New Botanic Gardens Extension Has IG-Worthy Galleries In Colonial Buildings, A Cafe, Hiking Trail & Garden Playground

By Karmen on 15 Mar 2021

Digital Editor

Has severe RBF but is fairly jolly and carefree on the inside. Degree of life satisfaction is heavily influenced by food.

Miss travelling? How about a "trip" to England without leaving our shores? There's a new extension at Botanic Gardens in Singapore that has a beautiful black and white bungalow reminiscent of English houses. And it's not just for aesthetic purposes, there's an interpretive centre inside.

The extension also has a new botanic gallery and a picturesque garden playground with a giant durian-like structure you can climb.

P.S. there's a new alfresco greenhouse-style cafe right next to Botanic Gardens MRT Station if you need rest-stop ideas.

Keep reading to find out more!

Another day, another new thing to do in Singapore: The Gallop Extension. This 8-hectare addition to the Singapore Botanic Gardens comprises of two conserved buildings that have been refurbished into four new attractions.

Forest Discovery Centre @ OCBC Arboretum

Photo from NParks Singapore

The discovery centre is housed in Atbara at 5 Gallop Road, Singapore's oldest surviving colonial era bungalow built in 1898. It has a Victorian-slash-Singaporean-style look, adopting the style of the English Landscape movement but adapted to our climate. The result is a building that's reminiscent of a country estate in rural England.

Playing a key role in the Gardens' conservation work, the OCBC Arboretum is a high-tech arboretum displays a growing collection of rare dipterocarps.

Photo from NParks Singapore

This Forest Discovery Centre is also hosting the Singapore Botanic Gardens' Tropical Forest Ecology Research programme. This programme reprises a historical role for the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which dates back to the late 1800s.

Opening hours: 9am - 6pm, closed every last Monday of the month.

Botanical Art Gallery

Photo from NParks Singapore

The Botanical Art Gallery is housed within the second refurbished conserved building, Gallop House No. 7, which was built in 1906.

This will be Singapore's first permanent display of botanical art, with a collection of more than 2,000 botanical paintings, as well as sketches, line drawings and photographs. The display will also showcase various art forms, from original watercolours and ink drawings to prints and printing blocks. The gallery will also feature changing exhibitions so there's always something new to look forward to.

Photo from NParks Singapore

And good news if you're a fan of art jamming. There's an activity room where you can try your hand at the techniques used in botanical illustration like sketching, mixing colours, and composing scenes.

Opening hours: 9am - 6pm, closed every last Thursday of the month.

COMO Adventure Grove

Photo from NParks Singapore

This unique, modernity-meets-nature playground looks to be a discovery world for kids and IG spot for adults!

Photo from NParks Singapore

The playground structures that children can swing, slide and climb on are designed to entwine with and resemble nature like the aerial roots of the Weeping Fig and a giant Cempedak which looks very much like a durian.

Opening hours: 7am - 7pm

Mingxin Foundation Rambler's Ridge

Photo from NParks Singapore

This area is for those looking for a new hiking spot. You can walk though a path lined with trees such as the critically endangered Spike Oak and Braided Chestnut, and then descend the rocky steps.

Opening hours: 7am - 7pm

Entrance is free for all the attractions at The Gallop Extension. If you're planning a trip there, it's best to visit on weekdays or during off-peak periods as there may be temporary closures when the maximum capacity of the place is reached.

Photo from Bee's Knees

There will also be a new Bee's Knees Petite cafe opening at The Gallop Extension in late March this year. Their other outlet pictured above, Bee's Knees at The Garage, has great ambience with a gorgeous alfresco dining area, so we have high hopes for this new outlet!