Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello Town Activities

The Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello is in a fairly remote destination. While the resort is a destination unto itself, many will want to explore the nearby surroundings when they travel here. The small town of Montebello has a population of approximately 900 people. As with the food and beverage options, the small population limits what is available in the town. However, this does not mean there aren’t fun things to do. This post includes a review of the Montebello town activities that are available around the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello. This post is the final part of this four-part review on the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello:

• Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello – Room & Resort Review
• Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello – Amenities & Activities
• Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello – Food & Beverage
• Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello – Town Activities

Rue Notre Dame

When heading into Montebello, almost everything is located along one central street, Rue Notre Dame. For guests starting an exploration of Montebello, I recommend beginning somewhere on Rue Notre Dame. The street has a large amount of free parking for those who will drive into town. For those willing to walk, the mid-point of Rue Notre Dame is about a 15-minute walk from the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello.

While we will go into more detail on specific activities and shops in the following sections, there are a couple of locations on the Rue Notre Dame that are worth a mention now:

• Fabrique Notre-Dame de Bonsecours – This is the church for which the road is named. It’s a pretty church to look at as you walk up and down Rue Notre Dame.
• Fromagerie – Local cheese shop that also serves breakfast and lunch. It also makes a great place to stop in and sample cheese, beer, or wine on the patio.
• Clothing Boutiques – There are a couple clothing boutiques in Montebello that appear to have a good selection. The Boutique Lorraine and Boutique Chez Marie-Jo Friperie are two of the main shops, but there are occasionally some smaller stores open as well.

Manoir Papineau National Historic Site

This is the estate of Louis-Joseph Papineau, a well-known person in Canadian politics. Papineau lived in the late 1700s through the 1800s. He made his mark in Canadian politics by being the leader of the Patriotes, a protest party against the British rule in Canada. He was also a large landholder and was influential in the establishment of the buildings that would become the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello.

Visitors to the Manoir Papineau are able to explore both the estate buildings and the gardens on site. The structures on site include the old gardener’s house, a wooden bridge over Papineau brook, the Granary, the Papineau funeral chapel, and the estate house.

A visit inside the estate house will give guests a view into how this elite family lived. Rooms are decorated with authentic period décor. Those interested should partake in a guided tour of the estate that lasts approximately 45 minutes. These are offered in both French and English.

The Manoir is generally only open from late May through early October. Please check the official hours of operation and open dates with the Canadian Park service before going. Admission fees are $8.50 CAD per adult, $7.00 CAD per senior (65+), and free admission for those under 18 years old.

ChocoMotive

The next stop is for chocolate lovers. ChocoMotive is a local Canadian chocolate shop that makes much of their own chocolate in house. ChocoMotive is located in the old town train station which is what gives the chocolate shop its name. If you time your visit just right, they may be making batches of chocolate in their glass-enclosed kitchen. The shop isn’t very large and can get crowded, but this is a great opportunity to watch some chocolatiers work their craft.

While they have the standard milk and dark chocolate bars, this is just the tip of the iceberg for all the products that ChocoMotive produces. They have bars with all kinds of add-ins like pecans, cherries, salted caramel, maple syrup, candied ginger, and blueberries. In addition to bars, there are tons of shaped chocolates, chocolate covered nuts, pralines, and chocolate with fruit filled centers. If your favorite type of chocolate wasn’t present in the shop, I would be surprised.

ChocoMotive makes a great stop to peruse the chocolate offerings and see if anything catches your eye. It’s pretty easy to come out of the shop with a couple things that you want to try. If chocolate isn’t your thing, they also have a decent sized kitchen products section and soft-serve ice cream.

Parc Omega

One of the biggest attractions in the area has to be Parc Omega. The best way to describe Parc Omega is a big drive through zoo. At some places, the animals come right up to your car to be hand fed. However, the more exotic or dangerous animals are fenced in. This still gives everyone an opportunity to view some lesser seen animals of Canada in a more up-close experience.

When arriving at Parc Omega, the entrance gate collects tickets. There is a daily limit to the number of vehicles that can enter the park. During the off seasons, this isn’t an issue. During the high seasons, I recommend getting tickets ahead of time due to the sellout possibility. After entering the park, the visitors’ center is on the right-hand side. Stop in here for the café, restaurant, gift shop, and restrooms. Carrots can also be purchased for feeding the animals along your journey. They sell large bags of carrots for about $3 CAD. I recommend getting 2 bags per car, unless you have a large group. Animals will swarm the cars at the beginning of the trip begging for carrots. However, there are less animals to feed later in the journey.

After the visitors’ center, guests will enter the main portion of the park. Upon entering this section, animals will immediately greet you. These are primarily red deer, white-tailed deer, caribou, boar, and elk. These animals will walk right up to your car and eat a carrot from your hand. It’s a fun experience and makes for a great photo opportunity or family activity.

The roadway through the park makes a big loop around the grounds with several routes to turn off or turn back. At the opposite end of the park is a stop with a café, playground, gift shop, some walking trails, bathrooms, and a wolf center. This is a great place to get out of your car, stretch your legs, and get a change of scenery.

As a word of warning, this café has limited food options. They include several poutine options, a hot dog, fries, and a kid’s meal. It will do in a pinch, but if you’re hungry grab something ahead of time or at the visitors’ center where there are much better food options. All in all, the journey around the park (including a stop for the wolf center and to get a bite to eat) takes about three and a half hours. You can do it quicker if you don’t stop for food or feed as many animals.

Les Brasseurs de Montebello

While Les Brasseurs de Montebello is a pub, I felt like it deserved a section on this list. Les Brasseurs has a large outdoor patio seating area in addition to an indoor space. This brew pub has made a name for itself due to a very wide selection of beers on tap including some very interesting beer flight options to get everyone trying something new.

In addition to beer, Les Brasseurs also serves sushi in what I thought was an interesting pairing. While you won’t find wildly adventurous sushi to match some of the beers, the menu is pretty comprehensive. I was quite impressed at the variety available. This pub makes a great place to sit and enjoy an afternoon after exploring the other areas of Montebello. Since it is close to the Fairmont resort, it is an easy walk back if you don’t want to drive.