Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State Nigeria is a prominent town in the history of Yoruba and Nigeria as a whole. The city is considered to be the largest city in West Africa and most populous after Cairo. It has varieties of places you can visit after concluding a business meeting or while you are on a holiday visit in Ibadan.
Here is a list of 10 interesting places you can visit located in Ibadan:
1. Zoological Garden Ibadan
The Zoological garden is located at the University of Ibadan. The zoo has a variety of wildlife which makes it an interesting place to visit in Ibadan. The Ibadan Zoo is a world class standard zoo.
2. Cocoa House
Cocoa House is one of the tallest buildings in West Africa, built by late Obafemi Awolowo. In fact, the Cocoa House is a prominent landmark in Oyo, as it is the first skyscraper building ever built in Africa with the aim to export cocoa. It is a historic place to visit when you visit Ibadan.
3. National Museum of Unity
National Museum of Unity is a place that houses significant artefacts of our landmarks of national unity. A visit to this place would ensure you have information of relics of the nation’s glorious pasts.
4. Ibadan City Mall
The Ibadan city mall is the house to the biggest ‘Shoprite’ in the whole of Nigeria. The mall has lots of interesting stop shops where you can do window shopping and beautiful ground for those who loves taking pictures.
5. Trans Wonderland Amusement Park
The Trans Wonderland Amusement Park in Ibadan has nothing but relics of what it used to be.It was considered the Nigeria’s Disney World. The park is filled with gadgets, like the roller-coaster, funky basket circles, flying chain chairs among others. The park is can be dated far back at 1988. It is also important to visit the historic park.
6. The Bower’s Tower
The Bower’s Tower is a place you can visit when you travel to Ibadan. The tower is over 60 feet tall tower, built on the hill top of Oke Are in Igbo Agala area of Ibadan. From this hill top tower, you can see some parts of Ibadan such as University of Ibadan, Cocoa House, Ife road. The tower was named after Captain Robert Lister Bower, a former Resident and Travelling Commissioner for Ibadan and the Interior of Yoruba land in the South Western Nigeria.
7. Mapo Hall
Mapo Hall is a historic hall in Ibadan. The hall was designed and constructed by Engineer Robert Taffy Jones, executed through direct-labor of the people in town and villages within Ibadan. The hall has a look of a museum showcasing relics of chains used for tax evaders of old Ibadan. If you want to see pictures of all past Ibadan kings, then you should visit the Mapo hall.
8. Liberty Stadium
For a football fan, if you are in Ibadan and didn’t Liberty Stadium then I doubt you love football. Liberty Stadium now called Obafemi Awolowo Stadium. It is the first stadium in Africa with up to 25000 seat capacity. The stadium is located in the city of Ibadan in case you want to visit this historic soccer pitch while in the state.
9. The Ventura Mall
After touring the city visiting historical places, you can head to the Filmhouse cinema situated at Ventura Mall, in the city of Ibadan. The Filmhouse is a fun place to enjoy blockbusters movie. You can order your favourite drink and a pack of popcorn while enjoying the movie.
10. Amala Buka
Another place is the local restaurant of Ibadan. It is where you can eat Amala with gbegiri ati ewedu. If you visit this state and you didn’t visit any amala joint around the corner, then your adventure to the city of Ibadan is incomplete.
11. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan
Another place to visit is the clearinghouse of knowledge for agriculture. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture is a training house for agricultural processes, procedures and products.
12. Fun Factory
Do not leave Ibadan without taking your family to Fun Factory. Your children would surely enjoy the theme pack designed for interactive entertainment.
