20 things to do with kids in La Petite-Nation

"What are we doing today?" If you have kids, you hear it at least three times a weekend. Here are twenty answers, the kind local parents pass around. Something for every season, some free and some less so, for toddlers and for teenagers who roll their eyes at everything.

Animals

1. Parc Oméga. The classic. A 12 km drive-through among about twenty North American species: elk, bison, wolves, bears. Kids hold out a carrot to the deer through the window and talk about it for a month. Open year-round. We wrote a whole article of tips.

2. Turtle-spotting at Plaisance. Painted and snapping turtles on the banks, beavers, sandhill cranes. The bike paths are flat, perfect for little legs. The park is open late April to mid-October.

3. Sled dogs. Gatineau Sled Dogs in Saint-Sixte runs sled rides in winter and cart rides in summer, by reservation, 12 months a year. At Meute Tanwen, every able person drives their own team. Teenagers will find it less boring than expected.

4. Horses. Ranch Belway in Ripon offers horseback, carriage or sleigh rides depending on the season. For the keen ones, Ranch Équinoxe in Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix gives western riding lessons.

5. Deer-watching in Duhamel. In winter, deer wander right through the village, mostly in the morning or around 4 p.m. Free and always a hit.

In the water

6. The big Lac Simon beach. About 2 km of sand at the Centre touristique du Lac-Simon in Duhamel. Room to dig holes all day.

7. The Lac-Simon town beach. Three lifeguards from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and free parking. Our pick for toddlers. The Parc de l'Amitié mini-golf is close by for the afternoon.

8. The Papineauville splash pad. At Parc Jean-Paul "Mike" Parisien, early June to early September. Swim diapers for babies, no sand in the water.

9. Catching a first trout at Lac Vert. Lac Vert, right in Val-des-Bois, is stocked every year and closed to gas motors. It's the perfect lake to teach kids to fish. Check the licence rules first.

10. Pedal boats. At Lac Vert, Location Sport Duhamel or the Centre nautique Lac Simon. Kids pedal, parents relax. In theory.

On dry land

11. The Lac-des-Plages pirate ship. The town park has a pirate ship, the only one in the region. Older kids do laps on the pump track behind the town hall.

12. Climbing the Mont Grand-Pic tower. At the Montagnes Noires, a 12-metre observation tower sits on the summit. The kids will beat you up the stairs. Guaranteed.

13. Plaisance falls. A 2 km return walk, free for 17 and under, and water dropping more than 35 metres. The falls impress even jaded teens.

14. Sentier du Lièvre. In Val-des-Bois, loops of 0.8 to 4 km through a pine stand, made for families. The trail lends an all-terrain wheelchair for free if you book.

15. Biking the old Duhamel rail line. The family bike path runs an easy 10 km between Lac Simon and Lac Gagnon, and the town lends and rents bikes.

16. The artists' cabins in Namur. At the Jardin de la relève, cabins built in 2013 by artists on the theme "Ma cabane au Canada". Kids love them, and Parc Caracole is close by.

Winter

17. Forest skating. In Lac-Simon, an ice trail that winds through the woods, lit at night, with a sliding hill and a heated cabin. Our favourite winter outing, period.

18. Sliding. The Allons au bois trail in Chénéville lends out tubes on request. Parc Oméga has tube sliding in winter too.

Treats

19. Pick your own fruit. Les Fruits de la Terre in Ripon for small fruit; Ferme Oréflore for blueberries, with a crêperie on site (check their Facebook first to see if picking is on); Domaine Mont-Vézeau for strawberries and raspberries in summer.

20. Ice cream and board games. La Crémerie 321 in Saint-André-Avellin, late March into the fall. Gelato made on site at Crèmerie Café Notre-Dame. And on a rainy day, Café Passe ton temps has more than 100 board games and as many puzzles, and toddlers are welcome.

Rainy-day bonus

The Centre d'art populaire du Québec in Plaisance, with its animated sculptures and larger-than-life characters. Everyone leaves in a good mood. And the Musée des pionniers in Saint-André-Avellin, with old farm machinery in the shed.

December bonus

Pick out your Christmas tree at Les Sapins du rang Ste-Madeleine in Saint-André-Avellin, with hot chocolate by the fire. A tradition for a lot of local families.

Don't want to buy snowshoes or kayaks for kids who grow every year? Circonflexe lends sports equipment for free. The Montpellier library is one of its lending points.

For beach days, see our swimming guide.

Notre-Dame-de-BonsecoursPlaisanceLac-SimonDuhamelLac-des-PlagesPapineauvilleVal-des-BoisRiponChénévilleSaint-André-AvellinNamurMontpellierSaint-SixteNotre-Dame-de-la-PaixMontebelloSaint-Émile-de-Suffolk

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