Top 13 Places to Visit in Canada

Parlé vous Francais? Oui? Non. Regardless, the culture in Quebec, a land of rich history in fur trade, wars, and exploration has maintained much of its unique heritage. The province is a must for anyone who admires old architecture, languages, history, shopping and food.

History

Jacques Cartier claimed the land for France in 1534 when he put up a cross on the cliffs of Gaspé. However, it wouldn’t all be fun and games for the explorer and settlers who would search for diamonds, gold and a route to the Asian lands.

The St. Lawrence River was often the riverbed various nationalities would fight over for domination and control. While Cartier didn’t find the gold and diamonds he had hoped for, the man did find something else: furs. This trade would be the predominant French occupation for the next sixty years before the first actual settlers would arrive in 1617.

Samuel de Champlain established a two-storey home that the Indigenous referred to as Quebec.

Day One

Why not start off with a delightful break at the À La Claire Fontaine? They have four registered massage therapists and run year-round, Monday to Friday, and an appointment is required. There are number of packages that clients can select, from specific times (30 minutes to 90 minutes), lymphatic draining (body, or face and head specifically), and reflexology. What a better way to start your break than to get into the zone of relaxation.

Once you’ve finished relaxing, catch a meal and show at Café-Théâtre de Chambly. Surrounded by trees and built with a brick exterior and columns outside the entrance, the café looks like something out of a fairy tale. They have been operating for over three decades, produce six different shows a year and participate in Festival de Jeune Théâtre.

So, the packages available combine the fine dining experience of Grillades du Fort or La Croisée des Chemins with the theatre. Your tickets to view the show will be provided to you during dinner and then you simply hop over to view the theatre. Reservations are required.

Now that you’ve relaxed, eaten and taken in a show, it’s time to enjoy the nightlife.

Délires et Délices is a microbrewery and café, with event and meeting space rentals. Their lengthy list of specialty drinks includes beers, wines, ciders, spirits, cocktails, sangri-beers, non-alcoholic beers, and a small selection of non-alcoholics. If you need a midnight snack, there’s grilled cheese, tasting plates and appetizers.

Day Two

Start your day with a healthy, delicious breakfast at the Divine Goodness Bistro: Bonte Divine. This bistro works hard to serve only the freshest meals using ingredients from the region. Their desserts are all made in-house with organic flours and as few ingredients as possible. They opened in 2007 after major restorations to the building. Originally, the house was a Bell Canada Telephone Exchange and homed several families of prominence in Chambly.

Now that you’re ready to tackle the day, give yourself those rumoured 20 minutes before jumping on the water with Center nautique Gervais-Désourdy (Gervais-Désourdy nautical center). Visitors can rent almost anything you’d naturally see on the water (pedal boats, kayaks, paddle boards, canoes, etc.) as individuals, couples or families. If you’re a little new to this world, you can take some classes and learn the basics.

Depending on what you’re into, there are several activities to choose from. Self-guided historical walk, wildlife observation log, stand up paddle board session, sea kayaking or Rabaska canoe trip. With these you can saunter on down the canals and river beds enjoying the sun, fresh air and scenery at your leisure.

Don’t miss stopping at the Fort Chambly National Historic Site for some amazing history and site-seeing. You can take a tour, exhibitions, or trails. There are even re-enactments to view or learn about old weaponry and how they function. Because the fort is along the Richelieu River, and forest, there are stunning locations to walk along.

Let’s not forget to appreciate the fine arts of society by visiting La Galerie de Miss Ray. Sitting outside the Chambly Basin, the house has a spectacular view inside and out. With a wide range of artistic styles at the gallery it no wonder there are a number of select artists with whom they work and feature: abstract, watercolour, acrylics, etc.

If you’re lucky, there will be an event hosted in the space when you intend to visit. They host exhibitions and cultural events. The gallery can also be rented for poetry slams, cocktail evenings, or conferences.

Now that you know what to expect out of a small town, maybe it’s time to book your own mini-vacation in Chambly, Quebec.