Spend Your Spring Break in le Vieux!

The week of Spring Break is an opportunity to spend some quality time as a family, and to fill one’s eyes with beauty and one’s heart with happiness. If you hadn’t considered it, Old Montreal is the ideal destination to enjoy this long school break!

In this address book, we have compiled some of the top attractions for you to help make your break simply memorable!

Learn, get active, and admire: Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal Archaeology and History Complex, 350 Place Royale, and Marguerite-Bourgeoys Historical Site, 400 Saint-Paul East

Spring Break at Pointe-à-Callière, a blend of history and creation:

Mission: History 1710
In collaboration with the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Historical Site and Château Ramezay, Pointe-à-Callière invites you to depart for adventure… in the fresh air, from February 27th to March 7th! Mission: History 1710, is a historical family rally that will show you the nooks and crannies of Old Montreal.

There are two paths available: the first is for little explorers (1.8km – expect around an hour), and the second is available for the more adventurous (3km long).

To participate, all you have to do is sign up here to receive your departure instructions and clues. This completely free rally is aimed at children 8 years and older.

And because this is an outdoors activity, make sure to dress for the weather and to wear appropriate footwear. Happy exploring!

Creation Workshops
For children 6 and older, Pointe-à-Callière is offering free creation workshops from March 1st through the 7th in the form of video clips, available on the museum’s Facebook page, as well as on their YouTube channel. There are six workshops in all to complete in the warmth of your home as a family and at whatever time works best for you. Great news: these workshop video clips will stay online even after the week of spring break!

This is a great way to keep little hands busy during this spring break week!

Exhibit:

All Aboard! Pirates or Privateers?
This permanent exhibit at Pointe-à-Callière has been completely renewed and improved – definitely an activity to keep your eye on if you have children between 5 and 12 years old!

Coco the mischievous little parrot will guide children through this interactive adventure. Aboard the D’Iberville, they will discover the life of a pirate and a privateer: their food, a captain’s maritime maneuvers, the punishments crewmates might face, and even the (very rudimentary) hygiene of the time!

A naval battle game, a free photo booth where children can “have their portrait taken” in the company of pirates and privateers, smells from the era, and games where they can clear rats from the ship; this exhibit has everything needed to create an unforgettable family experience!

A Railroad to Dreams
This exhibit, presented by CP, is perfect for curious children! Here, they will discover the world of railroads through models of notable trains, hundreds of miniature trains, tools, costumes, photos, and video archives, and even an ambient audioscape that will give the authentic feeling of being at a train station!

For film lovers, you will be pleased to find a life-size reproduction of the famous DeLorean, from the movie Back to the Future, as well as the magical Platform 9 ¾ from the Harry Potter series. A great place for an impromptu photo session!

A downloadable activity book for families is available online and will surely enhance your visit.

Fun, technical, and historical all at once, children will certainly love the temporary A Railroad to Dreams exhibit, but we’ll bet that even the adults will find themselves feeling like a kid again during their visit!

Spring Break at the Museum!

From February 28th to March 7th, the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Historical Site is in Spring Break mode! First up, you are invited to participate in a rally around the chapel. The only prerequisite for this outdoor activity (aside from some winter clothes) is the rally notebook!

Once you’re inside the building, grab a free list containing 14 people to find in a search through the chapel!

In the hallway that connects the chapel and the gift shop, examine the models and objects in the windows and choose your favourite. Then, once you reach your destination at the end of the hallway (the gift shop), you will receive a free comic about the history of the founder, Marguerite Bourgeoys!

In the expo room, there are seek and find games, buttons you can scan with your smartphone to get stories and historic accounts, and much more! They offer free Wifi, and you can receive the family package at 20% off until March 7th, using the promo code sortiedefamille.

Musical Presentation in the Chapel
Benoît Marineau, organist and owner of the chapel organ, is offering free performances on Friday March 5th, Saturday March 6th, and Sunday March 7th at 3 p.m. in the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel.

Downloadable Spring Break Activity Book!
Games, drawings, and colouring! The Marguerite-Bourgeoys Historic Site team has produced the Games and Discoveries at Home activity book for children ages 5 to 12, which is downloadable on their website.

Good to know: on Sunday March 7th, entry to the museum is free!

Let’s Get Some Fresh Air!

The historic neighbourhood holds so much beauty! You know it, but have you walked it? During these vacation days, take the time to stroll around Old Montreal and take in the buildings, public spaces, and light displays of the neighbourhood.

Take a Hot Chocolate Break!
To make your our trek through Old Montreal even better and to earn some cool parent points with your children, stop by Chat-Colate for a hot chocolate to go. In addition to enjoying a comforting warm drink, your children will fall in love with this café that’s crazy about cats!

Feeling a Little Hungry?
If you and your little ones are feeling a tad hungry, then a detour to LA Pop is in order! Decadent waffles with the toppings of your choice will bring back the smiles to the whole family!

Think of Guidatour for a More Structured Visit!
If you want to discover Old Montreal in a more different way, reserve a private guided tour with a professional Guidatour tour guide. Lasting two hours, this guided visit will show you buildings whose architecture is well-worth the detour, and will satisfy children (and adults) that love history! For more information: (514) 844-4021 or info@guidatour.qc.ca

Try the Hotel Life as a Family!

Hôtel InterContinental, 360 Saint-Antoine West
Give yourself a week of vacation in the historic neighbourhood; it is absolutely magical this time of year!

The InterContinental Hotel has one of the most intriguing offers for families: during the week of Spring Break, children under 12 eat free!

Also, upon your arrival, they will give you a pass for four persons to the Pointe-à-Callière Museum, and a gift bag. The hotel is also organizing an art contest, with the grand prize of a pass for four to La Ronde. For more details, call (514) 987-9900 or write to montreal@ihg.com.

N.B.: Does your business also have a special spring break promotion, and would fit onto this list? Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@sdcvieuxmontreal.com, and we will be happy to include it here.

Photos:
1: Site historique Marguerite-Bourgeoys
2-6: Pointe-à-Callière
7-10: Geneviève Giguère
11: Guidatour
12: Chat-Colate