Are you planning to travel for a vacation this winter? Maybe you’re heading somewhere warm to escape the snow & cold, or maybe your family is visiting an exotic new place to broaden your cultural horizons. In either case, you can count your stars: a new survey has found that 33% of people simply can’t afford to travel on their vacation time this winter.
That means 1 in 3 Americans will be taking time off this winter, and spending it at home… With Canada’s economy as closely tied as it is to the United States, it’s no stretch to imagine that the same situation must be affecting many Canadians as well.
In any case, taking a “stay-cation” isn’t as bad as this survey makes it seem… If you live in Montreal, that is! The truth is, our city has tons of fun activities to do and things to see. If you’re taking a Montreal “stay-cation” to spare your wallet, all you have to do is switch to “tourist mode” and you’re all set.
Here are some of our top suggestions of MTL activities to make your stay-cation a fun, enriching experience for the whole family… And spare yourself the big spending that comes with flights and hotel bookings!
- Take a walk in the Old Port;
- Visit one of Montreal’s many museums and educational centres, including the Montreal Science Centre, Pointe-à-Callière Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Montreal Botanical Gardens or Planetarium;
- Climb Mont-Royal (yes, we know, we’ve all done this before… But in all honesty, when’s the last time you did?);
- Go skating at one of Montreal’s 260 (!!!) public skating rinks, of visit a private, refrigerated rink such as the Natrel Skating Rink or Atrium le 1000;
- Spend a day reading and visiting at Montreal’s Grande Bibliothèque;
- Visit a public market like Atwater or Jean-Talon.
What will you do during your stay-cation in Montreal? What is your choice activity in the city that’s not on this list? Let us know in the comments on Facebook!