My family absolutely loves the Laurentians and the Outaouais; both are regions in Québec, Canada. And today, I’m going to be sharing with you five of our favorite family activities in Québec to do as a family to hopefully give you some inspiration for your next trip.
Parc Omega
Number one is Parc Omega in the Outaouais region. And Parc Omega is essentially just a tremendous park with countless animal species. Kids typically love to visit zoos and parks to see what different wildlife they can observe and learn about. But at the Parc Omega, things are a little different.
Parc Omega is a very large, open space that covers lots of acres. And you sort of go on a safari by driving through the park in your own vehicle. Doing this safari-type experience was a first for my kids and let me tell you, they were engaged the entire time as animals were coming straight up to the car.
Omega Park has around 400 animals from North America including animals like deer and caribou. You’ll truly be surprised at how large these animals are and how close you get to them. Understandably, the park doesn't allow you to leave your vehicle. But in all honesty, you wouldn’t want to.
Another bonus of Parc Omega that puts it up there as one of our favorite spots in Québec is the park’s food and lodging. On one of the evenings, we stayed in the Wolf and Bear suite. It was basically a chalet-style house with your own private animal viewing area that allows you to see wolves and bears right from your bedroom.
There was also the chance to stay in a tipi-style, which is another cool interactive experience. You will need to take all your equipment over to the tipi in a wagon. But once you’re there, you’ll get to make fires to keep warm, and you’ll be greeted by deer when you wake up in the morning.
Family Hiking in Québec
The second of our favorite family activities in Québec is a general one. But it's hiking and exploring parks throughout the area. When in Québec, we visited a few different parks. However, our favorite was definitely Mont-Tremblant National Park in the Laurentians. That’s mainly thanks to the park’s views and the various waterways that are dotted throughout the area.
My family really loves water. So, seeing pristine lakes everywhere we looked was truly a highlight of our trip. The forest at Mont-Tremblant also felt very old and peaceful. And it was a fantastic experience being able to appreciate the old trees and all the foliage.
While hiking through the park, we did get to see some waterfalls, creeks, and streams. And our kids learned all about different tree species and how to differentiate them from one another.
For one of the hikes, we even went on a guided tour with a company called D-tour, which is something we’d never actually done before. The guided hike was fantastic. So, that is something I highly recommend as we learned so much about the Canadian Shield, the rock formations in Québec, and what actually caused the formations in the first place.
ChocoMotive, Montebello
Now, this one wasn’t my top activity. But it definitely was for my kids. And that’s the ChocoMotive in Montebello.
The ChocoMotive made it onto our top five simply because it was really engaging for the kids. We learned a lot about chocolate and the science behind it. And we not only got to understand what to look for when eating chocolate. But my kids also got a hands-on experience by making their own chocolate with the help of chocolate molds.
Apple Picking in Québec
Number four on my list of favorite family activities in Québec is apple picking, as I’ve always had a deep appreciation of orchards and fruit trees. Before our trip to Québec, I’d never actually gone to an apple orchard before. So it was so fun seeing trees that were loaded with fruit from top to bottom. Note that this activity can only be done at harvest, in the fall.
We spent our day at the orchard picking Macintosh apples. And it was a really unique experience for our kids as they got to inspect the apples and choose which ones they were going to pick.
The food on our Québec trip overall was tremendous. But the picnic we had in the orchard was by far one of our most memorable meals. The picnic experience includes a picnic basket with foods like salmon, salads, bread, and, of course, different items that the orchard made from the its very own apples.
It was great to show the kids the evolution of the apples, from their rawest form on the trees to all the amazing things that we can make with them.
Sentier des cimes
Up fifth on our favorite family activities in Québec list is the Sentier des cimes. The Sentier des cimes was once a fish hatchery in the Laurentians region. However, today, it has been completely transformed into a magnificent boardwalk that winds its way through the treetops.
Partway through the boardwalk, you’ll also come across a tower that gives you incredible views of the area and the sunset. During our time at Sentier des cimes, we got to witness the very first fall sunset making its way down past the bright fall foliage—a memory we won’t ever forget.
Plus, as Sentier des cimes is so accessible, it’s even suitable for wheelchair users, the elderly, and young kids. So definitely check it out if you want some incredible views of the entire Laurentians region.
Bonus Activites
I know I said I was only going to do five. But this area has so many things to offer that it’s hard to narrow it down to just a handful.
Canoeing and Stand-up Paddle Boarding
Everyone knows that when my family visits a new place, water sports are at the top of our activity list. And while visiting Québec, we got involved with canoeing and stand up paddle boarding.
Canoeing, in particular, was really nice as we could just rent a canoe and navigate the water as we pleased. So, its ease, convenience, and accessibility just made the canoeing experience even better.
Stand-up paddle boarding was also fun, as although Nick and I have spent countless hours on stand-up paddle boards, our son, Tucker, had not. We got to watch Tucker push himself and gain his confidence on the board. And by the end of it, he had mastered his technique and was truly enjoying the experience.
Biking in Québec
Biking is another of our favorite autumn activities in Québec, as the Laurentians is a big biking region. Parker, my daughter, has really got into biking recently. So, our trip to Québec was our first trip where she got to take her own bike and fully join in on the adventure.
As a parent watching her find her independence and her freedom was something I’ll remember for a lifetime.
Clothing: Cotopaxi Fuego Down Kids jacket, Cotopaxi Teca Calido Reversable Kids Jacket, Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket, Cotopaxi Trico Hybrid Women's jacket, Cotopaxi Trico Hybrid Women’s Jacket, Cotopaxi Do Good Kid's Trucker Hat
Bikes: E-Bikes Powered by Bosch – Yuba Spicy Curry e-Bike, Riese & Muller e-Bike
Sunglasses: Wiley X
Follow our Adventures and Subscribe
Don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel, Great Family Adventure, and keep an eye out for more awesome videos we’ll be publishing shortly.
If you enjoyed this article and are hungry for more family adventure tips, tricks, reviews, and adventures, head on over to the Great Family Adventure YouTube channel and feel free to sign up for our In4Adventure.com newsletter.
