Kid-friendly attractions in Ottawa, Montreal, & Quebec City?

[SASM]

x-post: not sure where to post. We are interested in travelling to Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City and are looking for things to do with a 6, 4, & 1.5yo. I already know about IKEA & Winterlude in Ottawa (sounds awesome!) ~ we are hoping that the "sleigh rentals" are a stroller-type thing for DD2!! So...can you tell me about these cities? Any fun suggestions for the kids ~ indoor, outdoor. seasonal?

DH & I love museums but the kids...not so much...but I'd love those suggestions for us in the future. ;)

THANK YOU!!!

[gigoteuse]

When are you planning on going? I'm from Quebec city (although I have been living in Ontario for 10 years now, so I may not be up to date...) and I might be able to help. For a winter visit, there is a place north of Quebec city where you can go for outdoor activities (tubing, skating etc) and there is the winter carnival (January 30th-February 15th; http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/home.html). But I have to warn you, Quebec city in winter is COLD!!! As can be Ottawa, Montreal may be a bit warmer...

There is good shopping, Place Ste-Foy, Place Laurier and Galeries de la Capitale. I usually go to the first two, but I know that Galeries de la Capitale has rides for kids. There is also an aquarium (http://www.sepaq.com/paq/en/). They have polar bears, walrus and seals outdoors and still have feeding sessions for the public in winter. The indoor part isn't the best, they decided to showcase fish from the surrounding ecosystems and they are populated by grey fishes of different shapes, but at the end, to my daughter and niece (and me) they start to look the same pretty quickly. On the other hand, they have an exhibit where you get to touch starfish, see urchins and others and they also have a big tunnel you walk through. Half a day is more than enough to see everything (unless your kids are really into fish).

That's all I can think of, when I go it is to visit family and it is usually keeping us quite busy (that and shopping...).

Let me know if you have more questions about Quebec city.

[MontrealMum]

Since you mentioned Winterlude, I'm assuming you're coming in winter? Can you give me an idea of when? I live in Montreal, obviously, but can also sort of answer questions about Ottawa and to a lesser extent, Quebec. The *big* winter attraction is actually Carnival http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/ in Quebec. (also already mentioned by pp - I obviously am having huge mommy-brain this weekend).

There are a number of kid-friendly museums in all three places. Let me think about this a bit and get a list together. I am presently working in a museum so I'm pretty familiar with what's out there, I just don't want to suggest something that's not as friendly to younger kids. Is your youngest used to going to museums and up for it? Mine is 17 mos. but is just way to energetic and loud to do many museums, but if yours is calmer there are some great places in all three cities.

It will be very cold and parking is a PITA in all three cities for different reasons. The food is great, and all of Montreal is smoke free which is great when you have kids. Let me know if there's a particular type of food you'd like to have - QC is wonderful for true French cuisine or traditional Quebecoise food, but you can get both here in Montreal. Mom2BinSD could tell you more about that for Ottawa.

DH and I are very outdoorsy so many of the activities that I could suggest will lean towards that. There is an outdoor skating place North of Quebec that involves animals that I think that's supposed to be pretty cool...let me see if DH can remember what it's called. All the Sepaq parks are great for XC skiing: http://www.sepaq.com/index-en.html There is wonderful downhill skiing all over Quebec, to a lesser extent near Ottawa. Ottawa's big outdoor thing is skating on the Rideau (pp mentioned) and skiing in the Gatineau.

[mikeys_mom]

I answered your PM about Ottawa and just saw this post.

We visit family in Montreal fairly often and our two main indoor winter activities are the Biodome and Exporail (train museum)

Biodome is sort of like an indoors zoo. There are 3 or 4 different ecosystems that you walk through (rain forest, laurentian forest I think and antarctic). Each area has different animals plants and trees and of course different temperatures.

Exporail is on the south shore of Montreal and is really only accesible if you are driving. It is an enormous building filled with restored trains and street cars from the really early days to modern times. Many of them you can climb into and pretend to drive, or see how the engines work. There is also a small room with an extensive model train system. For DS, his favorite part is that you can go outside and take a ride on a street car that then takes you to a short ride on a commuter train and then on a mini train. If you are visiting in the winter, I believe the outdoor train rides are not running. I forget what month they start up again, usually once the snow has melted.

There is also a tour you can do in Old Montreal where you basically walk underneath the city streets and see parts of the old city. I can't remember details, but we used to go there on school trips and it was fun. I will ask my mother - she teaches grade 3 & 4 in Montreal and takes her students on trips around the city.

[MontrealMum]

I cannot for the life of me remember that skating place with animals near Quebec City. DH thinks it's the Duchesnay, which is a Sepaq park, but I'm not sure. Anyways, here the English version of Tourisme Quebec for the region: http://www.quebec-guidetouristique.travel/index_en.aspx

In Ottawa:
-The Museum of Civilization usually has programming for kids: http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/index_e.aspx?ArticleID=16451
-Here is a link for the Canadian Aviation Museum: http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/visit_us/at_the_museum/ I have no idea if this is appropriate for your kids or not, but thought I'd put it there for you to look at.
-And again, if you're skiers, the Gatineau: http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-16299-10170&lang=1
-I would not recommend going up the Peace Tower with a 1 1/2 year old, and you're not Canadian so it might not mean much to you, but here's some info on that: http://www.parl.gc.ca/collections/carillon-e.htm

In Montreal:
-Right now there is a special about Caillou and the Inuit at the Biodome: http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome/site/gabarit.php?dossier=visite&page=expositions&menu=expositions&langue=en
-Pointe-a-Calliere museum is an archeological museum devoted to the history of New France and is good for kids. The tours and "movie" are offered in English and French: http://www.pacmusee.qc.ca/index.aspx?lang=EN-CA It's in Old Montreal.
-Here is the website of the McCord Museum, which is downtown: http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/ They always have lots on for kids.

The Fort on Ile-Ste-Helene is pretty cool, but I think they're closed this winter for construction, as is Ferme Angrignon. A number of other sites are closed because it is winter.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions, and I'll post again if I remember anything.

I don't know how you're getting here, but DH brought up a good point about car rentals and snow tires (if you're renting that is). The province of QC has a new snow tire law requiring that all vehicles here have them - and it's about time! The law does not apply to vehicles outside the province if you are driving up. Anyways, if you are renting it would be a good idea to rent your car in Quebec (I'm assuming you'd flying into Mtl since it's the biggest airport of the three?)...rather than in Ottawa. All rental vehicles will have them, whereas they will not out of Ottawa. Just something to think about. I don't remember where you live but it's pretty cold here all winter(even when we're not having a terrible cold snap) and the roads are really bad.

[SASM]

Thank you so much, ladies!!

I looked into all of your info and sent links to DH. I am kind of afriad to check our QC b/c of the cold (it is CCCCCOLD where I am but QC MUST be REALLLLLY COLD d/t the ice hotel so...we'll see about a winter trip. That being said, I am sooooooo intriqued by the hotel!!! I had NO IDEA there was an ice hotel in North America...very cool! Maybe we can check out Carnival next year as we are definitely doing Winterlude/Ottawa in a few weeks.

Any ideas for non-winter activities in all three cities?? I CANNOT believe that I am about to say this, but I saw a special on Travel Channel about unique McDonald's throughout the world and I am very intrigued by one in either Montreal or QC (cannot remember)...and I DO NOT even go to McD's!!! :) UGH!!

[MamaBear]

We took our son to the Canadian Museum of Civilisation when we visited Montreal last Feb/March; there's a kids' museum section which is wonderful. If you go to Parliament Hill, you can visit the cats (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Parliamentary_Cats). The Market area is fun and interesting. There's a science museum, although I haven't been there in many many years. We also went to the war museum with our son.

Montreal's Biodome is fantastic! It's out at the site of the 1976 Olympics. And on our last visit to Montreal I met up with a friend at a marvellous place for parents and kids, called Maman, Bebe et Cafe (http://php.mamanbebecafe.com/). My son and I both loved it. As I mentioned in my other reply, we stayed at the Loews Hotel on our last visit, and it was very kid-friendly (although we did have some issues with the restaurant). In Ottawa, my favourite hotel is ARC, a boutique hotel, but if you're looking for a suite hotel, Minto Place is nice (just a bit off the beaten track for the Market, etc.).

(PS - in my reply to your other post, I guess I needn't have gone on about shopping in Toronto!)

[SASM]

We took our son to the Canadian Museum of Civilisation when we visited Montreal last Feb/March; there's a kids' museum section which is wonderful. If you go to Parliament Hill, you can visit the cats (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Parliamentary_Cats). The Market area is fun and interesting. There's a science museum, although I haven't been there in many many years. We also went to the war museum with our son.
This is OTTAWA, right? Not Montreal? :) How old was your DS when you went to the war museum./ We actually went to the Canadian Museum of Civilisation over the weekend (plan on going back to Ottawa in a few weeks for Winterlude) and my kids really liked the Children's Museum. We wandered around a small section of the "native" section, where there are totum poles and floor to ceiling glass overlooking the city scape. Anyway...my kids were interested in that section but obviously I wanted to read and they wanted to wander and just look. So...there is HOPE for my seeing actual museums!! I know that I will want to immerse myself in the W ar Museum and I am not sure how my kids will respond at almost 4 and almost 6. :)


Montreal's Biodome is fantastic! It's out at the site of the 1976 Olympics. And on our last visit to Montreal I met up with a friend at a marvellous place for parents and kids, called Maman, Bebe et Cafe (http://php.mamanbebecafe.com/). My son and I both loved it. As I mentioned in my other reply, we stayed at the Loews Hotel on our last visit, and it was very kid-friendly (although we did have some issues with the restaurant). In Ottawa, my favourite hotel is ARC, a boutique hotel, but if you're looking for a suite hotel, Minto Place is nice (just a bit off the beaten track for the Market, etc.).
Thank you! I will definitely check out that site.


(PS - in my reply to your other post, I guess I needn't have gone on about shopping in Toronto!)
Shopping & dining reccs in Toronto are VERY welcome! We used to go there A LOT pre-kids and LOVED that city! We are still planning on visiting Toronto but have a better grasp on that city, although it is always changing...so again reccs are very welcome! For example, we really liked the concept of Marche restaurant (& Movenpick) in Eaton Centre. I was looking online to see if there were any others around and discovered that they changed their name. I was worried that the restaurant closed. So...love reccs!

[MontrealMum]

I am not aware of any special McD's in Montreal, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. I would imagine maybe that it's in QC in a historic building or something? Their Old Town is much more extensive. On the route up north there is a McD's at a service centre that's built in the style of old Quebec stone houses - but it's not historical or anything (because there was no white settlement up there in that era) so I can't imagine that that's the "special" one you're thinking of.

If you come to Mtl. in summer there are more museums and sites to visit that close during the winter months. The Maison St.-Gabriel will be open: http://www.maisonsaint-gabriel.qc.ca/ as well as the Stewart Fort on Ile-Ste-Helene (I think, it may be undergoing renovations). Also, just south of the city is Fort Chambly http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/qc/fortchambly/index_e.asp The Fur Trade Museum out in Lachine will also be open: http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/qc/lachine/ne/index_e.asp I would still recommend the McCord and Pointe-a-Calliere. There are other smaller museums and churches in Old Montreal that will be open in nicer weather too. I can't remember how old your oldest is, but if your DC are into cars and racing there is the Gilles Villeneuve museum just south of town: http://www.museegillesvilleneuve.com/english/_._.html I've never been since I'm not a racing fan.

Quebec City's Old Town, both Upper and Lower is amazing. I won't bother to list it all because there is too much to do. I posted a link to Tourisme Quebec in a post above I think. You should definately walk the Plains of Abraham. We stayed at the Chateau Frontenac last time (amazing points deal) and had breakfast there---the view is breathtaking and their breakfast buffet is the best I've ever had. Salmon, fresh orange juice brought to your table in an ice bucket, fresh chocolatines-mmm!

If you are driving from Mtl. to QC. I would recommend that you stop in Trois-Rivieres at the Forges du St.-Maurice. It's only open in the nice weather.: http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/qc/saintmaurice/natcul/natcul2_e.asp

As for Ottawa, you've been, so you know where the Museum of Civilisation is etc. I don't know if the War Museum is appropriate for young kids or not, I've not been myself but know quite a few people who have and they've said it's very well done. You might take a boat tour of the Rideau locks system. Ottawa has a market area just near Parliament that's interesting, but not as nice as Jean-Talon. Parking is a nightmare.

I would try to avoid the following dates for summer travel due to holidays or events: Victoria Day or May 2-4 (May 18th this year), St. Jean-Baptiste/Fete Nationale (June 24), Canada Day (July 1st) and the Grand Prix weekend in Montreal as well as the Jazz Fest times - unless you're fans, then I'd imagine you'd like to see it, but downtown is a MESS the whole time. I think Ontario has an "extra" holiday sometime in Aug. but I can't remember when.

[SASM]

Molly,

Thank you so much, AGAIN, for the info on all of the cities!! How do you have time to get soooo thorough??? :) You are awesome!! TY!

[MamaBear]

This is OTTAWA, right? Not Montreal? :) How old was your DS when you went to the war museum./ We actually went to the Canadian Museum of Civilisation over the weekend (plan on going back to Ottawa in a few weeks for Winterlude) and my kids really liked the Children's Museum. We wandered around a small section of the "native" section, where there are totum poles and floor to ceiling glass overlooking the city scape. Anyway...my kids were interested in that section but obviously I wanted to read and they wanted to wander and just look. So...there is HOPE for my seeing actual museums!! I know that I will want to immerse myself in the W ar Museum and I am not sure how my kids will respond at almost 4 and almost 6. :)


Thank you! I will definitely check out that site.


Shopping & dining reccs in Toronto are VERY welcome! We used to go there A LOT pre-kids and LOVED that city! We are still planning on visiting Toronto but have a better grasp on that city, although it is always changing...so again reccs are very welcome! For example, we really liked the concept of Marche restaurant (& Movenpick) in Eaton Centre. I was looking online to see if there were any others around and discovered that they changed their name. I was worried that the restaurant closed. So...love reccs!

Ooops, yes, that's Ottawa! My son was 17-ish months when we went to Ottawa last year. Definitely go to the kids' museum at the museum of civilisation!

Yeah, Movenpick restaurants have a new name in Toronto. Something-tree, I can't remember exactly. There's a Marche (under the name) at the Eaton Centre, and another at Square One in Mississauga (suburbs).

I love Toronto, too. We had the luxury of living there for 6 months last year, and I cried and cried when it was time to leave.

[mom2binsd]

I was raised in Ottawa and family are still there, by far the best museum for the kids is the Science and Tech Museum over on St. Laurent BLVD ? It's not downtown but a little east of the city, there are trains as well as so many hands on activities and the best thing ever the CROOKED KITCHEN!

The Museum of Man downtown has some great dinosaurs (my brother and his boys have had sleepovers there with their cub pack).

If you go to the canal during winter you must try a BEAVER TAIL, an Ottawa delicacy (it's a fried dough in the shape of a beaver tail with cinnamon or other toppings-YUMMY!)

Another of my favs (but not everyone will agree) is Poutine - thick french fries topped with cheese curds smothered in beef gravy!

[SASM]

I was raised in Ottawa and family are still there, by far the best museum for the kids is the Science and Tech Museum over on St. Laurent BLVD ? It's not downtown but a little east of the city, there are trains as well as so many hands on activities and the best thing ever the CROOKED KITCHEN!

The Museum of Man downtown has some great dinosaurs (my brother and his boys have had sleepovers there with their cub pack).

If you go to the canal during winter you must try a BEAVER TAIL, an Ottawa delicacy (it's a fried dough in the shape of a beaver tail with cinnamon or other toppings-YUMMY!)

Another of my favs (but not everyone will agree) is Poutine - thick french fries topped with cheese curds smothered in beef gravy!

Thank you! Will definitely check out those museums. How neat that they had sleepovers at a museum!! :) I will definitely put "Beaver Tail" on my list of things to sample at Winterlude!! Sounds yummy! In all of the years that we visited Niagara Falls to Toronto I never knew about Poutine. My cousin, who lives in Buffalo, told me that I HAD to get poutine the next time that we were in Canada. We tried it at the M. of Civilisation...probably not the "best" place to try it but HAD to try it! :)

Do you recommend any kid-friendly restaurants in Byward Market? We were totally overwhelmed with the choices, plus it didn't look like there were many that would appreciate child diners in their restaurant. :( AHHHH!!!

[MontrealMum]

In all of the years that we visited Niagara Falls to Toronto I never knew about Poutine. My cousin, who lives in Buffalo, told me that I HAD to get poutine the next time that we were in Canada. We tried it at the M. of Civilisation...probably not the "best" place to try it but HAD to try it! :)

Sharyn, you CAN'T get poutine in Ontario. It's just not right. Now, I am not a lover of the dish myself (OK, I truly hate it), but if you really want to try it, you've got to get in Quebec. It is a Quebecois dish, it would just be wrong to get it in Ontario. Goodness, at least drive across the bridge to Hull and visit La Belle Province or Nickel's or something ;) BTW, Nickel's is co-owned by Celine Dion and is purported to be family friendly - not that I've been, but it's in my Mtl. w/ children guide.

[SASM]

Sharyn, you CAN'T get poutine in Ontario. It's just not right. Now, I am not a lover of the dish myself (OK, I truly hate it), but if you really want to try it, you've got to get in Quebec. It is a Quebecois dish, it would just be wrong to get it in Ontario. Goodness, at least drive across the bridge to Hull and visit La Belle Province or Nickel's or something ;) BTW, Nickel's is co-owned by Celine Dion and is purported to be family friendly - not that I've been, but it's in my Mtl. w/ children guide.

Too funny! Hey...I thought that the Mus. of Civilisation WAS in Hull/Gatineau, Quebec??? :) It WAS in a museum cafeteria...so it still wasn't the greatest place for food...well...that is, other than yummy Canadian candy! :) I bought a box of Smarties and my kids were in shock as I NEVER buy candy! When in Canada, buy candy...anywhere you can!!

[MontrealMum]

Yes, *technically* it is, but you really need to go to a greasy spoon-type place to get the full (horrific) experience of poutine. (as you can see, I don't like it all that much!) Good for you for buying Smarties - you can't get them in the US. Very Canadian of you :) I guess other Canadian candy is Coffee Crisp and Aero bars. I am not a candy eater, but more of a french fry or potato chips fan - which is why I don't like my fries smothered in gravy!

[SASM]

I am not aware of any special McD's in Montreal, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. I would imagine maybe that it's in QC in a historic building or something? Their Old Town is much more extensive. On the route up north there is a McD's at a service centre that's built in the style of old Quebec stone houses - but it's not historical or anything (because there was no white settlement up there in that era) so I can't imagine that that's the "special" one you're thinking of.

I was just looking through the posts again and saw this. :) Here is an overview of the Travel Channel show that I mentioned: http://mcchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/01/most-unique-mcdonalds-in-world.html :)

This is supposedly the location, per YahooAdvice. :) 1500 AVENUE ATWATER, MONTRÉAL, QC H3Z 1X5, Canada - (514) 935-8569 I am NOT a McD's person but I must say that I was quite curious after watching the show! :)

[SASM]

Yes, *technically* it is, but you really need to go to a greasy spoon-type place to get the full (horrific) experience of poutine. (as you can see, I don't like it all that much!) Good for you for buying Smarties - you can't get them in the US. Very Canadian of you :) I guess other Canadian candy is Coffee Crisp and Aero bars. I am not a candy eater, but more of a french fry or potato chips fan - which is why I don't like my fries smothered in gravy!

HA! ITA! Had to try poutine since cousin insisted. I love a good fry done correctly!! Are ther any other truly Canadian foods?? Please tell me there are others other than poutine and Canadian bacon. :) LOVE Aero's, Crunchie's, & Cadbury bars, too. Chocolate is my downfall...makes South Beach Diet really difficult. :(

[EllasMum]

Another truly Canadian food is ginger beef. Actually, I am told that the ONLY place you can get it done properly is Calgary (where I am). It is a Chinese food dish, which is thin strips of beef battered and deep fried, and then covered in a sauce made of (roughly speaking) soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes. It is soooo incredibly delicious. It's totally one of my "If I was stuck on a desert island with only one food" foods. ;) I have tried to get ginger beef in parts of BC and had no luck at all. Calgarians who are Chinese food fans always miss it a great deal when they move to other parts of the country! I believe maybe it has migrated as far as Saskatchewan... but I'm not sure about Ontario and Quebec. You might have to make a special trip west to get it. ;)

[MontrealMum]

This is supposedly the location, per YahooAdvice. :) 1500 AVENUE ATWATER, MONTRÉAL, QC H3Z 1X5, Canada - (514) 935-8569 I am NOT a McD's person but I must say that I was quite curious after watching the show! :)
I have not seen the show, but I'll check it out. IIRC there was a McD's (nothing special about it) at the corner of Atwater and Ste-Catherine which closed at least 5 years ago and is now a sushi restaurant.

Even though I go past there all the time that area is pretty dense, so I MapQuested the address and it actually show up as maybe being within Alexis-Nihon which is a shopping center just north of the above intersection...so it's in a Food Court I'd assume? I'll have to ask MIL - she shops there a lot. It could also be in what is now called the "Pepsi Forum" (directly across the street) which is where the Canadiens used to play before they built the new hockey arena further downtown. Maybe it has something to do with that - they've preserved "center ice" and some other things in the lobby part of the building. It's supposed to be full of restaurants and stores, but as far as getting storefronts to move in there, though, besides a cinema, it's a failed economic venture. I will ask around---you learn something every day :)

As far as uniquely Canadian food...it's very regional. In Nfld. there are some very unique Newfie dishes, for example, that you wouldn't be able to get anywhere else...here in Quebec a lot of them are based around sugaring-off or replicating what the voyageurs or loggers used to eat. So, beef jerkey, pemmican, bannock (not that that's "unique" to Canada) or pea soup, tarte a sucre, beans...lots of ham...one thing that DH really likes are Nanaimo bars - which you can get here, but come from BC. I've never had ginger beef so I think Ellasmum is right about it not coming too far east - sounds good though! I also had the wonderful (not) experience of vinagar pie in Tadoussac. Yes, that would be pie made out of vineagar - looks deceptively like lemon pie.

If you have a sweet tooth I'd try tarte a sucre (sugar pie). You should be able to get that easily in the Ottawa area. Alot of other things that were "new" foods to me upon moving here are actually British foods: Shepherd's pie, Bangers and Mash, and there was a dessert which I can't remember the name of now. In the big cities there are lots of wonderful ethnic foods---of course, in the US there are too, but I come from a small town. So, here in Mtl. we have a Chinatown, lots of Japanese food, amazing Indian places, Little Italy up in the north part of the island, several wonderful Ethiopian places, several Polish/Dutch/German delis and pastry shops...those are just the ones I can think of...Mtl. is heaven for a foodie!

[MontrealMum]

I forgot....crepes are done with a Quebecoise twist - served with maple syrup (yum!) rather than a creamy sauce. Bleuets sauvages (wild blueberries) from N. Quebec and Ontario are amazing, and very different than what you'll get in the US (and I come from a blueberry producing area). Sometimes you can get them covered with chocolate - they're seasonal. If you want really great fries try Frite Alors - there are several Mtl. locations. It's Belgian, and they have paper on the tables for kids (and adults) to color on. http://www.fritealors.com/site_flash/indexb_a.html The de la Commune location in Old. Mtl. is only open in summer. We usually go to the Rachel one which puts you quite close to the Kanuk factory store ;)