6 Water & Amusement Parks in Canela That You Shouldn't Miss

Reviewed By DanielBrasilia - Brasilia, Brazil

From the imposing recreation of a very unusual train accident at the entrance, one would think this is just a train musuem. And though trains do play a special part in the attractions inside, it's a bit more than that. A young man in the 1950's started a hobby of recreating vapour-powered machines - and over time these were put in model settings representing several locations around the world which had influence in the history of energy generation. The guides/monitors, who are necessary for the visitors to get the full jist, are continously available, including some who lead English or Spanish-speaking groups. It's a brief, but truly educational and enjoyable tour. By the way, the machines are in working order and one, for example, creates paper for the visitors to take home as a memento. There are nice spaces for kids to experiment - not quite on the level of kids' museums in the US, but for Brazilian standards, above average. There is a simple train ride, which will be upgraded; the current one really is aged and though adults and kids go on it, it's more like a kiddie-ride. It's the only outside activity. Something else that will be improved is the lovely train model - which shows how one would have traveled by that form of transportation from the capital Porto Alegre to Canela (unfortunately, train transportation fell out of favor in Brazil in the 1950s). Currently, the trains aren't doing the rounds that fascinate kids and adults alike. We also enjoyed taking a family picture in the "historical photo" area. And the souvenir store actually had really reasonable prices, as it was doing a post-Christmas sale. All in all, a really worthwhile attraction to visit while you're in Gramado and Canela. Disclaimer: I know the current operations manager, who invited us. But we noticed the prices were not exorbitant at all (if you're a student, R$ 20).