Chemin du Roy

We begin the Chemin du Roy by visiting a very modern art centre bearing the name of one of Québec’s great singers who became a painter. This centre showcases visual art and arts and crafts, and holds exhibitions as well as workshops for families.

Experience what family life was like in 1822, in this house built around 1790, for a mother who had 11 children and who later founded the Misericordia Sisters. Traditional art workshops, concerts and a shop with regional products for a picnic.

Lanaudière is also a wine-producing region. We’ll visit two vineyards about 10 minutes from one another, in Lanoraie: Lano d’Or, which has a patio looking on the river, and Aux pieds des noyers, which is also a restaurant.

Stretch your legs with a walk on the SCIRBI islands, which is much easier to say than the official name: Société de conservation, d’interprétation et de recherche de Berthier et ses îles. Birdwatchers are in for a treat!

The Québécois have fond memories of their childhood general stores. Those stores had everything! The Le Brun store is no exception. Housed in authentic buildings, the store also has a charming café, Chez Eugène, and an entertainment venue.

Also called the Moulin seigneurial de Tonnancour, this historic site showcases one of the rare 18th-century mills that’s still working. Summer tours are conducted by guides in period costume. There are also footpaths inviting you to take a stroll.

The second city founded in the province after Québec City, Trois-Rivières is steeped in history for you can discover on foot with the heritage tour. Fortunately, many 18th-century buildings still exist, despite the 1908 fire that ravaged the city.

The Ursuline monastery is easily recognized by its silver dome towering over Trois-Rivières’ historical area. It houses a museum that showcases over 300 years of the city’s history and the life of the nuns who founded schools and a hospital there.

Trois-Rivières’ oldest manor is one of Québec’s heritage treasures because of its history, reflecting bourgeois life in New France, and its architecture. In addition to guided tours, take time to enjoy the stories, conferences and workshops.

This 18th-century house is one of the oldest buildings in Trois-Rivières and just steps from the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-du-Cap. A tour of Maison Rocheleau includes a cultural program, with workshops and historical presentations.

This former rectory, classified as a heritage site, reveals its history in a unique manner. The Sacré curé! tour is led by costumed characters who have lots of juicy stories to tell. There is also a vegetable garden as well as trails to be explored.

The architecture of the Moulin de la Chevrotière mill reflects its French origins. Dating from 1802, this historical site now houses a permanent exhibition on traditional arts and crafts as well as temporary visual art exhibits.

It’s the ideal spot in Neuville for a drink or bite to eat. This microbrewery and village pub offers a tasting palette for sampling its craft beers that have come about as a result of various influences; there’s even one inspired by Australian IPAs!

In New France’s early days, the Jesuits set up their mission on this site, in the city of Québec. The house now exhibits artefacts bearing witness to the Jesuits’ presence and shows how the Europeans’ arrival impacted Indigenous communities. Interesting!