Visiting Montreal with teens

After my hometown of Ottawa, my favourite Canadian city is Montreal. Its combination of modern diversity, tall buildings, and rich history makes it one of my favourite places. This March break, I took a two-day trip to Montreal.

We arrived at the Residence Inn by Marriott Montreal Downtown, our go-to hotel in the city, on a sunny Friday afternoon. Located in the heart of Montreal on Peel Street, this hotel is the perfect starting point for any journey through the town. We made our way up to our hotel room, which offered a view of the buildings from the 20th floor straight out of an 80s Wall Street movie.

Once we brought up our luggage, we took a quick walk through Dorchester Park and Queen Mary of the World Cathedral with its beautiful architecture, to Central Gare station. There, we boarded Montreal’s new REM Train line. This train opened last year and it travels almost entirely above ground and is fully automated. An example of innovation in public transit, we settled in at the front window, ignoring notifications of stations, for the train was our destination.

We cruised through downtown, over logistics-land at the harbor, and above the St. Lawrence River, taking loads of pictures along the way. We reached the end of the line at Brossard station and did it all again until we were back downtown. By this point, I had worked up an appetite, so we went for dinner at a Korean restaurant called King Bab, a convenient two-minute walk from the hotel. After a great meal, we returned to our room and turned in for the night.

David on the Big wheel of Montreal

In the morning, we had a filling breakfast of eggs and waffles at the hotel buffet before packing up and checking out. A trip to Montreal would be incomplete without old Montreal, so we headed to this favourite neighbourhood of attractions.

First off was the Big Wheel of Montreal, a 60-meter-tall Ferris wheel located on the shoreline. I went into the spacious glass car, and began my ride upwards. As I ascended, I was able to see further and further into the horizon, from the tall buildings, to the Six Flags park in the distance, to people riding the zipline right next to the wheel. Luckily, the wheel does three full rotations, meaning I had plenty of time to take in the scenery of Montreal. If you find the height to be too much, you can get out before the three turns are up.

We finished off our trip to Montreal with a second high altitude attraction right next door- the Port of Montreal Tower. With the top half of this glass building protruding freely from the bottom half, it is the nightmare of an engineer, but the dream of anyone who wants a panoramic view of the city. The tower includes a glass floor similar to the one in the CN tower, as well as an interactive augmented reality experience detailing some key locations found at the tower.

As one of the greatest cities in the country, Montreal is filled with things to see, and from the new futuristic train, to the towering ferris wheel, to even my hotel room window, I got to see this beautiful city from all angles this weekend.

For more information on the Residence Inn, click here, and for information on a general trip to Montreal, click here.

David is a fifteen-year-old aspiring adventure and travel writer living in Ottawa.  Skydiving is on his bucket list. He received complimentary tickets for the ferris wheel and the port of Montreal tower, but all views are his own

Visting the Cabane à Sucre : Ange Guardien

Amid politeness, moose, and Ryan Reynolds, Canadians are known for one thing more than anything- maple syrup. While this sugary sap is available in our grocery stores year-round, March-April is the season when it is extracted to accompany the most decadent of meals. This past March Break, I decided to indulge my cravings in the most Canadian way possible- by traveling to Gatineau and visiting the Sugar Shack at Domaine l’Ange Gardien.

We arrived at the wooden sugar shack and immediately saw many families walking in; this is after all a favorite family friendly weekend outing. Inside, there was a vibrant atmosphere of people young and old, live music, loads of good food and a positive mood. We made our way to our table.

As we walked through the dining area, I looked out the window and recognized the snow tubing slopes that I tried out a few years ago as a younger child. Domaine l’Ange Gardien offers this exciting experience in the months of winter, when there is more snow. Speaking from personal memory, I would highly recommend checking it out once the 2024-25 season begins in November. We then took a seat at our table. The tables are very long, perfect for large families to look like medieval royals at a banquet. Speaking of which, it was now time for the first round of food to show up.

The sugar shack works like a mobile buffet. After a bowl of warm chicken soup as an appetizer, the waiting staff brought us a delightful tray containing scrambled eggs, maple beans, ham, sausages, potatoes and pork rinds. With a ferocious appetite, most of this selection ended up being condemned to my plate. I had to hold back though, as the best part of the breakfast was on its way, delivered separately for maximum freshness- the pancakes.

Once the pancakes arrived, I grabbed some of Domain l’Ange Gardien’s very own maple syrup and devoured the complete breakfast. As I ate, I enjoyed the view outside and listened to the rendition of Sweet Caroline that got the whole room buh-buh-buh-ing. Once I had finished my meal, we had a dessert of tarte au sucre, known in English as sugar pie. Dessert for breakfast was (literally) the icing on the cake of this great morning munching.

If you want to eat good food and partake in Quebec’s most iconic springtime cultural experience, check out Domaine l’Ange Gardien. In addition to their awesome March Breakfast, Snow tubing will be available next winter. The shack also sells many maple syrup products, and is a venue for special events including weddings, corporate events and holiday parties.

Pricing ranges from about $11-40 depending on age (free for children under 11 months.)

For more information, click here.

David is a fifteen-year-old aspiring adventure and travel writer living in Ottawa.  Skydiving is on his bucket list. He received a complimentary ticket for this post, but all views are his own.

Bat Caves and Ziplining at Arbraska Lafleche

As frequent readers of the blog may know, I am someone who greatly enjoys outdoor tourism. From ziplining, to kayaking, I feel like there are few things I have yet to check off my bucket list. Something I hadn't done before this weekend is spelunking, more commonly known as cave exploration. Luckily,I was able to not only ride a zipline for this weekend’s excursion at Arbraska Lafleche, I also visited my first cave- and because it's hibernation season, I wasn’t alone in it.

Upon our arrival, we were warmly greeted by the staff of Arbraska Lafleche. We met our guide, who gave us our helmets, ready to bring us to the cave. He led the way, educating us about how caves form and the geology of the area. After a short walk, we arrived at Gatineau’s puncture in the Canadian Shield: Caverne Lafleche.

We entered through a man-made tunnel, dodging ice stalactites and stalagmites. Our guide then opened the door, at which point we turned on the flashlights and walked in. Almost immediately, I looked up and saw a bat!  It was half the size of my hand, black, covered in frost and hanging upside down directly above my head. As I looked forward, dozens more bats were revealed, scattered in miscellaneous clumps on the cave ceiling, all deep in hibernation. A spooky sight to some, but definitely a rare glimpse into this part of nature.

We continued walking through the cave, seeing some small lakes along the way. Throughout the tour, our guide informed us on bats, the history of the cave, and some more geology. At one point, I was allowed to squeeze into a small tunnel that led to a chamber with more water, and carvings from explorers that had been there decades earlier.

We then made our way up a steep metallic staircase, where we entered another chamber. It was here that our guide got us to turn off our lights and experience what the cave is really like: pitch black and silent, with occasional interruptions from dripping water and chirps from half-sleeping bats.

With that perspective into the subterranean world, we returned to the sun’s domain, at which point I continued my vertical ascent to Arbraska Lafleche’s zip line. The zipline overlooked the lake that is connected to the cavern water, with a beautiful view of Canadian shield mountains covered in evergreens. Once it was my turn to go, I jumped off the platform and flew through the air above the scenic park, just as the bats below me will in the spring. A fitting end to a great visit. 

From the depths of the earth, to the thrills of the sky, I had a wonderful time at Arbraska Lafleche. On top of cave tours and ziplining, the park also offers hiking (snowshoeing in certain conditions) and a full zipline-powered aerial trek in the forest. These are all suitable for ages 5+. There is also a night trek via zipline for ages 16+. For more information, click here.

David is a fifteen-year-old aspiring adventure and travel writer living in Ottawa.  Skydiving is on his bucket list. He received a complimentary ticket for this post, but all views are his own.

Activities for teens in Ottawa - Axe Throwing at BATL

I have tried a lot of sports since I was young. From shooting hoops in basketball to kicking goals in soccer, I know the satisfying feeling of throwing objects at a target and getting a point. I thought I had tried them all- until I heard about axe throwing. As something I had only seen in action movies, I never realized it was a sport, let alone a common recreational activity. I recently threw axes for the first time at BATL Ottawa.

As soon as we arrived, we met Lynn, our axe throwing coach. You could smell the sawdust that had been propelled from the circular wooden board by previous groups. Lynn taught us the basic rules of safety and beginning technique. This included foot positioning, the basic throwing movement and how to not end up looking like a Halloween decoration. 

While my first two shots bounced erratically off the board, the axe came close to the bullseye on the third try. Once that happened, I was hooked. After a few more tries, and with the guidance from my coach, I quickly got the feel of axe throwing. After that, I was ready to throw independently.

BATL provides papers with multiple different formats of two player games, with more accurate throws gaining more points. Think darts meets H-O-R-S-E. I played a few exciting games against my dad, and then my mom. There's just something so satisfying about swinging a sharp axe firmly into the center of a wooden board, then prying it out victoriously. 

We played a variety of games with the axe throwing, during which time we all improved quickly in our skill. The learning curve is much quicker than I had anticipated. Finally, after around an hour of swinging axes, Lynn brought out an even bigger axe. This was the official size that is used in tournaments. It was definitely a lot heavier, but I still managed to make it connect once or twice. I was very impressed by the people who do this as a sport. All in all, I had a great time axe throwing at BATL.

Next time,  I plan on inviting my friends for an afternoon of axe throwing.  

If you want to burn off a weekend afternoon hurling axes at a wooden board, check out BATL Ottawa. Depending on the package, you can book for groups of 2-24 people for a price as low as $21 per person. Time slots are 1 or 2 hours long. For more detailed information, click here.

David is a fifteen-year-old aspiring adventure and travel writer living in Ottawa.  Skydiving is on his bucket list. David received free passes to try out Axe Throwing but all thoughts are his own.

Activities for teens: Zero Latency VR

Welcome back our teen blogger David who got to experience playing some first-person shooter games in VR at Zero Latency VR recently.

As a 15 year old teen, pretty much everyone I know loves to play video games, particularly first person shooters. From Call of Duty, to Counter-Strike, these games are a staple of modern teenagehood. However, sitting on a couch with a controller in hand can get boring after a while, and eventually there comes a craving for something more immersive. This is why I invited three of my friends to try out Zero Latency VR over the weekend.

We arrived at the VR place and met Milad, the manager who greeted us warmly. We took off our shoes and were shown a quick video about the rules and instructions of the experience. My friends and I were then given headsets (including headphones) and were taken into a spacious room. This gave us the ability to walk freely without crashing into each other. Just in case we did, an alarm would go off when we got too close to another player or a wall. It was now time to start the first game. 

We commenced the experience with Engineerium, a collaborative non-violent game where we had to traverse a floating path and reach the orb of friendship. My friends and I immediately realized how immersive this game was. When a path went up, down or twisted, it would feel as if the floor was on an incline, despite remaining perfectly flat. This led to more than one of us falling down at certain points. After a tumultuous but incredibly entertaining first game, we moved on to the shooter game- Undead Arena.

Between the two games, we were given guns that we would use to shoot at zombies that would come from all directions. As soon as Undead Arena began, I felt as if I had been transported into another world. There was something about moving your body with the game that made it feel more realistic than any Xbox could accomplish. My friends and I spent the next 30 minutes screaming, moving around the room and shooting a lot of zombies. It was one of the most intense half hours I ever experienced. 

Once the game was over, we took off our headsets and had the chance to see some footage from our experience. It turns out that while I thought I looked like Scarface when shooting zombies, I looked a lot sillier on the outside. It was clear that, while in an empty room, my friends and I were 100% immersed in the fight against zombies, a testament to the quality of Zero Latency’s operation. All in all, we had a great time playing one of the most engaging video games we ever had. 
If you want to shoot bad guys in a hyper realistic simulation with your friends, Zero Latency VR offers five unique shooter games plus Engineerium. From zombies in Undead Arena and Outbreak, to criminals in Far Cry, Zero Latency offers an exciting variety of environments and enemies to play in. Maximum capacity per booking is up to 8 people. The recommended age is 13+. The cost starts at approximately $55/person. For more information, click here.

David and his friends received free passes to play at Zero Latency but all thoughts are his own.