The family and I set out on a day trip this past long weekend. We love picking an area within an hours drive of home and heading to a new (to us) area. Don’t underestimate the fun that can be had close to home. For this trip, we picked Montebello, Quebec, set the GPS and was surprised at what we found.
I was pleasantly surprised at the lunch we picked up at Fromagerie Montebello. The kids enjoyed their oversized ham and cheese sandwiches – over stuffed with ham, fresh cheese on a fresh bun – while hubs and I devoured our baguette and cheese. We will be back to try some other cheese and to pick up some more Tête à Papineau and Manchebello. Is there anything better than a fresh baguette and fresh cheese?
Once lunch was done we were headed out to Parc Omega for some up close encounters. From your vehicle, you can observe wild animals along an identified path of 12 kilometers. The total duration of the car path is between 1 and 1.5 hours. Along the way you will meet some animals such as elk, deer, foxes, coyotes, bison, moose, wolves, bears, boars and musk ox. There are soooo many animals to see. You can feed the animals, not the bison(!), but only carrots. We were able to purchase some carrots ($2.50) at the Park House before we set out on our adventure.
The drive through the park was easy to follow and there was no shortage of animals and interactions. The girls were a little freaked out at first when the larger elk put their heads right in the window but the kiddos quickly warmed up to the idea. The girls getting brave enough to take some Omega Parc selfies with an elk. 🙂
There are also some walking trails. You can observe wolves from the boardwalk, feed carrots to the fallow deer, or even pack a picnic and enjoy it at one of the rest areas in the park.
The last thrill of the day was the ferry ride home. We opted to take the ferry vs the highway to avoid some holiday traffic in downtown Ottawa. We don’t take the ferry often so the kids thought that was pretty cool too.
Montebello is a great day trip spot if you are headed out from the Ottawa Area and is about 45 minutes away. We had a blast and will return soon. We have our eye on the riddle hunt at Camp Explora.
Jacob says
August 6, 2014 at 10:34 amCool! I just went to Park Omega 2 weeks ago. Took the same exact fairy boat to get there. I found that Park Omega had way too many deer and not enough of the other animals. Still a nice place to visit.
Karen says
August 6, 2014 at 12:33 pmWe have never been, I am sure it would be fun in the fall, with the pretty leaves in the background. Thanks for the review! Carrot feeding looks like loads of fun for the kids!
DARLENE W says
August 6, 2014 at 1:30 pmEveryone loves an adventure! Hope you had lots of fun
Sandy says
August 6, 2014 at 2:02 pmLove Parc Omega! We went last year and enjoyed it so much. As for the Fromagerie….how did I miss that when we were in Montebello? Looks awesome! Glad you and the fam had fun!
Victoria Martin says
August 6, 2014 at 9:53 pmYou had me at baguette and fresh cheese. Parc Omega is awesome, too. It’s been a couple of years since we were there last, maybe we should head over and feed the walloping wapiti (the kids’ old word for deer) one last time.
EvelynG says
August 7, 2014 at 11:17 pmWe go to Parc Omega every year! The kids love it there! A fun thing to do while visiting there is to rent a golf cart to check out their farmhouse.
Thanks for the Montebello lunch tip! We’ll have to stop in the next time we go.
DARLENE W says
August 13, 2014 at 2:33 pmWhen we visit the Ottawa area next summer we will give this place a visit
Karen Evans says
September 1, 2014 at 12:23 pmHow much fun, you had. I haven’t been to Parc Omega in years. I think I should start planning for next year!! 🙂
Judy Cowan says
September 1, 2014 at 2:58 pmLooks like you had a fun day. My friend just went to Park Omega this past week and thought it was great!
Heidi C. says
September 7, 2014 at 8:55 pmWhat a fun adventure! I would love to take my kids!
DARLENE W says
September 8, 2014 at 3:04 pmI feel like getting in my car and driving some where, maybe here, its too far away
sue rayner says
September 9, 2014 at 7:51 pmHi Shannon
We really enjoyed having Tegan for a tea party today. While she was here, she and Danica looked at our blogs full of pics of the kids for our out-of-town grandma, aunties and other extended family to enjoy, and she directed me here to see your blog. I thought it would be fun to say hello this way, and send you the links to our blogs if you want to take a peek at them from time to time.
My blog http://brownbetty.blogspot.ca/ and John’s blog http://anvilcloud.blogspot.ca/
This is such a great way to stay in touch with family and friends near and far.
Shannon says
September 10, 2014 at 9:00 amThanks for stopping by! Tegan had a wonderful time and is proudly wearing her new jewels today.
Victoria Ess says
September 15, 2014 at 10:58 amI really want to visit this park! They also hold some great concerts that I want to attend next summer.
Elizabeth Matthiesen says
March 9, 2015 at 5:32 pmit sounds like a fun day was had by all 🙂 Shame it would be such a long trip from here (AB) but I did get to see bison in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, amazing creatures.