Dig Up History
You might be pleasantly surprised to
hear your tweens or teens raving about
their visit to Pointe-à-Callière
Montréal Museum of Archaeology
& History (pacmusee.qc.ca/en/home),
an archaeological museum with a crypt
beneath it. The crypt's displays, a
segment of the permanent exhibition,
"Where Montréal Was Born," is
mysteriously lit in such a way to
uncover the sleuth in each of us. The
new Archaeo-Adventure workshop
puts the trowel in kids' hands so they
can unearth the city's history, excavate
a site, check out the head scientist's
field tent and survey actual
archaeological studies. Talk about a
hands-on experience.
CyCle tHe Canal
Any good family excursion should
integrate exercise with education and
there's no better way than pedaling the
path in Lachine Canal National
Historic Site (pc.gc.ca/canallachine).
Ranked the "third most beautiful
urban circuit in the world" by Time
Magazine, the paved bike path carries
cyclists along the complete length of
the historic canal for 14.5 kilometres.
Break from the ride to visit "The Fur
Trade" permanent exhibit, located
inside an 1803 stone warehouse used
for storing furs and other goods during
the fur industry's early days in
Montréal. Where to rent your bikes?
Find them at Ma Bicyclette, right on
the canal bike path (mabicyclette.ca).
get BaCk to natUre
A spring visit to Montréal doesn't
guarantee perfect weather, but a visit
inside the Biodôme at the Espace
pour la Vie Montréal (espacepour
lavie.ca/en) promises you'll be
transported into a tropical rainforest.
Inside this natural science museum,
you can also check out ecosystems
representing both a Laurentian maple
forest and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, or
destinations québec
32 bca a .com spring 2015 (top to bottom) Renault Philippe/SuperStock, David coleman/alamyall canada Photos, courtesy Pointe-à-callière museum
TIP!
Enjoy exclusive
Member discounts from
BCAA's hotel partners. In
Québec, look for savings at
Best Western, Hilton, Hyatt,
Marriott and Starwood
hotels. bcaa.com/
membership
(top) cycle along the historic
Lachine canal; (here) meet
penguins in the Biodôme;
(below) dig up the past at
pointe-à-callière Museum.
(top) cycle along the historic
Lachine canal; (here) meet
penguins in the Biodôme;
(below) dig up the past at
pointe-à-callière Museum.
