Ås: Parks, art and green meeting places

Ås offers plenty of reasons to spend time outdoors and discover something new: at NMBU Park, walks take in art and a remarkable variety of shrub and tree species. Rådhusparken offers a different setting, with green spaces, play equipment and exercise facilities. There are also protected campus buildings and convenient transport connections. You can tailor your stay to whether you mainly want to explore the park and campus or include central meeting places and the transport hub in your trip.

NMBU Park: walks among art and plants

NMBU Park in Ås covers about 800 decares and includes several areas suitable for walks. The park has around 1,100 different shrub and tree species. If you like to take a closer look, there are plenty of different plants to discover along the way through the park. These figures give an indication of the park’s size: it is a destination in its own right for anyone looking to include nature and exercise in their stay.

Art is also part of a visit to the park. An art walk takes in works by 21 artists. There is also a digital art walk on the NMBU campus. Its map marks artworks, monuments, busts and key buildings. The overview shows the variety of subjects and places found on campus, and offers a practical starting point for exploring. If you want to focus on art, you can plan this walk as a separate part of your visit; if you would rather simply stroll through green spaces, the park also has several walking areas.

Campus buildings and rocks

Eighteen buildings on the Ås campus are protected. Alongside the artworks, they give the campus another architectural focus. Geologihagen offers a different kind of discovery: rocks are displayed there, and the site provides information about them. This means the campus brings together several themes—artworks and monuments, protected buildings, and rocks to learn more about. You can plan your day around whichever interests you, without having to combine every attraction into a single walk.

Green space and play facilities in the centre

Rådhusparken is in the centre of Ås and has green spaces, exercise equipment for adults and play equipment for children. There are different options to suit different interests: exercising on the equipment, playtime for children or a break on the green space. In summer, the municipality lends out simple park games from the Paviljongen, including Kubb, boccia, outdoor chess and frisbee. If you would like to include these games in your plans, you will find several specific options there during the summer; the lending period is the summer.

The pool in the Borggården area of Rådhusparken is filled with water during the summer half of the year. The water is tested during the bathing season. The pool is another feature of this park, alongside its play and exercise equipment. Together with NMBU Park, it shows the different kinds of green spaces in Ås: a large park with walking areas and art, and a central park with opportunities for play and exercise.

Getting around and discovering more

Rådhusplassen is a useful landmark for getting around: it is close to a transport hub with bus and train connections. There is a bicycle hotel at the station, and several bicycle service stations in the centre of Ås. When looking for holiday accommodation, you can first consider what you want to focus on during your trip—park and campus, the facilities at Rådhusparken, or access to bus and train services.

Årungen rowing stadium, a national rowing facility, is also near Ås. If you would like to discover more places, you can also visit Vinterbro.

For the wider travel overview: Ås.