Colasanti's Tropical Gardens
Encyclopedia
Colasanti's Tropical Gardens is an indoor entertainment and shopping centre, situated in the community of Ruthven
, part of Kingsville, Ontario
. The tropical gardens are housed in 15 temperature-controlled greenhouses and feature exotic birds (Macaw
, Cockatoo
, Amazon Parrot
), home grown tropical plants, a small produce market, domestic and miniature animals, kids rides, an 18 hole mini golf course, home decor shopping, and a restaurant.
In 1972 cactus
and tropical plants were added to Colasanti's production. Today, Colasanti's has a wide variety of indoor and seasonal plants. It has expanded into a local family entertainment centre and tourist attraction.
It is currently a fourth generation family owned and operated business.
In 2005 the World Society for the Protection of Animals
inspected the animal attractions at Colasanti's. Of the five enclosures that were reviewed, Colasanti's Tropical Gardens received five failing grades with an average score of 18 out of 50 making it one of the five worst reviewed "zoos" in Ontario.
Other popular events at Colasanti's include a "Horror Hayride" in October, Family Day, and March Break Madness.
Free Events: Trick or Treat Night: Halloween Horror Hayride, Meeting Santa: Christmas At Colasanti's, Easter Egg-stravaganza: Good Friday Easter Activities.
Ruthven, Ontario
Ruthven, Ontario is a hamlet of roughly 400 residents in the township of Kingsville, Ontario. It is located at the intersection of Essex County Roads 34 and 45, but recent developments have extended the community to Highway 3 and down southwards along CR 45 to meet with the community of Seacliff,...
, part of Kingsville, Ontario
Kingsville, Ontario
The Town of Kingsville is located in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, and is Canada's southernmost municipality with town status. According to the 2006 census, the population of Kingsville is 20,908.-Geography:...
. The tropical gardens are housed in 15 temperature-controlled greenhouses and feature exotic birds (Macaw
Macaw
Macaws are small to large, often colourful New World parrots. Of the many different Psittacidae genera, six are classified as macaws: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca...
, Cockatoo
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
, Amazon Parrot
Amazon parrot
Amazon parrot is the common name for a parrot of the genus Amazona. These are medium-size parrots native to the New World ranging from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean....
), home grown tropical plants, a small produce market, domestic and miniature animals, kids rides, an 18 hole mini golf course, home decor shopping, and a restaurant.
History
Colasanti's started producing vegetables and greenhouse crops in 1941, they also had a small fruit stand. In 1955 their greenhouses began growing lemon and orange trees.In 1972 cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
and tropical plants were added to Colasanti's production. Today, Colasanti's has a wide variety of indoor and seasonal plants. It has expanded into a local family entertainment centre and tourist attraction.
It is currently a fourth generation family owned and operated business.
In 2005 the World Society for the Protection of Animals
World Society for the Protection of Animals
The World Society for the Protection of Animals is an international non-profit animal welfare organization and also a federation of such organisations and active in over 150 countries with more than 1000 member societies.- Organization :...
inspected the animal attractions at Colasanti's. Of the five enclosures that were reviewed, Colasanti's Tropical Gardens received five failing grades with an average score of 18 out of 50 making it one of the five worst reviewed "zoos" in Ontario.
Events
Colasanti's is home to the Ruthven Apple Festival, an annual fundraising event for the Windsor and Essex County Community Living Organization.Other popular events at Colasanti's include a "Horror Hayride" in October, Family Day, and March Break Madness.
Free Events: Trick or Treat Night: Halloween Horror Hayride, Meeting Santa: Christmas At Colasanti's, Easter Egg-stravaganza: Good Friday Easter Activities.