What's new Summer 2023

• Major projects and developments
• Adventures in Nature
• Lodging
• Unusual accommodations and camping
• Food, restaurants, delicacies and microbreweries
• Activities
• Events, shows and exhibitions
  
  
  
   

For the summer of 2023, Parc Octopus is pleased to announce an expansion of their water park, with the addition of more than a dozen new modules! Come and test the new course full of challenges. You will have to walk, climb, run and even climb to get to the end. This expansion of the playground will provide you with memorable experiences worthy of one of the largest floating water parks in Canada.

You can now explore the vastness of Réserve Faunique des Laurentides on your bike. Twelve new routes await you to offer you a two to seven day stay in the spruce paradise. This vast territory of 7,861 km² is the perfect place for a bike-camping experience worthy of the name. All you have to do is register at the Camp Mercier and La Loutre welcome stations. This offer is available from June 1st to September 9th, due to the moose hunting season, and will resume on October 16th until early November. Don't miss your chance!

A new activity of nautical equipment rental will be offered on the Moreau River by the Péribonka Municipal Campground. Take advantage of a unique site and several choices of equipment, such as kayaks, paddle boards, a canoe, a pedal boat and a rabaska.

A new section has been added to the Véloroute des Bleuets in Saint-Gédéon! It will be located between rue de la Gare and rue du Quai. It will be a one-kilometre stretch of completely dedicated roadway that will pass through fields and along the banks of the Belle-Rivière River. It will improve the comfort and safety of cyclists, considering that before they had to go through the street of Quen, a narrow street with a shoulder that was also narrow. This novelty will solve the problem of cohabitation that cyclists experienced in the past in this sector.


 

Starting this summer, the Ville d'Alma, in collaboration with the Véloroute des Bleuets, will be offering a guided bicycle tour. This tour will allow you to discover the town's points of interest, while highlighting its art, history and heritage. Tours last 2 hours and will be available from July 18 to August 20 every Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. The activity is free for all, so all you have to do is book directly on the City of Alma's recreation department web page. On your bikes!

L'Ermitage Saint-Antoine has gone under the paint! Live the full experience of this accommodation in one of the 48 completely renovated hotel rooms. Some even offer a magnificent view of the lake. A trip to a nature sanctuary you won't forget soon!

Auberge Île du Repos is adding new accommodations to their offer. You will now be able to make online reservations for camping and lodging! Also, you will now have access to a high speed Wi-Fi network in your room. Furthermore, if you wish to enjoy the nature around you, you will be able to borrow bikes, canoes and kayaks for free if you stay at the Inn. A wonderful mix of comfort and adventure!

This summer, come and enjoy Otis Nature, a site accessible to all, where you can recharge your batteries and have fun with the whole family! Fishing, hiking, water sports and adapted outdoor equipment are all available. You'll find a children's and an adult's joëlette, an adapted pontoon and kayaks on site. If you'd like help bringing out your inner adventurer, a fishing, hiking and boating guiding service is also available. For quieter days, a mini-farm and small garden will keep the kids entertained.







 

Parc national de la Pointe-Taillon is adding 10 new Étoile ready-to-camp sites to its accommodation offer. They will be located at the Camp-de-Touage campground in St-Gédéon. Come and enjoy these magnificent wooden structures that blend in perfectly with the environment in which they are located. Moreover, they will be advantageously located near the Saint-Jean lake. They will be available for you from mid-June to mid-October

Get back to nature in the Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay, thanks to the seven new ready-to-camp units that will be installed in the Baie-Éternité campground sector. Make yourself comfortable in this cubic-shaped accommodation that can accommodate 6 people. Everything is included except bedding and food!

Alpaga Bersi now offers you the unique opportunity to extend your visit with their magnificent furry animals by lodging you directly on the site. Five campsites for tents and recreational vehicles as well as a ready-to-camp cabin are now at your disposal. Come and enjoy an extraordinary proximity with the alpacas of the site. Also, throughout the month of July, you can combine your visit to the farm with a pick-your-own haskap. An ideal way to combine an adventure in nature with the tasting of local flavors.





 

Come and enjoy a quiet natural environment full of surprises at Exode en Nature. The site already has 2 mini-homes that can accommodate 4-6 people each. A geodesic dome named La Thuya will open in July 2023 and another mini house with windows, La Sumac, will be available in the fall. Also, a large 8-person barrel sauna will be placed in the center of the site to offer a perfect private thermal experience to our visitors: river, sauna and Nordic bath.

The site Vacances Plein Air du Domaine des Trois-Îles is pleased to announce the addition of 10 new Coolboxes, an unusual accommodation that's well worth a visit. What's more, a new model is making its debut, the Six. It can accommodate up to 7 people, ideal for large families.


 

You can now sleep on the Moulin des Pionniers de La Doré site using your camping equipment. Starting this summer, there will be 20 unserviced sites available for visitors to the region. This project is in response to demand from tourists wishing to extend their stay in our beautiful part of the country.

What better way to end your visit or your purchases at Distillerie du Fjord than with a glass in hand and good company. It's now possible to enjoy the company's various products at the brand-new cocktail counter! During the summer season, the new mixology experience will be available Tuesday to Saturday from 1pm to 7pm, from June 22 to September 2. Come and enjoy the fine weather while sipping on local products!

Distillerie du Fjord offers a new variant of their Km12 gin, the cucumber gin. It's the result of a balanced blend of local ingredients. It combines the typical aromas of Km12 gin's boreal forest plants with the pleasant freshness of Nordic cucumbers from the Toundra greenhouses in Saint-Félicien, Lac-Saint-Jean. This gin will give you an authentically refreshing experience of the northern climate. Enjoy it in your favorite cocktails.

02e vie is the result of a second transformation of raspberries, blackcurrants and grapes of the domain to give as final product, three distinct brandies with a unique taste. Soft, delicate and fruity, you will discover them by their originality. Your second life will begin after tasting them.

Always developing new authentic products, Domaine le Cageot also launches its sparkling Ready-to-Drink Wild Blueberry, Lemon & Mint, without alcohol. A drink for the whole family, which is without coloring, without artificial flavors and unfiltered, but which can also be used to make delicious cocktails with our new brandies.

Starting next summer, À l'Orée des Champs will be offering its lamb butcher's economuseum. The company will be offering guided and audio-guided tours. These will feature the meat preparation laboratory, with a view of the craftsman and his facilities. In addition, an interpretation trail highlighting the family heritage and a farmhouse area enhance the visitor experience. The trail is accompanied by QR codes and digital devices. In addition, the infrastructure has been upgraded to accommodate visitors with reduced mobility.

For the 2023 season, Vergers de Velours has developed a new tourist offer in addition to its existing boutique. Since mid-May, it has been possible to taste their products on the new terrace facing Lac-Saint-Jean. A new tasting offers a virtual tour of the company using QR codes, while sipping their award-winning spirits. Also new is an alcoholic slush. It's sure to be a must-have on those lovely beach days.

Lion Bleu Microbrewery is proud to offer a totally unique new product: hop-infused sparkling water. The idea for the product arose from the desire to add an alcohol-free alternative to their product range, while staying connected to their original roots: the beer business. Their priority was to create a product that was 100% alcohol-free (unlike many other beers or products, which tend to be 0.5% alcohol). Interestingly, sparkling water is sugar-free and calorie-free! A very versatile product, it can be enjoyed on its own or as the perfect addition in the hands of a budding mixologist.

Kwe Cocktails is proud to offer a new tour package: the tasting package. A flowerbed laid out with various boreal plants allows visitors to discover flavors and associate them with each of their products. The company also offers other on-site activities: discovery of Quebec forest herbs (30-minute class), tasting of their syrups, training in basic cocktail creation (60-minute class), tour of the premises (with informative posters) and visit to the boutique featuring regional products.

Offered on the Terrasse des Ha! Ha! at Auberge des 21, the new special 100% Québec menu allows customers to discover Québec's finest alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Auberge des 21 also invites visitors to its Café du Fjord, a space where family and friends can come together to share a good time.

Hôtel La Saguenéenne is getting a whole new look! Due to open in mid-June, the restaurant will feature a completely new culinary offering. It will be home to the region's first Tomahawk restaurant franchise. Its unique concept and grill-style sharing menus are sure to charm you.

A brand new experience will be offered at the Musée de la Vieille Fromagerie Perron: the artisanal butter-making workshop. A guide will be on hand to explain the history and steps involved in making butter. Customers will be invited to make their own butter the way our ancestors did. Another new feature: new digital interpretation panels and augmented reality characters have been added to the establishment. The cheese tasting formula has also been improved.

Take advantage of your visit to participate in a cultural activity. You will have the possibility to take part in a workshop of artisanal manufacture, a tasting of bannique (bread) and herbal tea resulting from the boreal forest as well as meetings with the elders of the community. Consult the program of the Ilnu Museum of Mashteuiatsh on their website.

From June to August, you will have the chance to participate in an archaeological dig initiation workshop at the Ilnu Museum of Mashteuiatsh. From Monday to Friday, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., you will be able to learn more about archaeology in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and the preservation of this cultural heritage.

For 2023, you will have the chance to discover Lac Saint-Jean aboard a brand new 26-foot luxury pontoon boat powered by a 300 horsepower Yamaha engine, extremely safe and certified by Transport Canada. These cruises are offered by Aventure Lac Saint-Jean!

Cristal du Lac is pleased to welcome you to a brand new building that brings together their quartz crystal in all its forms under one roof. Visit the Economuseum, at the Mineralogical Activity Center, to learn more about the traditional methods of prospecting for quartz crystal, an exceptional stone unique to our region. Admire their private collection of about 100 specimens. A consultant will teach you more about the geological phenomenon of crystallization, the variety of our crystals and the transformation of this stone into jewelry.

Jardin Scullion completed several new projects in 2022. A new sanitary unit was built at the entrance to the tourist site to better accommodate groups. This project speeds up the reception process for visitors arriving by bus. In addition, 3 new covered rest areas with treated wood tables and benches have also been erected in the 42-hectare garden. Built by Construction Jonat, of Ascension, these infrastructures offer spectacular views of the natural stone bridge and the Jardin Scullion landscaping. They also provide excellent shelter for pedestrians and electric buggy users in bad weather.



 

This year, the grandiose spectacle of La Fabuleuse Histoire d'un Royaume is getting a makeover. Come live a unique experience that will give you the impression of being on stage with the actors! The new surround-sound environment will certainly plunge you into the heart of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean history. In addition, you will be able to see a brand new scene about the Saint-Jean-Vianney tragedy. This landslide occurred in 1971 and marked the history of the region. The actors, the sets and the sound ambiance will allow you to learn more about the sometimes tragic past of this wonderful territory.

La Fabuleuse Histoire d'un Royaume is the epitome of excess! A unique show in the world, it has made the region shine for over 35 years. Over the years, hundreds of dedicated people have poured their hearts, talents and time into this majestic regional theatrical display! From June 3 to September 17, 2023 at the Pulperie de Chicoutimi, come and discover the backstage of this grandiose show and meet these passionate actors who invest year after year to make this story a memorable, immersive and so... fabulous experience!

From June 15 to September 17, 2023, come and visit the new exhibition of L'Odyssée des Bâtisseurs! For many Quebecers, drinking a beer is an integral part of their eating and social habits. Nevertheless, this action is the result of a complex and revealing historical construction. How did beer - marginal at the beginning of European history in America - progress to become, at the beginning of the 20th century, one of the distinctive features of French-Canadian culture? A travelling exhibition produced by the Société de développement culturel de Terrebonne.

The third edition of the Festival Western du Boisé will be marked by an exciting new feature! We are delighted to announce the addition of a rodeo to the program. This show will be a real experience for western and rodeo fans. The competitions will be hosted by the best cowboys and cowgirls and promise to be spectacular. The crowd will be able to cheer on their favorites while enjoying the authentic western decor and live country music. Come and enjoy this unique experience at the third edition of the Festival!

This summer, let yourself be transported to our solar system at the Planetarium of Saint-Félicien. Thanks to virtual reality, you will be able to visit Space as if you were there. Seven different experiences are offered to you! As a bonus, a visit inside the International Space Station with Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques.

Pilot Loïc Michaud has mysteriously disappeared on the Bagotville base with a precious object. This is an emergency! The missing pilot must be found as soon as possible in order to end the state of alert on the base!

Young visitors to the Bagotville Air Defence Museum will be immersed in an interactive investigation through games of observation, deduction and association to solve the enigma.

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of Festirame! Aware of the importance of making a lasting impression and bringing generations together, the organization has decided to go all out. To bring young and old together, families will be able to have fun at Place Cogéco around a fair. There will be free entertainment and activities, food stands and a food truck. Later in the evening, a variety of shows, including a regional exclusive, will round off the July 15, 2023 event.