In Drummondville, the Village québécois d’antan is transformed during the holidays to become the Illuminated Village Desjardins. We go there to live or relive the warm traditions of yesteryear.
On foot or in a horse-drawn carriage, you travel through the streets lined with houses decorated with lights. About twenty houses from different periods (1850-1900-1950) are open to visitors.
Come in ! There is no embarrassment to be there, as they say.
Essentials
At the General Store, we stop for old-fashioned treats like fudge or homemade fudge. There are also the famous potato candies at the Caisse populaire Desjardins. La Beignerie is popular with its old-fashioned donuts baked on site.
Here and there, you have the opportunity to buy handicrafts or local products.
It doesn't matter if we go to mass or not, it's hard not to be touched by the picturesque character of the little church and the nativity scene. From time to time, the priest meets the visitors.
With the children, a stop is essential at the village school where the wisest will have the pleasure of receiving an official letter from Santa Claus.
Animated places
In several houses, musicians, singers and dancers, including the Mackinaw troupe, make the box swig in the bottom of the wood box. The atmosphere is also joyful with holiday carols.
At Santa's Den, elves come to tease visitors and amuse the children. In the warm logging camp, storyteller Claude Larivière from Animtout adds a touch of wonder with his stories.
Everyone is invited to take part in a snowball fight, a bit like La guerre des Tuques. The giant slide on the street in turn recalls the time when we spent all our winters playing outside in the greatest simplicity.
For many native Quebecers, it is a return to their roots and for brand new Quebecers from elsewhere, a great opportunity to discover.
THE DESJARDINS ILLUMINATED VILLAGE
▶ Schedule: until December 31 inclusively (except December 25), from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
▶ Entrance fees: $30 per adult, $24 per child (3-17 years old), $80 per family of four (2 adults and their children)
▶ Online reservations: villagequebecois.com
Slide in the North
In Piedmont, the Glissades du Domaine des Pays d’en Haut stands out with its 61 runs of all levels. We slide with an astonishing variety of accessories, ranging from the tube to the snow bobsleigh.
▶ glissades.ca
Visit the Ecomuseum Zoo
In the West Island of Montreal, this zoo sheltering animals from Quebec offers a special program for the Holidays. Naturalist guides will present wolves, otters and others several times a day.
▶ zooecomuseum.ca
Alain Demers is the author of the book Rediscovering Quebec: 101 destinations, published by Éditions du Journal.
