Summer is over, but do not be discouraged! Autumn is so short and there are so many things to do. Here are my ten suggestions to enjoy this colorful season. Have fun!
Hiking – Whether at Falls Park , the National Trail , the mountain of college or summit Monadnocks … There is no shortage of places in the area to walk and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful colors.
Bike – can ride a bike on the Small Témis until October 15. The advantage of the fall is that the air is cool or hot, not sticky. We can therefore engage in sports without having to sweat a lot.
ATV – The 4X4 enthusiast can also enjoy this magical show. Look for places where there are maples. It’s simply magical!
Picnic – During your walks, arm yourselves with warm clothes and a blanket for a picnic. Bring a thermos of hot chocolate!
Playing in the leaves – Pleasure that unfortunately forgot becoming adults. With children, have fun picking up the biggest pile of paper. Defeats the running with the dog or riding bicycle in it.
Photography – In the fall, this is the picture hunt is open! All these colors and the good times offer good opportunities for photography enthusiasts.
Ornithology – In October, the return of snow geese on the flats of the St. Lawrence. Take a trip to the marshes of the Isle-Verte in order to attend this show. There is also the Gros Cacouna marsh where you can see ducks and waders. For other places for bird watching, visit the club ornithologists in the Lower St. Lawrence.
Autumn Bouquet – In a field, pick big bouquets of dried flowers and leaves. Use them to decorate your outdoor Halloween.
To horse! – For a family outing or romantic out of the ordinary. The CR Ranch offers various types of walks for all tastes and all seasons.
Hunting and fishing – Of course! In mid-October the hunting season arrives. For fishermen, do a walk on the side of Saint-Juste-du-Lac for his sharp festival .
In autumn, the dark, the streets of Old Montreal and its centuries-old buildings are illuminated to highlight the subtle architecture of the city. A walk in love, holding hands, then terribly romantic, especially Street St. Helena, where 22 gas lamps that make us go back in time have been installed.
Like every year, it is the light the Montreal circuit whose principle is the installation of lighting throughout the Old Town, so that you can admire the beauty of Montreal and its history (350 years old) a otherwise … This is a very famous event. Be aware that the light circuit of Quebec is also very beautiful, some say it is
One of the wonderful activities that engage in the Montreal area is to discover the wine route in the regions of Eastern Townships (Estrie or, 1h30 from Montreal). In autumn, during the harvest season, many people take the car and embark on the wine trail for a weekend. It is good to stop along the road in small picturesque village, all prettier than the other! This region of Quebec is absolutely superb: it was founded by Loyalists who settled in this region after independence from the United States, which explains the architecture of New England style. Very cute!
To plan your trip on the wine trail and find guidance route (by car or bike!), See this site .
Always in a spirit of nature, you may decide to « go to apples » … and pumpkins! In other words, you enjoy a beautiful fall day to harvest your own apples in the orchards. Some farms offer self-picking also harvest your own pumpkin, especially popular with the approach of Halloween! If you want to go out a bit of Montreal you can get close to Quebec, where you will find the beautiful and bucolic Ile d’Orleans (at just over 2 hours drive from Montreal). On this island it is possible to harvest all kinds of fruits and vegetables according to season!
From the first days of autumn, the Montreal stroll the beautiful parks of the city to admire or « see color », understand enjoy the beautiful fall colors: red, orange, yellow, all colors of the dye component tree leaves and a beautiful panorama.
The park (and mountain) Mount Royal is the most popular of them all since its large size gives you the feeling to walk in the woods.
To « see more colors », you can also go around Montreal, outside the city, where you will find many beautiful places to enjoy nature. The most popular is undoubtedly the Mont Tremblant (147 km from Montreal, so just under 2 hours by car). To reach the summit, visitors can use the cable car (in winter, Mont Tremblant is a ski resort). There is also a pedestrian village at the bottom of the slopes where you will find restaurants, bars and small shops, ideal for hot chocolate after a walk in nature!
Other alternatives, Mont St-Bruno (23 km from Montreal) or Mont St-Hilaire (40 km from Montreal) where you can also see beautiful panoramas. For ideas for walks, see this article !
In Montreal, the fall is also an opportunity to make beautiful bike rides on sunny days. You can go outside of Montreal (in the places named above) or in the region Chaudière Appalaches , reputed to be one of the most beautiful places around in the fall. But know that by staying in Montreal, you will find … no less than 650 km of bike paths, keep you busy for a while! Moreover, the Bixi (bike the service of the city) are available until mid-November. Good to know!
September 9 to October 31, until 21 at night, do not miss this spectacular exhibition of Chinese lanterns in the Chinese Garden of the Botanical Garden (yes, like The Great Pumpkin Ball if you followed!): Many Montrealers who come here every year! The theme: « The parade of the first emperor of China, » which pays tribute to Qin Shi Huandi which was, as the name of this year’s event suggests, the first Emperor of China. The photos speak for themselves, right? A magical light! For the link to the 2011 exhibition, click here .
Halloween is a celebration extremely popular in Quebec: this is a classic!
As tradition dictates, children dress up and go door to door to collect sweets, and of course, try to make the biggest crop possible. Once back home, they can spend hours sorting their candy by category … Any organization, almost a national sport!
For adults, Halloween is more of an opportunity to party. Many people organize « costume parties » (or fancy dress) at home, and many bars downtown also organize theme nights. Where? Visit the center and follow the groups of zombies, witches and other monsters who are partying in Montreal that night! Walking through the city on Halloween night is a must if you are in Montreal: the atmosphere is electric and everyone is dressed, and in bars, this is madness!
Another essential symbol of Halloween: Pumpkin of course! The Montreal (Quebec and in general) respect this tradition to get a nice big pumpkin at the grocery store (or « u-pick », which is mentioned again later in the article!). Once the pumpkin decorated (it is a popular family activity), the latter is arranged in front of the house (often with many other decorations), with the Halloween night, a candle inside which means « here, give candy to children, come numbers! « .
A really nice activity if you find yourself in Montreal between May 6 and October 31 is the Great Pumpkin Ball at the Botanical Gardens. This is an impressive exhibition where you can admire hundreds of decorated pumpkins and set within a beautiful greenhouse. Halloween atmosphere guaranteed!
Montreal is a great city with dozens of interesting activities, and whatever the season. In autumn, the beautiful Montreal and its surroundings are covered with the beautiful orange-red colors of the season: this is a time of year very popular with Montreal, then who know how to enjoy their city! This is the advice of Sophie Maltais, Canada, Quebec and Montreal in love with his city (and we understand why!), We do find out how you make the most of the beauty of Montreal during the warmer months of the fall. Music festivals and film, Halloween celebrations, walk in nature or wine route, there will be something for everyone!