I haven’t been to Toronto or Montreal so I’m planning to remedy that this summer. I enjoy a nice road trip so I plan on taking my wife and kids (13 year old boy, 11 year old girl) on a roundtrip drive from Chicago. We’ve been to Niagra Falls and I have no interest in seeing that area again. I’m interested in solid restaurants with good food – don’t want super fancy. Have heard of Joe Beef – would like to hear opinions on that. Both kids play hockey so we’re interested in the HOF. Other than that I’m looking for whatever suggestions you think might fit our situation. Also not sure if Ottawa is worth visiting. We do enjoy hiking so maybe a provincial park rec would be good. We’ve got about 10 days to spend so a good idea of how much to spend in each spot assuming a full day on either end for driving to and from Chicago. Thanks.
Toronto is fun but Montreal steals my heart. There’s so much going on there in the summer - if your schedule coincides, go to the International Fireworks Festival - you can go out to the formal site which we did once, but even better is to gather with all of Montreal on the piers in Old Montreal and watch from there. It’s the best spontaneous street party ever - completely family friendly btw. One of my best memories is of a trip up to Montreal from where we lived in NH with my daughter. We spend the morning at the Olympic rowing site watching dragon boat races, the afternoon in another park dancing to an amazing African Music festival and the evening on the piers watching the fireworks then joining a big circle dancing to the Zorba theme played by some Latin pipers in the streets … only in Montreal is this possible I am sure!
They have a great tourism site that can point you to all these cool things - http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/What-To-Do/Events/l-international-des-feux-loto-quebec
Oh and the Biodome if really fun too - and it’s all via metro.
Food - I buy sandwiches and bread at Pain d’Or (and bring it home with me as well) and loved a meal at Chez L’Epicier which was superb but also relaxed enough to be enjoyable for your kids
Edited to add - if you don’t mind your youngin’s being exposed to “drug culture” Sunday afternoons in Mont Royal park for the big TamTams drum circle is quite fun - check out the youtubes to see if it’s your style. On a perfect sunny afternoon, it’s great free fun.
Ottawa is fine for a day trip. Quebec City is well worth a stop for a couple of days. Kind of awesome
Thanks for the feedback so far.
I was thinking about QC but was afraid it was too much to handle in one week.
Well Q city would have you booked for a week if you are into historical visits or want to go out for a bit of sight seeing.
The city is built for tourist because it offers lots of different things to do/great restaurants. Hiking ? no problem there is the Mont Ste Anne or you can go a bit farther and have fun in Bay st-paul ( a very charming place not too far). That said it is the farther sport in your list so a day of driving is maybe a bit short.
For Mtl Joe Beef is a superb place with a top 5 Canadian Chef but there are lots of great restaurants there also.
What I wouldn’t give for a Montreal smoked meat sandwich right now…
My daughter is in Montreal as we speak. Other than Joe Beef, my must stops are Au Pied du Cochon. Schwartz’s, St-Viateur Bagels (love the Liberte cream cheese the best) and Lili Co. Lots of great places in Montreal, though.
For some more ideas: The 38 Best Montreal Restaurants - Eater Montreal
Montreal is a great city and there are some good activities for children at the ages of your son and daughter.
You have the Biodome, the Botanical Gardens, the Montreal Science Center (in the Old Port), and it is easy to get around with the Metro.
Old Montreal is fun to walk around and the City hosts an International Fireworks competition during the summer.
La Ronde Amusement Park has some fun rides, including a double track wooden roller coaster called Le Monstre that is within the top ten tallest wooden coasters in the world.
The Montreal jazz Festival starts at the end of June and runs two weeks until early July. There are many outdoor free events and some events that are kid-focused. Easy walking around as they block off a downtown core of the City. The music is varied; it is not just jazz.
You’ll need to book hotels early, though.
For food - I think Joe Beef is good but I prefer its sister restaurant Liverpool House (right down the street).
Montreal Eater is a good suggestion as restaurants are opening and closing and change frequently frequently (or so it seems).
I am a fan of L’Express for very good bistro food with a top notch professional staff. My kids are fans; my kids also like L’Entrecôte Saint-Jean on Peel street (Steak frites).
I like Le Serpent (near Old Montreal) for a Montreal take on Marea (many Italian seafood dishes).
Toque is top notch for fine dining.
Candide (in Little Burgundy/Griffintown area near Joe Beef) is a wonderful experience, and can be fun, particularly if you want to introduce your kids to different foods.
I recommend a stop in Ottawa. A tour of the Parliament building is worth the excursion (two stars on the Michelin guide?) and across the river in Hull is a wonderful Museum of Civilization which also houses an IMAX theater.
Quebec City is a bit of a drive from Montreal so unless you are taking a 2+ week trip, I would think you should skip Quebec City this time.
Re: jazz. I don’t think we’ll be there during the jazz festival but I would like to hear some while we are there. My son plays in a jazz band and I’d like to take him, if possible. It’s difficult in the states to bring a kid to a jazz club. Any ideas for places in Montreal?
Tim - I have been to the Upstairs Jazz Club. Good casual spot, good music.
Tim
Check out Le Local in old Montreal. It has a great patio with fantastic food and ambience. The wine list is solid with some interesting BC wines. Schwartz’s is a must and the neighborhood is full of great shops to walk through. If you time it right, the Mural festival on Saint Laurent is June 9-19. So, the post Schwartz walk is full of music and art while you digest. You may want to avoid June 9-11 as that is the Grand Prix weekend and the town is a bit crazy.
Joe Beef would be great with kids as would Le Club Chasse et Pêche. Le Club is more upscale, but the service is on point, food off the charts, and a massive wine list to ponder.
Block out a few hours for the Museum of Fine Arts. It’s a gem.
Thanks to everyone for the advice. We just got back from our trip this past weekend and had a great time. The kids even enjoyed themselves. Some highlights:
Hockey Hall of Fame – We spent more time here than I expected. Lots to see and do. We got hand stamps at lunch and walked over to get peameal bacon sandwiches at the St. Lawrence Market.
CN Tower – So they built a tower just to build a tower, eh? I can’t believe people pay to walk around the outside edge of that thing. I really don’t like heights, and my kids really enjoyed giving me a hard time up at the top.
King St West – We walked through this neighborhood which was great for people watching. Had some great poutine at Poutini’s. I honestly don’t know how Canadians aren’t fatter than they are with all that poutine they eat.
Rogers Centre – We caught a Blue Jays game on our way back from Montreal. I remember when they built SkyDome and it was a big deal. It’s still a nice stadium. We got to watch the roof close as thunderstorms were moving in early on in the game.
Norman Hardie Winery – This was a treat. I wasn’t expecting much but the wines were really nice and very unique. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to grow grapes in this area but they’re doing it. The wood fire pizza was fantastic and they had a trampoline for the kids to use while we were tasting. Our daughter said that more wineries should have trampolines.
Gananoque – We took a river cruise that highlighted the 1,000 Islands and Boldt Castle. The weather was perfect. We had dinner afterward at the Stonewater Pub which doesn’t look like much but… I had a smoked meat sandwich there which was, by far, the best smoked meat sandwich I had on the entire trip – and it was even close. This was “eyes roll in the back of your head” good. Like, I want to drive there right now and get another sandwich. After dinner we stayed at this place called the Colonial Resort (my wife picked it). Apparently there aren’t a lot of lodging options in the area. Calling it a resort would be a stretch. A senior tour group was spending a couple of days there and they had brought in special entertainment for them which was a couple of local singers. My wife insisted we take advantage of the live music. That was interesting… Especially one of the seniors who removed her shoes and began dancing solo like a 1960s flower child for the duration of the act.
Montreal – Notre Dame was incredible and I enjoyed the guided commentary. Stunningly beautiful cathedral. Old Town was very cool to walk around, we spent the better part of a day there. Joe Beef was epic and amazing. I couldn’t say I’ve ever had a pork chop that is better than 99% of the steaks I’ve had until I went there. The food was incredible IMO. We enjoyed the lobster pasta as well. I needed to recover after that meal. Olympic Park was interesting. It looks post-apocalyptic. The kids really enjoyed the Biodome. Schwartz’s Deli was fun but the meat didn’t live up to the expectations that were set for me in Gananoque. We spent a long time walking up and down the mural festival in the neighborhood. That was a great call – some really cool stuff going on there and the kids very much enjoyed it. I dragged my wife to the Upstairs Jazz Club. She was super reluctant but ended up having a great time. The food was very good and the band playing was fantastic. So good that we stayed for all three sets.
I went to make a reservation for Joe Beef but they’re closed in early august. Hopefully not a city wide phenomenon.
Glad you had a great trip. Thanks for reporting back.
Glad you enjoyed upstairs jazz club! I need to get back to Montreal, it had been too long!
Happy you enjoyed Joe Beef! It’s one of our favs!
What were your food highlights in Toronto? We have so many great options.