Attractions and Tours

Located at the edge of the lower Laurentians on the picturesque Rivière du Nord, Saint-Jérôme is often called the “Capital of the Laurentians”. With a population of 60,000, including the surrounding sectors of Bellefeuille, Lafontaine, and Saint-Antoine, the town is an important regional administrative and service centre, with a strong retail and industrial base.

Lanaudière was one of the first land areas to be cleared for cultivation by the early French settlers. From 1637 to 1750, about a dozen seigneuries (lordly estates) were granted along the St. Lawrence River. Little by little, the emphasis shifted from fur trading to agriculture. "The Great Spirit" of the original pine forests still resides beneath the tobacco fields.

The Aerobic Corridor (“Corridor Aerobique”) is the Laurentians’ second longest linear park. At nearly 60 km in length, it connects Morin Heights in the south to Saint-Rémi-d'Amherst in the north. Like the 200 km “P’tit Train du Nord” trail, which runs roughly parallel, the Aerobic Corridor follows a former railway line, in this case the CN.

By the beginning of the 20th century, there were hundreds of covered bridges all across Quebec. Today the province numbers just over ninety, some built as late as the 1950s. In the Laurentians, there are six covered bridges, all in the Upper Laurentians, and all except one are well north of Mont Tremblant. In the heyday of the covered bridge, most villages had at least one; some had several. They dotted the back roads as well, crossing brooks and rivers of all sizes. Very few, however, have survived the ravages of time.

(Continued from Part 1)

The Vieux Palais de Justice de l’Assomption is the oldest county courthouse in Quebec. Its architecture is inspired by traditional 18th- and 19th-century styles. It comprises the Lebourdais House, built in 1811, the Gamelin-Woolrich House, built in 1822, and a former Hudson’s Bay Company trading post. It was not until 1857 that it became a courthouse. In 1975, the then-abandoned building was classified as a historic monument.

During the 20s and 30s, down hill skiing was all the rage and the P'tit Train du Nord played a pivotal role in opening up the Laurentians as a resort area. As the automobile arrived on the scene and the area was accessible by super highway, the trains usefulness finished and the rail line eventually shutdown.

Ste. Agathe and the surrounding lakes have been the favoured destination of generations of North Americans.

The mission of the Musée d'art contemporain des Laurentides, located in one of the most prestigious buildings in the Laurentians, is to introduce visitors to the visual arts and to promote and exhibit them, with an emphasis on contemporary and current art. The museum has been accredited since 1986 and is recognized as one of the most dynamic and popular of all Quebec museums. It offers a great variety of activities, from lectures to round-table discussions, meetings, cultural getaways and video evenings.

ST. ANDREWS EAST
The municipality of Saint-André-d’Argenteuil, which includes the former villages of St. Andrews East (Saint- André-Est) and Carillon and the parish of Saint-André-d’Argenteuil, is a wonderful place to spend a day or two. There is so much historic architecture in this area, and amid such a lovely setting, that visitors will have no trouble finding sights to see.