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| He LOVES ice cream |
and explored Parc du Mont-Royal and St. John's Oratory. We will continue to explore Montreal, carful of kids' style, focusing on outdoor activities with a visit to Montreal's Botanical Garden, Insectarium and BioDome--conveniently located together at the original site of the 1976 Summer Olympics.
We have a room across the St. Lawrence River in a suburb of Montreal named Brossard--it has several bonuses. Montreal is an urban area with nice hotels downtown--not the best fit for my active carful of kids. The nicer hotels charge for parking, WiFi and breakfast--all things I like to get for free. |
| Plant Love! |
Our first stop is the Insectarium ($19.25/CAN adults, $9.75/CAN kids 5 to 17), where the carful of kids marvel at the humongous bugs of every color, including a display of live carpenter ants. They work day-in and day-out as if every ant has humans staring at it all day. The ants aren't encased within a protective display--instead they have a moat, so close you could touch them (not advised).
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| Green Man |
After touring the insects, we walk out the door into the Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden) located next to the Insectarium, this is one of the world's best botanical gardens and a great place for families. There is a children's area with great playscapes and snack stands sprinkled throughout.
To the garden-lovers in the SUV, it is nirvana. The Montreal Botanical Garden has 185 acres of cultivated themed gardens, including a Japanese Garden, Alpine Garden, Toxic Plants Garden, Rose Garden, Chinese Garden and the list goes on.
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| Our lunch, French-Style |
The Botanical Garden is so large that we have to break for lunch at the garden cafe. My kids are good eaters thanks to their chef dad--there isn't a kids meal but the sandwiches taste as fabulous as they look.
The carful of kids continue on and discover one amazing garden after another, each one better than the last. Throughout the botanical garden, the roses and tender plants are dug up each fall for protection in their greenhouses due to the harsh winters.
After several hours of exploring the gardens, the carful of kids walk over to the BioDome ($19.25/CAN adults, $9.25/CAN kids 5 to 17); the original 1976 Olympic velodrome. The BioDome (House of Life) opened in 1992 as a collection of four different American eco-systems located indoors.It is amazing--the carful of kids travel from the tropical rain forest to the Laurentian Maple Forest and the Gulf of St. Lawrence and finally land in the sub-Antarctic Islands. Each exhibit replicates the light, temperature, plants, birds and animals--both land and water. Again the human visitors are minimally separated from the inhabitants. Kids and adults alike are mesmerized.
After spending the majority of the day at the Espace pour la Vie, the carful of kids load up to explore the Vieux-Port de Montreal (old port of Montreal's historic district). This area is located along the banks of the St. Lawrence River and has been used for transportation and trading since 1611. |
| Along the St-Lawrence River |
The old port area of Montreal is a pedestrian friendly area that has a European-feel without the flight. A great way to introduce your kids to a different culture and language without leaving the continent.The carful of kids find a parking spot near a street festival in a paid lot and head out to do some people watching. After catching several street performers, we duck into a creperie for crepes, both savory and sweet.
With full tummies, the carful of kids still want to see the famed fireworks that dazzle everyone several nights a week over the skies of Montreal. For it is the host of the Montreal International Fireworks Competition.Up Next: We say Goodbye to Montreal and hello to Parc du Canada de la Mauricie
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