I-Saute

I-Saute is the new trampoline family play center in Laval.  I went there with my 5 and 6 year old boys and they had a blast!  The whole place is completely covered in trampolines so there is no danger of falling off which was my first concern when I first heard of this place.  There are different areas- some just for jumping where you can be impressed by watching some of the older participants who have clearly done gymnastics do impressive flips.  There are other areas where you can throw soft (nerf-like) balls at each other.  This seemed to be especially popular with the siblings in the place.  A basketball area, a tightrope area... All of it really fun!  It was a little expensive- it cost over 30$ for my two boys for an hour of jumping even after the facebook posting discount!  Monday evenings, however, they offer a $35 price for the whole family.  A good deal especially if you are part of a large family!  Despite the large price the boys had a very good time and gave them something a little different to do.  Make sure to wear socks if you go and if you have little kids  (6 and under) they have a reserved time for them on Friday mornings.

website: http://www.isaute.ca/en

Price: 

• Mon-Thurs: $12 for first hour, $8 for the second hour.
• Fri. - Sun: and holidays $14 for first hour, $8 for the second hour
• KID JUMP:  jumpers 6 yrs and under only.  Friday 10am-12pm $10/hr each jumper and one accompanying adult jumps for free.  
• 2 years & under FREE with a paying adult

Hours:

• Monday - Thursday 3-9pm
• Friday 10am-midnight
• Saturday 10am-midnight
• Sunday 11am-6pm

Free Swim

Swimming is a great, cheap activity to do with kids.  I often bring my children to the community pool and one of the best things is that it's free!  Most communities have a pool you can use that is either free or very affordable!  In the summer it's easy to spot them but in winter there are many indoor pools that are equally as accessible!  They often provide life jackets for the new swimmers and sometimes even some pool toys.  To find the pools in your area simply log onto your city's website and look under sports and recreation.
The Montreal on the Cheap blog has also made a nice list of many pools in montreal: http://www.montrealonthecheap.com/2013/08/montreal-public-swimming-2013-season/

Make sure to call ahead to know when the family free swim hours are and if there are any specific rules like required bathing caps.  And also, the bonus of bringing your kids swimming is that usually bedtime that evening is very easy as it knocks them out! :)

Place des Arts - Junior Theatre

Place des Arts has a whole range of programming geared for families with children of all ages for very reasonable prices. Known as 'PDA junior', families with kids as young as 3 can enjoy a fun, interactive play for just 8$ a person, or 25$ for a family of 4. I think it sounds like a great way to introduce children to theatre. It seems like most of the programming is only French but since a lot of families in Montreal are bilingual or want to expose their children to more French, it should be a great experience. Some things are a little more expensive but for the most part seem pretty reasonable.

Where:

• Place des Arts, various theatres
• 175, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montréal, QC H2X 1Z8

When:

• check the program on their site to see when the various shows are available.

Cost:

• 8$ and up

Ages:

• various shows have different age specifications but start at 2 and up.

Website:

• http://pdajunior.com/

Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec

The Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec is a neat little museum in St. Laurent that is offering creative art workshops for families.  Each weekend there are worskhops that last about 1 hour that explore a different artisanal art form.  The main series on right now is focused on glass.  Glass painting, beading, and mosaic will all be explored on different days.  Families with children 7 and up can participate for only 10$ for the whole family (2$ extra per person if more than 4).  Other projects allow families with children 5 and up to participate.  Please make sure to call to reserve first.  Should be a fun way to get creative with the kids!

When:

• Saturdays and Sundays
• 2 pm

Where:

• 615, avenue Sainte-Croix, Saint-Laurent, Montreal Qc H4L 3X6

Cost:

• 10$ for a family of 4, 2$ per extra person

Phone Number:

• 514-747-7367 ext. 7204

Website:

• http://www.mmaq.qc.ca/programme_famille_en.htm

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

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 - 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

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/

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

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