TRAVEL LIKE A LOCAL | Top 10,000 Places to Visit in Canada
The page created by Domi Szepessy | University of British Columbia | Photo by facebook.com/international.de.montgolfieres/
August
The city hosts the annual International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a hot air balloon festival. It attracts tourists who see hundreds of balloons – the largest in Canada – each August.
It offers musical and culinary programs, as well as a wide variety of rides and activities.
Photo: facebook.com/international.de.montgolfieres/
Martin and his team have thousands of hours of flight experience so that you can feel completely comfortable; their knowledge will turn your nervousness into excitement. Experiencing a balloon flight is fun, exhilarating, beautiful, and simply incredible. Martin can tell you all the fascinating scientific details and hard work that goes into flying a balloon.
The flight is incredibly smooth, and the views are spectacular. It’s an extremely calm and peaceful adventure. Make no mistake; it will be a literal highlight of your trip.
Photo: https://www.montrealmontgolfiere.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/gal3.jpg
August
Every year the Festival of Western Compétitons of Ste Brigide welcomes over 12 000 visitors, riders and spectators at Daniel Hébert Park. It hosts some of the best horse competitions in the region and offers barrel races and other events like a demolition Derby. To Top it all off, the festival concludes with a weekend of Rodeo.
There’s also a tent show afterwards, and the festival displays great organizational talent. They welcome people of all ages and walks of life, from professionals to amateurs.
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/FCWSB/
For Golf enthusiasts, this is a perfect place to visit. The establishment has one hundred years of experience, so it’s safe to say everyone there knows how to run a golf course. They have a classic 18-hole course with carefully manicured greens and fairways.
The course boasts a variety straight down to the trees. You can spot oaks, willows, elms, and maples. And mature conifers, all of which give a unique character to the land.
Photo: Google Maps, Gaetan Martineau
First built in 1666 to aid the new French colonies, Fort Saint-Jean has enjoyed 350 years of military service. Among its many accomplishments, the fort withstood a 45-day siege under General Montgomery. It has shown remarkable resiliency over the past three centuries, as it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
After Quebec City, it boasts the title of the longest-occupied military sight in the history of Canada. The fort has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada and currently houses the Royal Military College Saint-Jean. Their museum lets you walk through the military history of Quebec, and they boast a wide display of historical uniforms and weaponry.
Photo: http://www.museedufortsaintjean.ca/
The authorization for the church was given in 1826, and the construction began a year later, finishing in 1853. It served the region’s people by allowing them easy access to religious services instead of travelling an incredibly risky fifty kilometres across the Iroquois river to Montreal.
The magnificent architect Victor Bourgeau was inspired by English neo-classical architecture. The stones with which they built the church came from the quarries of Saint-Blaise. Adding to the entire artistic architecture is a canvas of Saint-Jean-l’Évangéliste above the altarpiece of the high altar painted by Napoléon Bourassa. Numerous stained glass windows offer a beautiful retelling of Christian history.
The museum shows Canada’s first railway, built in the area on July 21, 1836. It covered 22.5 km in just under an hour, a speed unheard of when everything was several days by horseback riding.
The Museum also shares the regional history of Québec ceramics, old and new. Ceramics played an extremely important role in Quebec’s history and development. By 1840, ceramics was one of the dominant sectors of the Haut-Richelieu economy, contributing to the region’s growth. They offer guided tours of Old St. Jean, as well as tours of the museum. They even offer ceramic lessons and decorations.
Photo: https://vieux-saint-jean.com/
