A different kind of “Need traveling advice” thread. Time for our annual Explore The Mainland treks. In previous years, you dopers helped with our road trips: Spokane to Nebraska, then Yosemite to Grand Canyon, and last year New York to Nebraska,. Yes, they’ve seen a lot for kids stranded on an island. However, each trip has been in the summer, so now Anya and Grant (12 & 8 now) want SNOW for their next mainland trip. Other than Nebraska when Anya was little and a few patches at Yosemite’s Tioga Pass, the kids have never seen snow.
We chose Canada, figuring we could be reasonably sure there’s snow in December. We are staying at a house in Mississauga and then trekking from there Dec 25-Jan 6.
Toronto: CN Tower, Eaton Square and Ripley’s Museum are musts
Montreal: Staying at Embassy Suites near Old Town for a couple days
Quebec City: Staying at the modest Château Frontenac for a couple days (wife loves the French streets)
I figure Canada might be a bit cooler than Hawaii in late December. Can anyone recommend a solid thermal underwear, including legs? I figure that’s important, as we can layer over that, and can get via Amazon. Surprisingly, Honolulu doesn’t have much in the way of winter clothes, so we’ll probably spend our first day in Toronto shopping for winter coats, gloves, caps, etc. I’m from Nebraska, so know about winters, so I imagine it’s a similar chill.
We are looking for somewhere to ski. My wife and two kids have never skiied, and I haven’t since high school. So we’re not looking for double-diamond alpine resorts. What’s a good place near Toronto (hour or two away, willing to stay overnight). Blue Mountain looks too big, lots of lines, etc. If they were to take a skiing class, would it be a 1-2 hour lesson thing before they could try a smaller slope with me?
I saw on other SDMB threads good places to eat, like Schwartz and La Banquise in Montreal and Aux Anciens Canadiens in Quebec. We’ll obviously do poutine and Tim Hortons. Welcoming more recommendations.
We like military museums (spending a whole day in Gettysburg last summer). I see the Citadelle in Quebec City, but that seems more outdoors. Is the Plains of Abraham or Musee du Fort also good, if I were to choose among the three?
I’ll have more questions later, I’m sure. Thanks all!
I haven’t been in years, so I have no advice on what to see. But I was shocked to learn recently that if you have a DUI, they will not let you into Canada. So just dropping my one recently learned factoid into the thread.
Sounds like a fun trip. For the base layer stuff check out 32 Degrees “Heat” line (as opposed to their Cool line). I’ve been picking up their stuff at Costco in store, but they also carry them online. If you aren’t a member, I think I’ve seen them come up on Amazon and maybe somewhere like Boston Store. Very soft, comfortable, and warm and inexpensive. You could also check out Target online for their C9 active wear. They have good base layer stuff for winter. One thing you might consider is seeing if the rental owner in Mississauga would let you ship stuff to the house just before your arrival so it’s waiting for you there and you don’t have to waste vacation time shopping.
I’ll start with no. 2. While in Québec City you have Mont Ste-Anne which is about 45 minutes north of Québec City or while in Montréal you can ski in the Laurentians or Eastern Townships (both about 30 to 60 minutes out of town) I know you can find charter buses to take you to a mountain, and yes at most ski centers, you can take an hour or two lesson and go on the beginner’s slope!
No. 3 I don’t know the restaurants that much in Québec city, but pretty much anywhere you eat in Québec (in general) the food is good. Yes Schwartz is a classic for smoked meat and of course La Banquise for poutine as for Timmy meh, it’s a chain. Depending on your tastes I could better guide you.
No. 4 I can’t really help other than tell you that the appeal of Plaines d’Abraham in the winter is a bit lost but the beauty remains. Just a side note, they usually build this huge slide right next to Château Frontenac, the kids should love it!
I had never heard of La Banquise but just googled it. Well, if you like poutine… Although not just military I have really enjoyed the historical museum at Pointe a Callieres: POINTE-À-CALLIÈRE. Schwarz’s is excellent, but can be almost impossible to get into and you don’t want to be waiting outside in December. Go between 2 and 5 to avoid the crowds.
There is no good skiing near Toronto. Southern Ontario is relatively flat. Blue Mountain (mountain being ironic) is Whistler style but with 700 ft of vertical compared to 2200 at Mt Tremblant near Montreal or 5000 ft at Whistler. There are many reasons to come here, skiing is not one of them!
Eaton Centre (not Square) is a big shopping mall. Worth it if you like shopping, otherwise it is just a mall.
We have the great Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and amazing neighborhood walking and people watching. Also some of the best and widest ranging cuisine around.
Good chance that you will see snow in Quebec City but only a 50/50 chance in Toronto in December. It will likely be cold and wet so pack accordingly. Unless you really like shopping, skip the Eaton Centre and visit the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) or the Ontario Science Centre instead.
If you find Frontenac too pricey, there’s Chateau Laurier just a few blocks away. Not quite as much character but just as walkable to restaurants etc. Plus they have wine vending machines on several floors (seriously).
There are walking tours that meet up right outside Frontenac; a friend of ours works for the parks organization and recommended it. The walking isn’t the easiest in places (that part of QC can be a little hilly), and it it might be a bit chilly for the walking.
There’s a funicular near CF that takes you down to an area with shops etc. We spent far too little time down there; Moon Unit wasn’t feeling well and we had lunch reservations at Aux Anciens Canadiens. For Aux Anciens Canadiens, it’s a good idea to make reservations - maybe less of an issue in winter but we were not able to be seated immediately when we went.
About a kilometer away from Chateau Laurier - and an easy walk along a fairly level road - is Cartier Avenue. A number of restaurants, small shops, ice cream stores and a nifty candy store can be found there (as well as, of all things, a laundromat). Plus, giant lampshades!!
We did a whale-watching tour when there but that was late June, not December. Pretty sure those tours only run in warmer weather, and the roads to get to that area would be pretty grim if there’d been a snowstorm.
There are a number of ski resorts fairly close to Quebec City:
Ooh - if you’re driving from Montreal to QC (or vice versa), and take the route along the north bank of the St Lawrence, stop at Les Mauvais Perdants (The Sore Losers) in Trois-Rivieres. It’s a game cafe - seriously, a wall full of board games you can grab and play while you eat. Their menu isn’t extensive, though I had a nice pear and turnip soup when we stopped there. We love to use Yelp to find local restaurants when on a road trip, and when I saw the name, we had to eat there.
Can’t speak specifically regarding Canada but in general it is very difficult to estimate when someone will be ready to tackle even a smaller slope. I was able to tackle easy-ish slopes after only half an hour on skis, my wife needed a good couple of days. The less co-ordinated of my kids took to it really quickly at age 4 and my more sporty son took longer. There sometimes is no real rhyme or reason.
I’d advise hiring a personal instructor for the morning and see where you get to. I’d recommend that any area you do choose is fully equipped with extensive learner facilities magic carpet type lifts and kids fun area with tobogganing etc. (plus lots of nice rest areas and food opportunities) If the lesson doesn’t go too well for some of you then you can at least all enjoy yourselves in different ways according to your ability.
It seems to me that the OP and his family are absolute beginners. As such, southern Ontario might be better for them than the thousands of feet of vertical offered at Mont Tremblant or Whistler.
OP, the one time I went downhill skiing, it was at Snow Valley, near Barrie, Ontario. My ski rental included a lesson on the bunny slope (i.e. the beginner’s slope), which I enjoyed, time and time again, before tackling something more difficult (which I managed, but just barely). At any rate, it seems to me that southern Ontario ski hills may be best for the OP, if he wants to give his family a taste of skiing.
Horseshoe is a good choice, just over an hour from Toronto and right off a major highway. Blue Mountain is higher, farther, and more resort like but the road is a bit tougher if it is not dry.