Top 10 Getaway for Family Travelers - Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada

FTF honored Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada with a Top 10 award as one of the best places for a family getaway in 2002.

Charlevoix
Québec, Canada
418/665-4454

Amidst the Northeast's mountains, shoreline and urban sprawl, there is a little known region where staggering natural beauty coexists with all the conveniences that families like. Charlevoix, just 75 miles (120km) from Québec City on the St. Lawrence Seaway, charms families with its friendly French-speaking residents and superb country hotels, and delivers a uniquely invigorating sojourn.

The region was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere in 1989 to honor Charlevoix's environment and simple, harmonious lifestyle. Travelers will see it at the Parc des Grand-Jardins and the Parc des Hautes-Gorges, whose steep granite cliffs soar above the Rivière Malbaie, rivaling American's Grand Canyon. While Les Grands-Jardins, inhabited by caribou and moose, is open for cross country skiing and hiking in winter, les Hautes-Gorges welcomes visitors only in summer, when several local outfitters offer whitewater rafting and sea kayaking.  Another unusual asset is Le Massif, the tallest ski mountain (a 770m/2,526 ft. vertical drop) with the most annual snowfall (650cm/256 in.) east of the Canadian Rockies. With a new roadway direct to its peak, skiers and riders can traverse the mountain and take in the St. Lawrence views before getting on a chairlift.

The St. Lawrence River Valley, sculpted 350 million years ago by a falling meteorite and a series of earthquakes, boasts the Saguenay Fjord, one of the world's most magnificent geological formations. The confluence of salt and fresh water, where the Sanguenay and St. Lawrence Rivers meet, creates the Marine Park just offshore. From May to October, there are many whale-watching boats and even Zodiac trips for the hardy. Fair weather bicyclists will find challenge on hilly inland Rte. 138; strollers should meander along the gorgeous coastal Scenic Rte. 362 with a picnic in one hand and waterproof shoes -- for walking out onto the St. Lawrence riverbed at low tide -- in the other.

Dotting the hills are white clapboard homes with bright red roofs, green-shuttered farmhouse art galleries; and small economusées, such as the Charlevoix Cheese Factory and a paper mill. A taste of Charlevoix' French ancestry is available at many small B&Bs and at The Auberge la Corbière (418/435-2533, 800/471-2533) a cozy, converted 250-year-old farmhouse, where a family of six can book their own four-room suite and enjoy delicious meals and a backyard hottub.

If you're seeking the noble life, there's the luxurious ambiance and superior service of the Fairmont le Manoir Richelieu ( 418/665-3703; 800/441-1414) a beautiful French chateau dating from 1928 with a health spa, golf course, and the Casino de Charlevoix in the heart of the riverfront La Malbaie. Daily in summer, on winter weekends and holidays, there's a children's program (8am-10pm for ages 4-12) run by a highly trained staff. In winter, there is a small hockey rink; a figure skating oval that revolves around a well-tended fire in the evening; and guided snowmobile tours through the historic golf course or the surrounding forest. The Richelieu's outdoor heated pool is irresistible, whether it's steaming under falling snow or cool summer nights. As one recent visitor commented in awe, "They delivered on everything that was promised and it's reasonable."

For more information, get in touch with the Quebec travel agencies who can help you plan your vacation like a local.