Art Workshops at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Here's a great oppurtunity to explore your creative side with your kids. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is offering free family art workshops one Sunday per month.  All workshops are bilingual and are first come, first served.
Price:

• free!

Location:

• Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Jean - Noel Desmarais Pavillion, 1380 Sherbrooke St. W, Mtl, QC H3G 1J5
• --> Cultural Corridor, level S1

Phone #:

• 514-285-1600 ext. 440

Website:

• http://www.mmfa.qc.ca/en/activites/activite_32.html

Pumpkin Picking

Halloween is just around the corner and an activity that's always fun for families is pumpkin picking. It's also a great outdoor before it gets too cold. All the pumpkins are already cut off the vine so all that needs to be done is to search for the perfect pumpkin. The kids will love trying to find the biggest pumpkin. After going pumpkin picking last year I was able to decorate my house with a little pumpkin for every step! - It helped that my son was still a baby and I could put the pumpkins in his stroller :) It's also fun that you need to take a hayride to get to the pumpkin patch. After picking your pumpkins you can also visit with some farm animals - always a favourite activity for my boys. Quinn Farm also offers apple picking at this time of year. They also have a great store where you can buy homemade goodies.


Price:

• Hayride: $2/person 2yrs +
• pumpkin: 0.40$/lb

Location: 2495 boul. Perrot sud, Notre-Dame de l'Île-Perrot, Québec, J7V 8P4

Phone: (514) 453-1510

Website: http://quinnfarm.qc.ca/index-e.php

I'm back

After a brief break I am back to my blog and will continue to report on interesting family activities around Montreal that I hear about and review those that I enjoy with my own family. I want to thank the readers that have still continued to come to my blog to find interesting activities even with my short break.

Tohu - Family Sundays

La Tohu is an organization affiliated with the Cirque du Soleil to promote circus arts in Montreal. During the summer they offer 'Family Sundays' which are described as big family parties filled with theatre, music, and running around! There is face painting, circus skills demonstrations, theatre, and many interactive workshops for parents and children. It has a wide range of activities for all members of the family and best of all: it's free!

Price: free!

Location: 2345, Jarry Street East (corner of Iberville) Montreal (Quebec) H1Z 4P3

Phone #: 514 374-3522

When:

• Sundays from July 26, 2009 - August 23, 2009
• activities start at 1:30pm and show start at 3:00pm

Website: http://www.tohu.ca/en/activities/item.aspx?aid=320

Matsuri Japon - A Japanese Festival

Matsuri Japon is an annual event celebrating Japanese culture. The festival will be held on Saturday, August 1 and is organized like a traditional festival that would be held in Japan. There will be presentations of traditional Japanese dancing (Bon Odori), Taiko drummers playing Japanese music, demonstrations of martial arts, free games for children to play, commercial booths and of course food! Participants are encouraged to participate in the dancing and drumming and can even try on a traditional Yukata!



Location:

• Old Port of Montreal (Bonsecours Island)

Price: free!

When:

• Sat., Aug. 1, 2009
• 2:00pm - 9:00pm

Website: http://festivaljapon.com/index.html

affordable, aug, big kids, little kids, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

Shakespeare in the Park: "As You Like It"

Free theatre in the park from July 24, 2009 - Aug. 16, 2009. Bring your older kids and teens to see a Shakespeare play right in your own neighborhood park. This year the repercussion theatre is performing the comedy "As You Like It". It is absolutely free (although donations are accepted) but are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the local food bank. Just bring yourself a folding chair and enjoy the show!

Location: various parks around the city

Price: free!!

Dates: July 24, 2009 - Aug. 16, 2009

Website: http://www.repercussiontheatre.com/en/
affordable, big kids, educational, aug, july, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

Italian Week Aug 7-16 2009

Italian Week is back! Various activities will take place all over Montreal. It kicks off in NDG on Saturday, August 8 with a full day of activities including soccer and bocce tournaments, inflatable games for children, concerts, car exhibits and more. Then other days there are events in Old Montreal, R.D.P., St.-Leonard, Lasalle and others. All have music, food and activities for kids. One show in particular that should be fun for children will be the Carpe Diem circus show on Saturday, Aug. 15 on St. Laurent Blvd in Little Italy.

Location: all over the city

Days:

• Aug 7 - Aug 16

Price: free!

Website: http://www.semaineitaliennedemontreal.com/index.php

affordable, aug, big kids, little kids, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

Weekends du Monde- Parc Jean Drapeau

Parc Jean Drapeau is holding cultural two weekends in July. There will be lots of different events taking place all over the park representing countries such as Cuba, Jamaica, Romania, Haiti and more. All events will be filled with music, food, games and animations and most things are absolutely free! It should be a lot of fun for the whole family and diverse enough for everyone to see something they like. Check out the website for the program because there is a lot going on!

Location:

• Parc Jean Drapeau

Price: free!

Hours:

• July 25-26
• 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Website: Weekends du Monde

affordable, big kids, july, little kids, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

International Hot Air Balloon Festival

The International Hot Air Balloon Festival is an annual event about 30 minutes away from Montreal in St. Jean sur Richelieu. There are 115 hot air balloons, including many special shapes, major shows, and a huge site that hosts an incredible variety of animation activities. There is a fair with rides for older kids and adults as well as a designated area for toddlers. There is face painting, a petting zoo, mini putt, concerts... too many things to describe in one post. It's also a family friendly area with changing tables, breastfeeding room and stroller rentals available.

Address:

• 5, chemin de l'Aéroport, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, J3B 7B5

Phone #:

• 450-347-9555

Price:

• 0-2: free
• 3-12: $7.00
• 13 +: $15.00
• **Family rates available
• **Nine day passes available
• Parking: $5.00

Hours:

• Aug. 8 -16
• Weekends: 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
• Week: 3:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Website: http://www.ballooncanada.com/

animals, aug, big kids, little kids, outdoor, teens, wheelchair

Fete de la Famille- Centre de la Nature Laval

The Nature Center in Laval will be hosting a free Family Day on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009. It is a fun-filled day with street performers, musical acts for all ages, face painting, inflatable games and many other surprises.

Address:

• 901, avenue du Parc, Laval (Québec) H7E 2T7

Telephone #:

• 450 662-4942
  

Price: free!

Hours:

• Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009
• 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
  

Website: Fete de la Famille 2009

affordable, animals, big kids, little kids, sept, outdoor, wheelchair

The Centre de la Nature - Laval

The Nature Center in Laval is a really nice place for famillies with young children to go. It has a little farm with pigs, cows, horses, donkeys... you name it! Kids can even take a pony ride for $3.00. There is also a little train that takes you around the park for $3.00/person. Aside from a lot of green space there is a lake where you can rent canoes or kayaks and two great parks with a lot of different games for kids. There are also two pools on the edge of the park (for big and little kids). It truly is a place you can spend the whole day in! Bring a picnic lunch or grab some lunch at the little restaurant.
My kids review: They had a great time! There were so many little activities for them that they couldn't get bored. We went from looking at the animals, to riding on the train, to playing in the park, to looking at fish and turtles in the lake and back to the animals... It was a busy and very fun day!

Address:

• 901, avenue du Parc, Laval (Québec) H7E 2T7

Telephone #:

• 450 662-4942

Price:

• Entrance to the park is free! $3.00 fee for pony rides and train rides.

Hours:

• Everyday from 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

Website: http://www.info.ville.laval.qc.ca/ms/centre_nature/index.html

Labyrinth in the Old Port

The Labyrinthe du Hangar 16 is a huge maze right in Old Montreal. There are lots of winding hallways to go through with obstacles to climb, slide down or figure out! Kids and parents of all ages will enjoy this adventure with a pirate theme. It takes between an hour to an hour and a half to complete it. They are open from mid-May to Halloween. Unfortunately, due to the obstacles, strollers or wheelchairs cannot go through the maze.

Location:

• The Shed 16 Labyrinth is located at Clock Tower Pier Entrance of the Old Port of Montréal, near Berri Street.

Phone #: (514) 499-0099

Price:

• 3 and under: free
• 4-12: $10.50
• 13-17:$13.00
• 18-59: $14.00
• 60 +: $13.00
• ** Coupons available on their website and the POM guide as well as family rates

Hours:

• Everyday from 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Website: http://labyrintheduhangar16.com/en/index.html

Montreal Science Center and Imax

The Montreal Science Center is located in Old Montreal. It is a museum filled a wide variety of with science related interactive games and displays to completely engage both children and adults. The science center is also the place to watch the latest IMAX 3D movies. The current movies are "Under the Sea 3D" (where you can explore the deep waters of Australia, New Guinea and other exotic South Pacific regions) or "U23D" (a live U2 concert in 3D).

Location:

• located on King Edward Pier, in the Old Port. The Pier is essentially the extension of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, south of de la Commune Street.

Phone #:

• 514 496-4724

Price:

For exhibits and Under the Sea 3D movie:

• 4-12: $15.00
• 13-17: $18.00
• 18-59: $20.00
• 60 +: $18.00
• *** other prices for only IMAX movie
• *** rebates available (info on website)

Hours:

• Mon- Sat: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
• Sun: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
• ** Check IMAX schedule online

Website: http://www.montrealsciencecentre.com/en/index.htm

Circus school

Montreal has a circus school! It offers courses for children, teens and adults but also has Sunday family workshops. From the website: "These activities allow families to have fun together in a circus ring which has been completely laid out with specialized equipment. Family workshops give both young and old an opportunity to try out 6 circus techniques such as acrobatics, trampoline, juggling, fixed trapeze, fabric, balance on balls, spools, and rola-bola as well as the tightrope. Each workshop is supervised and safety is ensured by a qualified animator." The workshops last 3 hours and children as young as 3 can participate. It only runs about 6 sundays a year so you have to check the website for the dates.

Location:

• 5190, boul. LaSalle Verdun (Québec) H4H 1N8

Phone #:

• 514 768-5812

Price:

• 3-4: free
• 5-17: $11.50
• 18 +: $13.50

Website: http://e-cirqueverdun.com/home

Skating Rink - Atrium Le 1000

Here's a great place to bring the family- an indoor skating rink in the middle of downtown! This indoor rink is open year-round and is always a lot of fun. You can rent skates for $5.50 and even children's helmets for $1.00. For beginning skaters they have supports that you can hold on to. There is lively music to skate to and plenty of restaurants around if you get hungry. There is also a special hour Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10:30 am - 11:30 am for children 12 and under and their parents.

Address: Atrium Le 1000 De La Gauchetière 1000, rue De La Gauchetière Street West

Price:

• adults (18+): $6.00
• children (12-):$4.00
• students/seniors: $5.00
• ***special family and fidelity prices

Hours:

• Mon - Fri: 11:30 am - 6:00 pm
• Sat: 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
• Sun: 11:30 - 6:00 pm

Website: http://www.le1000.com/en/atrium_intro.asp

SkyVenture Montreal

I came across this activity and I think it could be a lot of fun for older kids and teenagers. SkyVenture is an indoor free-fall simulator. This is the description from their website: "It’s an opportunity to experience the sensation of free-fall. Imagine a 14 foot cylindrical diameter vertical tube that is 45 foot tall in which the airstream is passing at a speed of 175 km per hour. Once inside the wind tunnel, you will have a real sense of what skydivers experience during the free-fall portion of their jump, which is generally done from 13 500 to 3 500 feet of altitude at a speed of 200 km an hour. All of that in an environment so secure that it is even accessible to children aged of 4 years and older."
It's quite expensive at over $60 per person but seems like a really exciting thing to do. The whole session including training should last about 2 hours and it's recommended to reserve ahead of time.

Location:

• Centropolis 2700, av. du Cosmodôme Laval (Québec) Canada H7T 2X1

Price:

• 2 flights: $65.47
• 4 flights: $114.00
• ** Different prices at off-peak times and combined with other people. Check website for details.

Hours:

• Mon - Thurs: 1:00 pm - 11:00 pm
• Fri- Sun: 9:00 am - 11:00 pm

Website: http://www.skyventuremontreal.com/en/home

La Ronde

The major theme park of Montreal, La Ronde is definently a place every family should go at least once. It has over 40 rides and attractions including quite a few rollercoasters. There is a special area designated for younger children but the park is more geared for older kids. It's quite an expensive outing but if you intend to go more than a couple of times you can buy season passes. They are selling mid-season passes right now for $53.00 if you buy it online, which is only about $19 more than a one day pass. Another way to save a little money is to bring your own picnic lunch because the snack areas are pricey.

Price:

• 2 and under: free
• Person 54'' or more: $38.98
• Less than 54'': $25.50
• After 5pm (except fireworks nights): $24.95
• Over 65: $25.50
• **** Most tickets are $5.00 less if bought online
• ****Many coupons available (details on website)

Address:

• 22 Chemin Macdonald Île Sainte-HélèneMontréal (Québec) H3C 6A3

Hours:

• Everyday: 11:00am-9:00pm (until 11:30pm on fireworks nights)

Website: http://laronde.sixflags.com/larondeen/

Hydro-Quebec tours

Bring your kids to learn all about how we get electricity. Hydro-Quebec is offering free tours of their facilities all over Quebec. In and around Montreal you can visit their head office in Montreal or the Riviere-des-Prairies Generating Station. At the generating station the tour lasts about 75 minutes and after you can even enjoy the facilities on a bike path, walking trail or even go fishing! They recommend wearing flat and closed shoes for the tour.

Price: free!

Rivieres-des-Prairies hours:

• Wed.-Sun: 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30am, 2:00pm and 3:30pm

Website: http://www.hydroquebec.com/visit/index.html

affordable, aug, big kids, educational, indoor, july, museum, outdoor

Granby Zoo

Granby Zoo is located about 40 minutes from Montreal. It is a big zoo with over 1000 animals of 200 different species including elephants, giraffes, gorillas, lions, rhinos... all the typical zoo animals. There is also an amusement park with a lot of rides including a roller coaster and a big water park. It's a great zoo with a lot of animals but very expensive.

Address:

• 1050, boul. David-Bouchard Granby (Quebec)

Price:

• under 3: free
• 3-12: $21.49
• 13-64: $32.99
• 65+: $25.49
• 2 adult + 2 children: $99.00

Hours:

• Everyday (until Aug.30) 10 am - 7 pm

Website: http://www.zoodegranby.com/en/accueil.htm

Loblaws Cooking Classes for kids

Loblaws offers great cooking workshops for kids of different ages during the weekends. They range from as young as 3 to teens of 16. Schedules vary by store so check your local store for what's available.

Website: http://www.loblaws.ca/qcen/4630.aspx

Dollar Cinema

The Dollar Cinema is an affordable movie theater which shows slightly older movies (after other theaters but before DVD release). They also show older movies and looney toon cartoons. The entrance is $2/person and all the snacks are $1 each. It isn't as fancy as the more pricey movie theaters but a great alternative especially if you have quite a few kids to bring.

Address:

• 6900 Décarie Boulevard

Price:

• Admission: $2.00
• Snacks: $1.00

Hours:

• various schedules, check newspapers or website

Website: http://www.dollarcinema.ca/

Beach - Parc Jean Drapeau

A beach right on the island. Great especially for those without access to a car. Nice beach, clean water, volleyball courts and play structures for little kids. There are picnic areas as well as a restaurant on site.

Location:

• Parc Jean Drapeau on Ile Ste.-Helene

Price:

• 5 and under: free
• 6-13: $4.00
• 14 +: $8.00
• 65+: $7.00
• Family: $20.00

Hours:

• June 19 - Aug. 23
• 10 am - 7 pm

Website: http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/54-The_Beach-event.html

Dragon Boat Festival

A fun event coming up is the Dragon Boat Festival on July 25 and 26. Aside from the dragon boat races which will feature over 200 teams from all over North America there will be live entertainment: Folk dancing and music groups from various cultural communities, children's drawing contests, and ethnic delicacies. It will be held at the Olympic Basin in Parc Jean Drapeau.

Location:

• Olympic Basin in Parc Jean Drapeau

Price:

• free!
• Parking: $12.00 /day
• ***free shuttle buses from 10 am - 6 pm from de la Gauchetiere St. W and St. Urbain

Hours:

• July 25 and 26
• 7 am - 6 pm

Website: http://www.montrealdragonboat.com/english/events.php

affordable, big kids, july outdoor

La Fete des Enfants

This is a free event for families with children 12 and under. It will be held mid-August in Parc Jean Drapeau on Ile Ste.-Helene. It has lots of activities for children of all ages including singing, music and dancing. There will be face painting, inflated structures and lots of games. There will also be free STM service on the Sat and Sun of the festival.

Location:

• Ile Ste-Helene

Price: free!

Hours:

• Fri. Aug. 14: 1 pm-6 pm
• Sat Aug. 15 - Sun Aug. 16: 9 am-6 pm

Website: http://www.fetedesenfants.ca/

affordable, aug, big kids, little kids, outdoor, summer

Beach - St. Zotique

The St.-Zotique beach is located about 45 mins from Montreal. It is not just a beach but has lots of activities for young and old. You can rent kayaks, canoes or pedalos. There are also parks for young and old kids, a skateboard, paintball, soccer fields, tennis courts... There is plenty of space to picnic and you can even rent BBQ's. It's also open during the winter where the lake is on ice and many winter activities are offered. It's certainly a full day at St. Zotique beach!

Location:

• 1250 principaleSt-Zotique, Qc. JOP 1ZO
• The beach is located off Hwy 20 west at exits 6 or 9

Price:

• adults 13 and older: $9.00
• seniors :$7.00
• children under 41'' (height): free
• children 42"-50":$3.00
• children 51"-60": $5.00

Hours:

• Everyday from 9am-8pm

Website: St.-Zotique Beach

Biodome

The Montreal Biodome is great place for kids and adults to learn about and explore 5 different ecosystems of the Americas. There are animals such as crocodiles, monkeys, a diverse array of birds, many species of fish, penguins and many, many more. Cameras are allowed but without flash.

My kids review: I went when my son was quite young so although he did enjoy seeing the animals, it was a little pricey for what he got out of it. I would go again when they are a bit older.

Address:

• 4777 avenue Pierre-De Coubertin, Montréal, Québec H1V 1B3

Price:

• under 2: free
• 2-4: $2.50
• 5-17: $8.00
• Adults: $16.00
• Students and Seniors: $12.00
• **** Special package rates when combined with Insectarium and Botanical Gardens

Hours:

• Everyday 9am-6pm (during the summer)

Website: Montreal Biodome

Zig Zag Zoo

Zig Zag Zoo is a huge family fun center just west of Montreal. A huge playground with slides, tunnels, mazes, tubes, climbing walls and more. Geared for children aged 6 months to 12 years old. All participants (including parents) have to have socks on and you cannot bring any outside food.

Address:

• 980 St-Charles, Vaudreuil-Dorion, J7V 8P5

Price:

• 0-6 months: free
• 6-11 months: $1.00 ($2.00 on weekends)
• 12 months - 3 years: $6.00 ($8.00 on weekends)
• 4-12: $9.00 ($11.00 on weekends)
• adults: $3.00

Hours:

• Sun - Mon: 9:30 am - 5pm
• Tues- Thurs: 9:30 am - 4pm
• Fri- Sat: 9:30 am - 7pm

Brome Fair

The Brome fair is an annual event located about an hour away from Montreal. It takes place over 4 days on the first weekend in September. There are animals including a petting zoo, farm animals on display and a reptile show. The fair also has many rides and attractions all included in the entrance fee.

Price:

• Admission: $10.00 per person
• Parking: $5.00/day
• *** $7.00 for seniors and children on Fri, Sept. 4

Location:

• 345 Stagecoach Road, Brome, QC

Website: http://www.bromefair.com/en/

big kids, little kids, outdoor, sept

Just For Laughs

The Just For Laughs festival is an annual tradition here in Montreal and is always a great place with different activities for the whole family. It is located downtown near Ste. Catherine and St. Denis. There are many street performers including acrobats, clowns, mimes and many more surprises. There is a huge area with large video games of guitar hero and Rock Band. There will also be a couple of parades including the ever-popular twins parade. The twins parade is July 18th.

Price:

• free

Location:

• downtown near Ste. Catherine and St. Denis

Website: http://www.hahaha.com/

affordable, july, outdoor, teens

Toons for Toddlers

Here's another great idea for little children. The creators of 'movies for mommies' have come up with "Toons for Toddlers". Children aged 2-5 can enjoy a short movie with their parent. It costs $5 per child and free for the accompanying adult. The movies are shorter than traditional movies (about an hour in length) and the lights are kept dim. There is also a changing table inside the movie theatre so you don't need to miss any of the movie.
My two year old loved going to see a movie! Although my son didn't quite make it through the whole movie I thought it was a great introduction for toddlers. I will definently keep going because, at that price, it's a fun, low cost activity.

Price:

• toddler: $5
• parent: free

Website: http://www.toonsfortoddlers.com/

Aquadome

The Aquadome is an indoor family aquatics center located in Lasalle. It has a special section for small children with a large fountain and small slide. For older children and adults there is also a deep pool where you could swim laps or have fun with the different water toys. Huge windows make it really nice and sunny and very pleasant.

The aquadome also rents party rooms for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Just bring your own food and make sure to clean up after and it makes a great birthday party venue!
My kids review: They absolutely loved it! They went in the water right away and weren't at all scared because they could go in the pool gradually because of the small slope. Just make sure that there is at least one adult per small child!

Address:

• 1411 rue Lapierre, Lasalle, QC

Price:

• 3 and under: $1.50
• 4-16: $2.50
• 17-54: $3.50
• 55 +: $2.50
• ***Reduced rates for holders of the Lasalle Access card

Hours:

• Mon - Fri: 10:30 am - 8:25 pm
• Sat - Sun: 12:00 pm - 6:55 pm

Website: http://www.aquadome-lasalle.com/

Lachine Fireworks

Here are some more fireworks to enjoy with your family. Lachine is offering fireworks courtesy of Croisière Évasion Plus. Fireworks displays at 10:15 p.m. on July 9 and 23, and on August 1st, 13 and 20. Bring your chair, the fireworks are visible from the waterfronts of lac Saint-Louis (between 6e Avenue 32e Avenue)

Address: St. Joseph, Lachine

Lachine is located off of Highway 20 (where it merges with Highway 13).

Price: free!!!

affordable, aug, big kids, july, outdoor, teens

Children's Museum

The children's museum is located in Laval and is a great place for little kids! Some of the things they can do is climb into a real ambulance or police car or even explore a dark cave. They can pretend to be farmers, police officers, singing stars, astronauts, you name it. There are 18 different stations and as you walk in the vibrant guides let the kids know that they can touch everything. This is a great rainy day activity.
My kids review: My kids absolutely loved this place! They could run around, touch everything they want. They loved the fire truck and my two year old actually made up a rock version of "eensy weensy spider" when he saw himself on the tv in the rock star area. They didn't want to leave.

Address:

• 3805 Cure-Labelle Blvd, Chomedey, Laval H7P 0A5

Price:

• under 18 months: free
• children: $12.40
• adults: $7.10
• seniors: $6.20

Hours:

• Mon - Thurs: 9am-5pm
• Fri - Sun: 9am-6pm

Website: http://www.museepourenfants.com/eng/musee.html

Fireworks

Loto-Quebec is presenting the International Fireworks competition again this year. The competition runs from June 9, 2009 until August 22, 2009 only on Saturdays this year. They start at 10:00pm You can buy tickets to go see them at Laronde but there are many places around Montreal that you can see them free such as Longueil, on the Jacques Cartier Bridge, ot the Old Port of Montreal. Check out the website for the official schedule.

Website: http://www.internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com/en/

affordable, aug, big kids, july, outdoor, teens

Movies in the park

Virgin radio 96 is offering movies in the park this year in different parks across the city. All you have to do is bring your lawn chair and they provide the movie and even free food! Typically they are on Wednesday nights and the food starts around 7pm. Some of the movies offered this year are "Slumdog Millionaire", "Bride Wars" , "Mall Cop", "17 Again", "Monsters Vs. Aliens" and much more. Check out their website for dates and locations.

Price: free!!!

Website: http://montreal.virginradio.ca/events/29516

affordable, aug, big kids, july, outdoor, teens

Beach - Cap St. Jacques

A really fun, clean beach to bring the kids too. It's not too big and the water is shallow for quite a long distance so little kids can enjoy the water too. There's lots of sand to build great sand castles and life guards are on duty.

Address:

• 21115, boulevard Gouin Ouest, Pierrefonds

Price:

• under 5: free
• 6-17: $3.00
• 18 +: $4.50
• parking: $7.00

Hours:

• everyday 10am - 7pm

Website: Cap St. Jacques beach

Visit a New Park

This isn't a specific place for an activity but an idea that my kids love to do. We sometimes go to a different park in a different neighborhood and have a great time simply because it's new to us. Some great parks to try are Westmount Park- lot's of green space and plenty of park equipment. Lasalle Park in Lachine - two pools, lots of green space, tennis courts, skateboard area. Girouard Park in N.D.G.- great new facilities including a fun new water play area. Parc Lafontaine is a big park with lots of green space, manmade lake with ducks and great park equipment. Go out and explore because sometimes it's just fun because it's new to you.

Here's a list of some parks from wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Montreal_parks

EcoMuseum

The ecomuseum is a zoo with rescued North American animals. There are more than 100 different species of animals such as bears, racoons, porcupines, otters, eagles... way too many to list. It's a fun place at an affordable price.
My kids review: We go to the ecomuseum often and my kids love to look at all the animals. One of our favourite animals to look at are the racoons as they are active all of the time. The bears and otters are also a big hit. It's also a safe place for the kids to run around on their own.

Address:

• 21 125 chemin Sainte-MarieSainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Qc, H9X 3Y7

Price:

• 2 and under: free
• 3-15: $7.50
• 16-64: $12.50
• 65 +: $10.00

Hours:

• Everyday 9am - 5pm

Website: http://www.ecomuseum.ca/home.html

Village du Pere Noel

Santa's Village is located about 45 minutes from Montreal but is a great place for young children. There is a large petting zoo where children can pet different animals such as goats and donkeys. The animals are very docile. The rest of the village consists of tons of activities that little kids can do. There are trains that the kids can ride on, slides to slide down, small water park. Children can make music, ride around in little cars and, of course, visit Santa Clause. There is ample space to picnic but there is also a little restaurant where you can buy lunch. Generally geared towards little kids up to age 10.

My kids review: They loved this place. Very age appropriate (they are 17 months and 2). One of their favourite things to do was to ride the little train.

Address:

• 987, rue Morin - Val-David (Québec) J0T 2N0

Price:

• Under 2: free
• 2-65: $12.50
• 65+: $10.00

***coupon available on the website or in the POM Guide

Hours:

• Everyday 10 am-6 pm

Website: http://www.noel.qc.ca/en/

Farm - Cap St. Jacques

The Cap St.Jacques nature park has a fully functional organic farm that anybody can visit. Animals include cows, horses, pigs, sheep, donkeys... all the basic farm animals. Kids can freely roam around and observe the animals. There is also plenty of space to picnic. It's also free to explore, you just have to pay the parking which is $7.00 a day (there is no hourly rate).

My kids review: My kids adore coming to this farm! They get to see their favourite farm animals from "Old MacDonald had a Farm" up close and personal. There is also a lot of space for them to run around without me being nervous about them getting into too much trouble.

Address:

• Cap St. Jacques visitor's center: 20099, boul. Gouin Ouest
• Farm: 183, chemin du Cap-Saint-Jacques, in Pierrefonds

Price:

• Price: free entrance
• Parking: $7.00

Website: Cap St. Jacques Farm