Trois-Rivières
Québécois culture comes alive on the St. Lawrence River
On the northern shore of the St. Lawrence river, Trois-Rivières, (founded in 1634) makes for an agreeable stopover. Despite a fire that in 1908 leveled much of the historic kernel, the Old Town’s restored and reconstructed buildings set the stage for vibrant café society, a robust and varied dining scene, boutique shopping and a lively festival calendar. Most of the city’s main sights and landmarks dot the principle artery, Boulevard des Forges, including the Forges du Saint-Maurice, Ursulines Monastery, Notre-Dame-du-Cap Basilica and a foundry that dates back to the 1730s.
La Domaine Joly de Lotbinière
To immerse yourself in nature and gain insight into the seigneurial system of New France, take an excursion to the striking and artfully preserved La Domaine Joly de Lotbinière manor/museum. A hidden gem, the manor was constructed as a home for former premier of Québec, Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière (1849–1908). Self-guided tours explore a rich ensemble of historic edifices set amidst 11 themed gardens where you can picnic, bird-watch (more than 180 birds have been spotted), amble through majestic forests, hike 5 miles of wild beach or simply partake of a civilized afternoon tea in the café.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Las Forges du St Maurice
The cradle of Québec’s iron industry, Les Forges-du-St-Maurice National Historic Site (built in 1730) illuminates the history, production, and operational methods of what was, at its inception, the most advanced ironworks in North America. Located 4 miles northwest of Trois-Rivières, the forges employed over 100 craftsmen and 400 laborers who came from the iron-producing regions of Burgundy; this distinctive community established the paradigm for North America’s “Company Towns.”
Informative tours led by guides in period garb take in the site’s vestiges (it ceased production in 1883), including the blast furnace, while a sound-and-light show evokes the ironwork’s day-to-day operations.
Musee Québécois de Culture Populaire
One of Trois-Rivières’ cultural highlights, the Museum of Popular Culture delves into the evolving cultural, social, and political life of the Québécois through the prism of folk art and pop culture. A diverse and constantly rotating series of exhibits spotlight everything from Québec’s leading cartoonists to a retrospective of 20th-century Québécois sculptor Jean Julien Bourgault. Adjacent to the museum, the Vielle Prison of Trois-Rivières is an eternal crowd pleaser with its signature “Go to Jail” experience deep in the bowls of the subterranean cells; tour guides include former inmates.
For More Information
Tourism Trois-Rivières
www.tourismetroisrivières.com/en
Tourisme Québec