Music festivals are fun for all ages, and the famous Montreal Jazz Fest is a great centerpiece for a top value family getaway to Canada.
Ten thousand kids a day can’t be wrong! That’s the estimated number the International Festival de Jazz de Montreal attracts daily from the 2.5 million visitors who attend each year. Kids are brought to this family-friendly event to learn, listen, and have fun at more than 150 events over the period June 28 to July 7, 2018. Artists this year range from pop star Seal to jazz great Herbie Hancock to bluesman Boz Scaggs.
There are also special kids’ areas built for each edition. Within an 11,000-square-foot musical play area, there’s a giant piano, a trumpet slide, a guitar ladder, a clarinet tunnel, a drum blackboard and a xylophone. Then there are the talented face-painters and mask-makers who magically transform eager faces. Clowns, jugglers and acrobats stroll through the crowds, while parents and kids ply the numerous arts-and-crafts tables. The twice-daily concerts are informative, inventive and just plain fun!
Worry-Free Adventure
But that’s not all. Parents and children alike will relish the sounds of top-class jazz, blues, gospel, Cajun and world music.
The festival is well-organized and safe. In fact, all of Montreal- very cosmopolitan and very French- is safe and family friendly. There’s plenty of storage for strollers, so taking little ones along is a breeze. Changing tables and children’s toilets are conveniently located, so that’s not an issue. And there are tents for arts and crafts and face-painting.
Families are a common sight at the ticketed indoor concerts as well. For this year’s complete lineup, which changes up till the last minute, check the official Montreal Jazz Fest website. And remember, many of the concerts are even free!
A Continental Experience & Accoutrements
When it’s time for a break, check out the other treasures of Montreal. There are classic midway rides at La Ronde, a lovely amusement park with lots of new family areas. Carnaval en Folie is designed to evoke the colors and sounds of the fairs and carnivals of yesterday. Three new rides are the “Toubillon” carousel, the “Petite Roue” Ferris wheel, and “Tour du Fou,” a high-flying merry-go-round. A 10-minute walk or shuttle ride takes you to a small sandy beach and another artificial lake on Ile St. Helene. Parks are wonderfully sculptured and offer a chance to picnic, bike or take leisurely walks.
Montreal has North America’s only Insectarium at Space for Life, a museum complex, with thousands of insects, some of which are astonishingly beautiful, especially in the butterfly house. Fun and educational — worth a half day — go and take the free shuttle bus that links it to The Biodome. This museum presents a Tropical Forest, Laurentian Forest, St. Lawrence Ecosystem and Polar World under one roof — a discovery for kids and grown-ups alike. Sights, sounds and interpreters bring these colorful ecosystems to life, so we can’t wait to return after the major renovation ends in mid 2019.
A Museum Pass provides entry to nearly 30 sites for one price, but you’ll have to choose one of their three bundles. We love the Museum of Fine Arts, with its interactive children’s displays. Also, be sure your pass includes Pointe-a-Calliere, an archeological museum featuring a tour through an actual dig and a lively multimedia show.
Cross the Jacques Cartier Bridge to Ile St. Helene and use your pass at the Biosphere, a natural-resources museum housed in a geodesic dome. The Biosphere’s child-oriented activities and resources, including a supervised crafts room, are topnotch.
Montreal Trip Planning Details
The Jazz Festival mirrors the excitement, the diversity and the phenomenol spirit of Montreal. Travel north for the quickest and cheapest route to a European experience (with the Canadian dollar near to the U.S. dollar, it’s not the bargain it once was, but it sure beats the Euro!)
Introduce your children to another culture and another language. Walk the cobblestone lanes of Vieux Montreal, sip an espresso in the city’s popular cafes, catch the mimes and street performers, or just enjoy the sounds of the French language. Montreal is, after all, the second largest French-speaking city after Paris. It’s also a gastronomic wonder, a place where smoked meats and bagels — as well as baguettes — are a specialty.
For more information and recommendations for places to stay during the busy festival season, check the Montreal Tourism site.
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Are you ready for a Road Trip? Explore these eleven incredible cross-country road trip routes across the U.S.!
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I love spending time in London. I think if you want to spend time out of the city, Brighton is also a great place to visit, especially as it’s close by. There are a number of family-friendly hotels, too, like The Brighton Hotel:
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It’s a steam excursion train, shorter ride, probably many kids on board. This would be better suited to younger children. Much better choice for the under-12 set.
Ralph
Originally created as a recreation area for employees of the Hershey Chocolate factory, today Hershey Park boasts plenty of chocolate paraphernalia, as well as roller coasters and a water park. Tickets include admission to the nearby ZOOAMERICA. Originally owned by the Knott’s jam producers, Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park is one of the older parks in the US, Knott’s Berry Farm is a classic for those looking for thrill rides, water rides and family fun.
Hi Ralph, thank you for your reply. I haven’t booked it yet as I had similar reservations that since it’s an 8-hr journey, it will not be wise to take the kids at this age but would love to take them on a shorter train tour, I’m currently looking at the Jacobite express (here in the UK).
Hello Zeb,
For children under 10, It would simply be too long a day in too confined a space for them, might get a little boring for them after the first 20 minutes; it’s an eight-hour journey.
If they are active, there isn’t a lot of room to run around on the train, which is smaller than the ones we are used to here in the U.S.
If you have already booked a space, and will have toddlers or young children, suggest you bring lots of things to keep the little ones entertained.
Ralph
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Fall is very busy in the mountainous regions with the influx of leaf peepers from the New England area, around the United States and the world. In these extremely popular areas, you ll want to make lodging reservations at least several weeks ahead, especially on weekends. Columbus Day weekend (Oct 7-9, 2017) is another time in which advanced booking is advised throughout the region.
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When you’re travelling with your kids, indoor-fun options are a must no matter what the season. Montreal saves the day with all kinds of activities, from adventurous physical feats to skill-testing games and educational entertainment.
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