Welcome to the Plains of Abraham

Québec City treats itself to an Odyssey
Saturdays and Sundays in January and February, 2011
Information: 418 649-6157

Every Saturday and Sunday of January and of February, the residents of Québec City and its surroundings will have the chance to visit, free of charge, the multimedia exhibition Odyssey: a journey through history on the Plains of Abraham, by showing proof of residency.

The Plains of Abraham: a park at the centre of the lives of citizens, a unique historic site in North America. Head for the Odyssey multimedia exhibition and discover the importance of the Plains of Abraham in the country’s history. A 400-year captivating virtual journey alongside the great characters who helped shape our history, from the birth of New France to the creation of the park through the famous battles of the Plains of Abraham and Sainte-Foy.

Pretend you’re a tourist visiting your own city and get to know this important chapter of the Plains of Abraham's history.

More details about the Odyssey multimedia exhibition
Press Release

Snowshoer's Walk
In English (at 4 p.m.): February 11, 2012
In French (at 7 p.m.): January 21 (sold out) and 28, February 10 and 25, March 3, 2012
Reservations required, places limited: 418 649-6157

$17/13-64 years old, $15/8-12 years old, 65 years old and over.
$15/person for groups of 9 and more.

Guided old-time snowshoe tours

Join a 20th century snowshoer as you set off on a winter stroll to explore the winter sports and recreation of bygone days.

Wooden snowshoes, arrow sashes, lanterns and hot chocolate included.

For a quick view of the Guided Tour SNOWSHOER’S WALK

View

Press release
Other winter activities

A member of the "snowshoeing enthursiasts" of the Traders'Union, Amédée Fournier (or his wife), will tell you about the local snowshoeing history, but also about various sports secrets along the park trails : the double Stanley Cup Triumph of the Quebec Bulldogs, the Quebec Skating Rink, among the first indoor skating rinks in Quebec City, the Quebec Skating Club which hosted several competitions (hockey tournament, ice skating competition and curling tournament, to name a few), ski jorring, which consists of hitching oneself to a horse or car and being dragged in the snow, and much more.

Collaboration:

Do not miss Amédée participating as a runner at these events:

Raquettes d'Abraham

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Pentathlon des neiges

Saturday, January 28 and Thursday, February 23, 2012

During the Québec Winter Carnival
From January 27 to February 12, 2012
Official website for the Carnival

For information regarding activities offered by the Carnival :
418 626-3716

For information regarding activities offered by the National Battlefields Commission:
418 649-6157

Get warmed up at the Discovery Pavilion of the Plains of Abraham. When you present your carnival effigy you can get a $1 discount on admission fees to the Odyssey Multimedia Exhibition, take part in the Snowshoer's Walk or rent cross-country skis or snowshoes.

The carnival effigy is sold at the Discovery Pavilion.

Press Release

During school break
March 3 to 11, 2012
Information: 418 649-6157

Take advantage of the school break to enjoy yourself in Quebec City's largest playing field. Skiing? Snowshoeing? A rally? A multimedia show? You are spoiled for choice. Whether you play out in the open or indoors, sheltered from the elements, The National Battlefields Commission invites you to loosen up and take part in the historically exciting or "simply" entertaining activities. For the enjoyment of all ages.

Odyssey multimedia exhibition
Every day, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Take a virtual 400-year trip with Odyssey, a multimedia exhibition devoted to the Plains of Abraham. Thanks to the magic of multimedia, you will follow in the footsteps of the first European explorers, immerse yourself in a conflict that stretched from the French dream to the British occupation and attend in person the birth of Canada. By the same token, you will live a fascinating adventure on the site that witnessed the birth of the country!
Fee: two admissions for the price of one
(Regular fee: $10/adult, $8/13-17 year-olds or people over 65).
Free for children 12 years old or less when accompanied by an adult.
Details regarding the Odyssey multimedia exhibition

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Winter Pedestrian Rally
Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m; Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.
Put on your hiking boots and join in the family rally to discover the history of the Plains of Abraham. Under the lovely white snow cover are hidden intriguing discoveries and, to add some spice, a few trick questions… Relive the park's history by tackling fascinating subjects: What was the role of the governor to whom we owe the famous trophy of the Canadian football league? What is Joan of Arc doing on the Plains? Who was Edwin Bélanger? Is there a haunted labyrinth in the Martello Towers? Who gave his name to Gilmour Hill? And what can we say about the O Canada? So, get ready to discover your park and its history.
Starting point at the Discovery Pavilion of the Plains of Abraham. Questionnaire and answers available on the premises.
Download the rally

Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and walking trails
Every day. Free.
Enjoy nature in the heart of Quebec City. Ski, snowshoe and walk in one of the most attractive and accessible natural settings. 14 km of laid out trails for classic or free style cross-country skiing for beginners or intermediate level skiers; 5.6 km of snow sidewalks for hikers; a new 6-km marked-out snowshoe path (round trip), south of the nature trail along Cap-aux-Diamants up to Gilmour Hill (starting near the Cap Blanc stairs).
Details regarding cross-country skiing and snowshoeing

The "Friends of the Plains of Abraham" society offers equiment rental service every day from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Discovery Pavilion. A trail map is available in the various service points of the park. A waxing room (at the playing field) and two heated stops are provided for hikers and cross-country skiers (at the Discovery Pavilion and at the Pavilion, near Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand).
- Automatic info-line for trail conditions: 418 648-4212.
- Equipment rental (adults and children): 418 648-2586.

Snowshoer's Walk
Reservations required, places limited: 418 649-6157
In French (at 7 p.m.): March 3.
$17/13-64 years old, $15/8-12 years old, 65 years old and over.
$15/person for groups of 9 and more.
Guided old-time snowshoe tours. Join a 20th century snowshoer as you set off on a winter stroll to explore the winter sports and recreation of this bygone era. Snowshoes, lantern and hot chocolate included.
Details regarding the Snowshoer's walk

Parking (fee-charging) available behind the Discovery Pavilion of the Plains of Abraham and eating space available indoors (bring your snack).

The Great Celebration
of Nature
May 15, 2011
From 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
At the Plains of Abraham greenhouses
Corner of Briand and de Bernières streets
(East of Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec)
Information: 418 649-6157

Schedule for the day (2011)

As part of its commitment to sustainable development, next Sunday May 15, the National Battlefields Commission invites budding horticulturists and nature lovers to attend its great spring rendezvous: the Great Celebration of Nature. The public will have a unique opportunity to visit the greenhouses and immerse themselves in the first colours and aromas of plants soon to beautify the park. In addition, this 16th edition will bring together over thirty exhibitors specializing in various environmental spheres, prompting exchanges with the visitors. A day filled with free family activities, where even reptiles are welcome to visit the Plains of Abraham!

The park’s greenhouses, among the oldest operating greenhouses in Québec, produce the 50,000 or so annual, biennial and perennial plants that will be used, among other things, to beautify the Plains of Abraham and Des Braves Park. During this open-house day, you will exceptionally witness how traditions mix with state-of-the-art horticulture. The staff of the National Battlefields Commission will be happy to share their know-how and provide you with sound horticultural and arboricultural advice. This event will also be an opportunity to attend a demonstration of the park maintenance.

The Commission has invited, outside the greenhouses, a range of experts who will give visitors an opportunity to perfect their knowledge on topics involving various nature-related disciplines: bio pesticides and fertilizers, water, astronomy, tree planting and maintenance, seeds, native and medicinal plants, birds, insects, rocks and minerals, ragweed, and much more. You will get to meet members of the Friends of the Plains of Abraham Society and horticultural societies. Moreover, the Club Volkssport Nord-Sud de Québec is organizing two 5-km walks with departures planned for 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

The younger children will take advantage of the feast to have great fun. Especially for them on the menu: inflatable games, make-up, dinosaur hunters and small farm. The comical Ketchup the Clown and Julienne BBQ will be there and invite them, at 2:30 p.m., to plant a larch together, a concrete gesture for the planet. Friendly reptiles will also participate. For $5, the boldest among visitors will seize the opportunity or, should we say, “seize” one of these fascinating animals, and get their picture taken with their new friend. The children are also strongly expected by the friendly pirates, with their unusual games. Arrgh!

At 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., the show “La légende de l’arbre qui rougissait” (in French only) will gather children on the stage of the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand. Adam is a small scrawny maple tree full of complexes and somewhat cowardly who fears losing his leaves when autumn comes. Will young Marie-Pomme and her small mauve hedgehog be able to help him? Presented by the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et Faune Québec, and the Association forestière des deux rives, in this international year for forests.

In addition, 1000 parsley seedlings grown in the park’s greenhouses will be given away to the first green thumbs to get there (limited quantities, one per person). Saplings will also be given away by the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et Faune Québec, and the Association forestière des deux rives: 900 hundred plants of various species will be handed out.
Because it is part of our nature, the National Battlefields Commission is taking a green turn. Join us as we take this turn and learn how your efforts can contribute to the preservation of the unique heritage for everyone’s benefit.

Collaboration:

Listing of the exhibitors

AEF Global
Arboretum experts
Association forestière des deux rives (AF2R)
Association québécoise pour un contrat mondial de l’eau (AQCME)
Château Ramezay - Montréal historic site and museum
Club d'astronomie VÉGA de Cap-Rouge
Club des ornithologues de Québec
Club Volkssport Nord-Sud de Québec
CREO
Education and Water Monitoring Action Group (EWAG)
Fierbourg Vocational Training Center
Forêt Montmorency, Université LavalHorticulture Indigo
La Maison Andicha
Les Jardins Atsenti Auarata
National Defence
Nature Québec
Natural Resources Canada
Quebec Federation of Horticulture and Ecology Societies
Quebec Reptiles Association
Ressources naturelles et Faune du Québec
Société d'horticulture et d'écologie de Charlesbourg
The Friends of the Plains of Abraham
The Naturalist
Tree Canada
Ville de Québec

Fête nationale du Québec
June 23, 2011
Information about the show: 418 640-0799

Official website for Fête nationale du Québec (in French only)

This year, the festivities will have fairy tales and legends as a theme.

Hosted by Stéphane Archambault, the Capital’s great Fête nationale du Québec show will start at 9:00 p.m.

Plume Latraverse, Bernard Adamus, Michel Faubert, Daniel Lavoie, Guylaine Tanguay, Florence K., Orange Orange, Les Trois Accords, Mes Aïeux and a spokesperson for the festivities, Marcel Sabourin, will gather on the stage to spur the public to dance and sing for this festive occasion. Songs that you can recognize from the very first note, prominent artists, young performers starting to make a name for themselves in country, traditional, rock and pop music … the evening promises to be memorable!

Canada Day
July 1st, 2011
Information about the Family Day: 418 570-8894

Official website for Canada Day (in French only)

It’s open house at the park. Be part of the history of the Plains of Abraham by visiting the park’s attractions without cost on this Canada Day: Odyssey multimedia exhibition and Martello Tower 1.

For information regarding activities offered by the Commission:
418 649-6157.

Family Day to celebrate Canada:
www.feteducanada-quebec.com (brochure online)
418 570-8894

Festival d'été de Québec
From July 7 to 17, 2011
Official website for the Festival

More than 1,000 artists and close to 300 shows! Rock, French song, hip-hop, electro, jazz, classical music and world music greats.

The biggest stage of the Festival will come to life on the Plains of Abraham, behind the Discovery Pavilion.

Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
September 9, 2011
From 11:45 a.m.

Official website
More details (in French)
Circuit

Québec City welcomes some of the planet’s greatest champion cyclists.

Heritage Days
September 10-11, 2011
At the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand and at the Pavilion
Information: 418 649-6157

As a reminder of the legacy linked to the Seven Years War, the National Battlefields Commission invites the public to two free outdoor events at the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand, on the Plains of Abraham. Presented for the first time in 2009, the historical review Witnesses Tell Their Stories is back September 10 and will set the stage for more than one hundred characters linked to the battles of Québec City. Following on Sunday will be a Historical Thematic Day, including costumed presentations, demonstrations, conference and much more.

Activities will be held, independent of the weather. Parking will be allowed only on September 10, near the Bandstand for $7. Take the Wolfe Avenue entrance, facing the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, towards the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand. A parking attendant will be waiting at the green tent.

1759-1760: Witnesses Tell their Stories
September 10, 2011
7:00 p.m. (approximately 90 minutes, in French only)
At the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand
Free, bring a chair

Through animated lectures by period protagonists, walk-on actors will bring life to a hundred characters who, through diverse scenes, will portray the conditions at the time of the siege of Québec City and of the battles.

A crucial period of the Seven Years War in America, from the unofficial beginning of the hostilities in 1754 until September 1760. Through the population, the tension is palpable. Inhabitants fear for their safety, the social climate is deteriorating at the same rate as criminality and poverty are rising. It has become a state of war.

Inspired by sources at the time, this historical presentation, although partial, is intended to be an authentic testimony, living and moving of what the population lived through.

Historical Thematic Day
September 11, 2011
From 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (non-stop)
At the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand and the Pavilion
Free

During the afternoon, meet typical characters from the Seven Years War; French, Brittish and Militia alike; and observe diverse demonstrations: bagpipes, riffle and canon firing, sword fights and much more.

Maybe visitors will have a chance to meet the Seigneur Jean Mauvide, who will gladly tell about his dazzling upward social mobility, or the Marquis Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, governor-general of New France, immersed in the plans elaborated during the 1759-1760 winter to retake Québec City and the ultimate defense of the colony. In charge of a mobile aid station, an Augustine sister will gladly share her great devotion for the injured and the sick, and attest to the reassurance provided to the citizens subjected to bombardments. Fleur-Ange and Marie-Louise are part of those, those who lost everything and desperately seek firewood and food. Their heart lies with France but if no help comes to them, they will have no choice but to swear allegiance to King George…

Also presented, a conference from historian and writer Yves Hébert, about the creation of the city of Lévis (1861), its context and the toponimic origins. The conference is presented at 2:00 p.m. at the Pavilion, near the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand.

To learn more, consult the website section
adressing the Battles of 1759 and 1760.

Collaboration:

The Chambers Gang Trial
September 16 and 17, 2011
7:30 p.m. (in French only)
At the Chapelle de la Congrégation (20, Dauphine street, Québec City) and Morrin Centre (44, chaussée des Écossais)
$20 / person, not recommanded for 12 years old or less
Reservation required: 418 649-6157

Hanging, deportation or imprisonment: discover the fate meted out to Chambers and his gangster accomplices. The criminalized gang had taken refuge on the Plains of Abraham before they were arrested. Its members are now incarcerated in the Québec City prison.

Several of the victims will come to the witness stand to testify. The audience will be the judge in this unusual case on the actual location of the imprisonment.

Throughout the month of October, ghosts, elves and fairies will be haunting the Plains of Abraham hoping to come across courageous visitors. Beginning October 1, the National Battlefields Commission invites the population to take part in this feast, as amusing as it is terrifying. The young and not so young will enjoy all kinds of activities: haunted tower, fantastic rally, gruesome lantern tour, family lantern tour, family day and gloomy décor .

Decoration at the Joan of Arc Garden
Throughout October, 2011
Day or evening, at the Joan of Arc Garden
Free access

In her magnificent fall garden, Joan of Arc plays host during the month of October to mysterious legendary decorations related to the history and tales of the Plains of Abraham: the white lady of Cape Diamond, the Sabbath, Halloween lives on, the voices of Joan of Arc, the Corriveau, the widow’s walk, the white “Credo 1941” stone, phantoms behind bars, etc.

Something new this year, new sets will be added to illustrate duels, the discovery of human bones, a camp for German prisoners and public punishments.

Several tombstones will remind strollers of the personalities who left their mark on the park.

Haunted tower and fantastic rally
October 15, 16, 22, 29 and 30, 2011
From 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A t Martello Tower 2 and Joan of Arc Garden
$2/person

The entire family is invited to explore the haunted tower and its mysterious labyrinth. At each turn, surprises and décors will amaze and amuse even the smallest of visitors: spaceship, treasure island, cemetery, mummy, witches and scarecrows… Harry Porter himself will be part of it! A bewitching way to be in the mood for Halloween.

And then, visitors will travel to Joan of Arc Garden to take part in the fantastic rally, a self-guided tour for children aged 5 and over. The questionnaire (given at the haunted tower) will challenge the craftiest among them with two sets of questions: one for 8 years and over and mini-questions for younger children.

Bewitching tour:
family lantern tour
October 15, 16, 22, 29 (sold out) and 30 (5:00 p.m.: sold out), 2011
(in French only)
At 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Starting off point at Martello Tower 2
$8/5-12 years old; $10/adult
Reservations required: 418 649-6157

Follow Marguerite or Abraham Martin, who will guide you along the unusual decorations of the Joan of Arc Garden. Let shivers run down the spines of small children (5 to 12 years old) and older ones too, as they walk this unexpected course.

Thanks to magic spells and rituals, your guide will show you (by reciting formulas, using a lucky charm and chanting various invocations) how to outsmart the mysteries that haunt the park. You will then need to keep your cool while visiting the haunted Martello 2 labyrinth.

Ghoulish walk:
guided lantern tour of the park
October 21, 22, 28 (sold out), 29 (sold out) and 31, 2011 (in French only)
At 6:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Starting off point at Martello Tower 2
$15/ person (not recommended for children under 13)
Reservations required: 418 649-6157
You may bring your own lantern (optional)
(tour available in English upon request for groups)

Join this spellbinding interactive walking tour to discover the Plains under a more ghoulish light with Marie-Josephte Corriveau, the woman who was hanged on the Plains of Abraham for the murder of her second husband, or Governor James Murray, the same one who instituted proceedings in 1763 for that purpose.

“I am warning you, we risk a lot by strolling on the Plains tonight. If you run into a shifty individual, don’t look him in the eye, and if someone tries to rob you, scream at the top of your lungs, Stop thief! This should be enough to drive him off”, your guide will warn you.

Today a peaceful place, in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries the Plains were the scene of dark illegal activities since this was a remote, disreputable location well hidden from view therefore an ideal spot for crime, prostitution, duels, black masses, bloody punishments, even executions.

This mysterious, highly intriguing tour will let you discover, by lantern light, the origins of Halloween and of some of the park’s funereal legends: the Québec City jail and the hangings, the voices of Joan of Arc, the widow’s walk, the strange phenomena surrounding the white lady of Cape Diamond, the enigmatic white stone, military discipline and punishments, surgery and the sufferings of wounded soldiers, the treasure hunts, and more.

If you are in luck, you may come across a candle. Keep this candle endowed with unexplained powers. Made from a dead man’s fat, it will go out in the spot where a great treasure is hidden. Make good use of it.

Who knows who you might bump into. They who are without a shadow must have sold their souls to the Devil…

Family day
Sunday October 23, 2011
From noon to 4:30 p.m.
A t the Joan of Arc Garden and Martello Tower 2
$2/person

Jack Rackham and his pirates will cast anchor in the garden during this family day. Arrgh! They will tattoo visitors to ward off bad luck in addition to sharing secrets: flag interpretation, assessment of a ship’s speed, attack weapons.

The most resourceful among visitors will enjoy the inflatable games and board the mini-train, while the fantastic rally will please the boldest among them.

At Martello Tower 2, the bravest will run the course of the haunted tower labyrinth. Many will not resist their desire to wear a horrifying tattoo or savour a weird tasting candy.

Archaeological excavations
From July 18 to September 9, 2011
8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
At Des Braves Park.
Reservations required: 418 648-3506
Free, places limited (in French only).

Take part in the excavations which will take place at the Braves Park. Tthe National Battlefields Commission will again proceed to an array of surveys on the Dumont Mill site. Citizens are invited to participate in these excavations and to dig in the rich history of the park.

The purpose of this year’s archeological intervention is to continue digging the site of the Henry Pinguet house, and conduct surveys to locate the site of the tannery and, if possible, the presumed site of the Dumont Mill. Under archaeologist Philippe Picard’s supervision, as well as a team of professionals, enthusiasts will take part in actual excavations on an authentic site for a half-day. No remuneration will be offered to the participants but required tools and equipment will be made available.

In 1646, Henry Pinguet became the first known occupant of the three acres which today partly correspond to Des Braves Park. The property, purchased in 1705 by a tanner from Île d’Orléans, was resold to Jean- Baptiste Dumont in 1741; it was then occupied by “a house, a tannery…, a small adjoining house, a barn and a tanbark mill.” During the Battle of Sainte-Foy, on April 28, 1760, the French and British armies waged a fierce battle on the Dumont property, causing significant damage to the buildings. In the following years, what was left of the structures gradually disappeared. In 1854, the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Québec bought a plot of land to erect a monument dedicated to the victims of the Battle of Sainte-Foy. In 1910, the National Battlefields Commission – whose mandate was to acquire and preserve Québec’s historic battlefields and convert them into a national park – purchased this land from the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Québec, along with a few other plots in the vicinity, later to become Des Braves Park.

The Battlefields Park is the first national historical park in Canada which includes amongst others, the Braves Park and the Plains of Abraham. The creation of the Braves Park, which measures 6 hectares, was executed according to landscape architect Frederick G. Todd’s plans and was completed in 1915.

Those interested in taking part in these excavations must register in advance. Places are limited to two people per half-day (from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.), from Monday afternoon to Friday. This is a free activity not intended for children.

ARCHÉO-QUÉBEC Network, promoter of the event.