but there is already lots to enjoy. Keen gardeners appreciate the design and rarer species such as cloud pines from Japan and bald cypresses from Louisiana.

Everyone loves the films, full of special effects. On Botanical Odyssey, we voyage across a stormy Atlantic while, during the 4-D Journey to the Centre of the Plant, we turn into a drop of water, progressing from tree roots to leaves.
Terra Botanica is a great day out but there are plenty of other attractions in and around Angers, which was recently voted the city with the best quality of life in France by readers of L'Express magazine.

I spend some time walking the ramparts of the 13th-century castle with its 17 menacing watchtowers and, in the museum, peering at the 600-year-old Apocalypse Tapestry, the world's longest. Stretching for 100 yards, the exquisite stitching portrays scenes from the Bible, and fantastical seven-headed dragons.

Then I board the touristy Petit Train which rumbles past the cathedral and over the Maine, one of the shortest rivers in France. I stroll the cobbled streets where medieval buildings provide a backdrop for pavement cafés and chic boutiques.

Nearby is Benoît, a patisserie renowned for its macaroons and hand-made chocolates. My favourite is the Plantagenêt, flavoured with Cointreau, the orange liqueur.

This mix and match of old and new is what I love about Angers. The conveniently central Hôtel de France is in a century-old building and houses a stylish gourmet restaurant.

The menu credits local suppliers, the butcher, winemaker and master cheesemaker. I eat and drink from the bounty of Anjou. Learning more about it was one of the highlights of my trip.

THE KNOWLEDGE:
Brittany Ferries (0871 244 0744/www.brittany-ferries.co.uk) offers three-night breaks to Angers from £456 (two sharing), B&B.

One child under 12 goes free if sharing with two adults. Price includes return car ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Caen. Departs June 12. Terra Botanica: (dialling from the UK 0033 24125 0000/www.terrabotanica.fr).

Admission £15 per adult, £9 children four-12. Angers Tourism: 241 235 000/www.angersloiretourisme.com