In this edition, Gen’s Delights offers you a glimpse of three fun- filled family activities that will help you reconnect with nature, get active outdoors, enjoy the last remnants of snow and get some fresh air over Easter long weekend!
Sugar shack time at Parc Omega http://www.parcomega.ca/en/
With the arrival of warm weather, maple sap is generously flowing in most of the sugar bushes around the city. Visiting a sugar shack is a unique tradition that will allow you to discover the delights of maple under all its forms.
Situated only a short hour and a half drive away from Montreal in Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Quebec (just 5 minutes north of Montebello), Parc Omega is a vast 12-kilometre (7.5 mi) wild life nature park complete with fields, lakes, meadows, small valleys, forests and rocky hills.
Open year round, Parc Omega is home to free roaming deer, wolves, black bears, buffalos, moose, raccoons, wild boars and several other Canadian wildlife species.
Please feed me !Guests drive around the predetermined trails with their own vehicle or by bus tour with an experienced and passionate guide (Such as Parc Omega’s technical Director & spokesperson Serge Lussier), armed with a site map and bags of carrots to pay their “right of passage” to the deer, wild boars and other friendly animals that come up to your window to be photographed and mostly fed!
During maple season (Feb- April) , visitors will have the opportunity to do several maple related activities including tasting taffy on snow, visiting farm animals , seeing a boiler room and enjoying a specially catered sugar shack meal ( for an additional fee of 13.99 on admission price) by Montreal chef Charles Gagliano. 
His maple-inspired, sugar shack menu is a gastronomic delight with maple wrapped sausage pogos, cheese balls, beans, eggs, pea soup and his signature maple crispy fries!
Ève Senneville and her staff at the sugar shack will be happy to explain how the maple sap is collected during the late winter/early spring months, boiled and made into delicious fresh made products ( maple fudge, sugar cream , maple candy ) that are then made available for sale.
Ève Senneville will gladly show you how maple taffy is made !What distinguishes Parc Omega from other wild life zoos is its amazing spacious, free roaming natural terrain for its animals that puts people in direct contact with some of the fabulous creatures that inhabit our Canadian landscape.
This original drive-through experience will typically take around 3-4 hours. Plan another 2-3 hours to visit the magical garden, rustic farm, birds of prey or wolf show!
These majestic wolves are free to roam in a vast natural enclosure, but often choose to come up close to say hello !The park also offers three walking trails, playgrounds, a discovery center with a panoramic view restaurant and has various picnic tables for those who wish to take THE perfect ‘selfie’ shot with a happy looking deer in the background! The latest addition to the park is a gorgeous log cabin that houses a mini snack bar and souvenir shop .
Stop here for a wonderful cup of coffee ~For those seeking a full on site experience, the park offers various accommodations ranging from tipis, prospector tents, fully equipped houses on stilts as well as log cabins with spectacular drawings carved on their front exterior that render honor to the First Nations artists that decorated them.
The park’s old- fashioned sugar shack will be open for their clientele from February 19th until April 17th 2017
Do not miss out on this amazing traditional experience !
For more information on the Park, hours and accommodations please visit:
Parc Omega http://www.parcomega.ca/en/
Feel like hitting the slopes? Looking for the ultimate all-in-one family fun destination?
A well planned family vacation doesn’t have to fit a standard mold or time frame for everyone in your party. The most memorable journeys are often the ones that have your basic needs covered, such as food and lodging and that leaves plenty of time for you to schedule in targeted activities that fits the particular age and interests of your group.
At Jay Peak resort, (situated less than two hours drive away from Montreal), you will find convenient pre- booking packages that combine Ski / Ride/ Stay and Pump that will ease the essentials of planning , save you time and help you focus on the potential for fun!
These new, multi-level ski-in ski-out cottages are down near their Championship Golf Course, just a short walk from the Tramside base lifts and across the access road from the Pump House Indoor Waterpark. 1- and 2- bedroom suites available.Young and old will find a bevy of challenging and fun activities on the mountain that range from having a wet and wild day at their indoor Pump House water park ( A place for you to surf, climb, conquer your fear by dropping down a vertical slide tube or simply relax and leisurely float down the Big River ), skate like a champ at the Ice Haus arena, learn about nature at the Nordic center , enjoy a lavish brunch or dinner at the cosy Alice’s Table ( best place to sit together with family and exchange your slope stories!) grab a quick, comforting bowl of Japanese ramen at Misohungry, or simply enjoy a day of adrenaline pumping skiing, snowboarding or hiking along one of their 78 well kept trails.
Speaking of skiing & riding, this Easter weekend looks promising as overnight the mountain just received more snow. This latest batch of wet & heavy snow is perfect for filling in all the nooks & crannies on the hill, in an effort to ensure late season skiing & riding. Over the long weekend, 71 trails & glades will be made available with 8/9 operational lifts.
Are you a beginner or wish to improve your skills ? Sign up for private or group lessons at the ski school and have an experienced guide show you a few tricks and hidden trails! ( Special nod to Rich who was my inspirational instructor on the slopes.)
If sport activities are not enough to keep you entertained, check out some of their featured Easter themed events for this long weekend:
This Sunday, April 16th, the resort will be hosting their usual Easter events including their annual Sunrise Service at the summit, followed by the all-you-can-eat brunch at Alice’s Table and also an egg hunt for the little ones
( 4:45 am to 8:00 am)
Join others at the summit for the annual Easter Sunrise Service.
( 10:00 am to 2:00 pm)
Easter All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Brunch at Alice’sTable.
Best Easter brunch at Alice’s Table(From 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm)
Easter traditional egg hunt on the slopes!
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For more information on lodging, packages, rates, times and details
Please visit: http://jaypeakresort.com/deals-forfait/english/#
IMAX with laser: The world’s most advanced cinema technology has arrived. Are you ready?
Thinking of staying in the city this weekend? Feel you need inspiration and want to experience something grandiose and beautiful?
Take your family down to the IMAX ®TELUS Theatre at the Montreal Science Centre and let yourself be immersed in a new universe of sound and sight by seeing one or both of the two spectacular nature movies to hit the big screen: Humpback Whales 3D, and America Wild 3D:
Dive into the spectacular waters of Alaska, Hawaii, and the Kingdom of Tonga and discover the secrets and charms of the humpback whale: the world’s largest mammal. These beautiful ocean dwelling creatures were almost driven to the brink of extinction 50 years ago by exploitative overhunting. As we learned to love their distinctive ‘singing’ and grew curious about their lives underwater, new conservations programs have arisen to help the population flourish once again.
Join this 40 minute immersive adventure into their wondrous watery realm and learn how you can play a role in conserving wildlife.
America Wild 3D: National Parks Adventure
Get ready to be blown away visually in this epic action packed 43 minute film that explores the American wilderness landscape inside 30 American national parks as seen through the eyes and actions of three adrenaline seeking adventurers.
Join the MacGillivray Freeman’s daring trio on their off-trail odyssey in the heart of remarkable American, protected lands as they cycle, run, climb and tackle some of the most unyielding terrain and see the world from new heights.
You will leave the theatre with a sense that the wild lands of America belong to no one in particular and should be preserved for generations to enjoy.
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The IMAX experience is more than just a movie. Thanks to cutting edge technology, IMAX with laser represents a quantum leap in cinema technology – providing audiences with the sharpest, brightest, clearest and most vivid digital images ever, combined with a whole new level of immersive audio.
Come and experience it for yourself this weekend !
For more information on prices and IMAX showtime’s please visit:
http://www.montrealsciencecentre.com/imax-telus-theater