17 Côte Gédéon in Lotbinière. The site we had reserved opened right onto the river. Literally. You unload the kids from the van, look ahead, and immediately understand why they call it a halte (a riverside stop). You can also pitch your tent right there. It is calm, it is beautiful, little puffs of pollen drift through the air. The kids ran straight for the rocks by the water within the first minute.
We collected shells and waded along the shore. The poetic trail and the village church are about a 5-minute walk from the campground, perfect for a little afternoon stroll. On our way to dinner we got treated to a spectacular storm at the end of the afternoon: lightning and heavy rain while we stayed nice and dry watching the show from our van.
8002 Route Marie-Victorin, Leclercville. The restaurant sits right on the water with huge pirate-ship play structures. We almost had to leave with a meal to go (the place was packed after the storm!), but a table opened up at just the right moment. Good news: it is well worth the wait. The shrimp poke bowl and the smoked salmon are among our absolute favourites. The local beer too. And the server hands out creamery coupons to the kids for dessert, which settles the end-of-meal question like magic.
Play structures open up after the meal once the rain clears. Do not miss the sunset on the way back.
1031 Avenue Bergeron, Saint-Agapit.
Our first family bike ride, all five of us together. We were not quite sure how it would go, but the owner of Bi-Sports set us up for success right from the start: a great welcome, and he even brought a bike right to the trailhead because we were short on space on the bike rack. That kind of service makes all the difference.
The bike path is beautiful, open to the fields and the forest, and very manageable for kids. We rode about 6 km, with stops to pick flowers, collect snails, and catch our breath. We stopped at Marché Saint-Louis, 7452 Route Marie-Victorin, Lotbinière, before setting off, for a gourmet picnic: eating it all in the grass by the trail after a good climb is a whole different kind of experience.
7015 Route de Pointe-Platon, St-Croix, Quebec
A garden tour with horticultural guide Sophie. The site is ranked among the most beautiful gardens in the country, and it shows. Sophie really has a knack for holding kids' attention, even the more restless ones. We learned the history of the estate, marveled at the plant collections, and finished with a walk along the river at Pointe-Platon. A guaranteed favourite. The manor house can also be visited (we went back on day 3 to make sure we did not miss it).
6087 Rue Principale, Sainte-Croix.
After a big day, we wanted simple and easy. Burgers, poutine, spaghetti, ice cream. The kids were thrilled. The place is friendly, and the locals love to chat.
6169 Route Marie-Victorin, Sainte-Croix.
My favourite food find of the whole trip, hands down. The décor is travel-themed, straight out of a TV series. There are games on site, cozy reading nooks, and a warm atmosphere that makes you want to stay for two hours. We had savoury and sweet waffles made in-house with homemade cream cheese. The coffee was delicious. We are going back every single time we visit the region, it is decided.
We then went back to visit the Domaine Joly manor house that we had missed the day before, and walked the riverside trail one last time. Because we just were not ready to leave yet.
Photographer, traveler, entrepreneur, content creator and mother, Lisa-Marie never miss an opportunity to go on an Adventure with her 3 kids and then share her discoveries with faventure community
@la_famille_faventure / 