Travelling with children means juggling what amazes them and what wears them out. Mauricie has a big advantage: activities are close to one another, in the middle of nature, and rarely crowded. Here are fifteen ideas sorted by age, with no scientific pretension: these are the ones the whole family agreed on.
With little ones (0-5)
- Ranch Dupont in Shawinigan: more than 200 animals on a conservation ranch, seen up close.
- Caza and Alpagas farm in Saint-Stanislas, to meet alpacas (and leave with a woolly hat).
- Ferme Éthier in Saint-Étienne-des-Grès: tulips in spring, berries in summer, pumpkins in autumn.
- The beach at Domaine Floribell in Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, one of the region’s finest, with shallow water.
- Île Saint-Quentin in Trois-Rivières: a beach, flat trails and play structures, five minutes from downtown.
With 6- to 12-year-olds
- The Coureur des Bois maze in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc: a huge cedar labyrinth with riddles in the footsteps of the fur traders.
- AquaParc H2O in Trois-Rivières: slides, waves and water games for a full day.
- The POP Museum and Old Prison: the guided tour of the 1822 prison leaves a lasting impression (and food for thought).
- The Village du bûcheron in Grandes-Piles: a reconstructed logging camp where kids understand the life of the log drivers.
- The Wildlife Museum in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc: the animals of our forests, staged season by season.
- Domaine Enchanteur: a suspended maze and the world of bees in summer, forest skating in winter.
With teenagers
- Adrénaline Urbaine in Trois-Rivières: ten action sports under one roof, including a ski slope on the roof.
- The Escaparium de l’Énergie in Shawinigan, an immersive escape game with a reputation well beyond Québec.
- Batiscan River Park: via ferrata and zip lines above the river.
- Karting Trois-Rivières, with karts for every age.
Our parent tips
- Alternate an “active” day and a “quiet” day: lake, beach, ice cream.
- Farms and parks often close early at the end of the season: check the hours the day before.
- Mosquitoes are serious in June and in the early evening near lakes: bring repellent and long sleeves.
- For meals, the region’s brewpubs welcome families in the early evening, and Les Folies de Rachel in Trois-Rivières (cupcakes and 150 kinds of candy) is the perfect reward.
All these addresses are in the Attractions section of the guide and on the map.
