a new discovery and now one of my favourites museums in montreal! I can't believe it took me this…read morelong to visit. Everything is so fun to look at and read and learn, the views at the top are also very nice with comfortable couches to just sit relax and enjoy. I loved reading about the history of the building as well as walking through the small garden area. What's also nice about this place is that there isn't many people so you can enjoy at a leisure pace and peacefully. This is an instant add to my list of recommendations for people visiting the city.

Surely I can't be the only first-time Montreal tourist that confused the Biosphere with the…read moreBiodome. They're completely different attractions in separate locations, but in my limited memory bank, they sounded the same to me. The Biodome is basically an indoor zoo housed in the converted 1976 Olympic Velodrome, while the Biosphere is a climate change museum in a steel geodesic dome. It was originally designed by Buckminster Fuller as the US pavilion for Expo 67. The vintage appealed to us as well as other nearby sights, so Jamie W and I chose to visit the Biosphere on Île Sainte-Hélène, a separate island on the St Lawrence River. We had seen the distinctive structure from a distance in the Old Port, and it intrigued us as something built in 1967 to represent the future. The dated Jetsons-like architecture has been well maintained. There were two floors featuring interactive exhibitions and generic installations focused on climate change, sustainable development, and ecological action. They varied in their level of engagement. The highlight was definitely the Belvedere, the outdoor vista walkway on the 4th floor (Photo 8). Admission is pricey at C$25.50. RELATED - Exploring Montreal? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/5xJP7p11YR

While walking from Old Montreal/the Old Port to Westmount recently, my kid and I walked through…read moreGriffintown and Ste-Henri and the outskirts of downtown. We encountered so many new city features and funky enclaves, it's so interesting to see all the changes in the city and to be present during the ever-evolving city scene. One of many cool and new features we stumbled across was this enormous sculpture/art installation titled "Dendrites", created by Montreal artist Michel de Broin and installed in 2017. The oversized work is located on Rue Nôtre-Dame at the intersection of the Bonaventure Expressway (or the local road, Blvd. Robert Bourassa). If you're walking or driving by this intersection, there's no way you can miss this piece, it's so large, and it resembles actual dendrites (for those of you who've studied anatomy and physiology). It appears to be two organic, freeform staircases comprised of weathered steel. The distressed patina of the metal along with the twisting shapes are reminiscent of tree trunks rising up and branching out from the ground. I love the interactive nature of art installations like this. To me, this is what makes them successful. I love that one can walk up the branched staircases integrated in this work and get various perspectives of the urban landscape surrounding us.

Date of visit: June 11, 2023…read more We were staying right down the street on Saint-Laurent during the festival and were quite amazed at just how giant it was! We started walking through near the beginning of the day and some of the vendors were still getting set up; the streets weren't very crowded yet. But by the time we were close to the western end (close to, because this was giant and we didn't get through it all!) and turned around, the large mass of people was impressive! The wide variety of art, shops, and food is hard to do justice with words, it's something you truly have to see for yourself. I didn't see much that tripped the lights fantastic for me, but I was more than happy to window shop for the most part. Part of our intention for visiting the festival was the drag brunch, which was not quite accurate. Drag, yes. Brunch, nowhere to be found. But the show was quite good, even if my French was not good enough to keep up with the mistress of ceremonies! Again, very impressed with this festival, Montreal should be proud of this gem!

Love Mural Fest. Only Montreal has that caliber of talent in such a small city. Not saying Montreal…read moreisn't a cosmopolitan city but it is sort of like the Boston of Canada where Toronto is NYC but you really can't compare. Anyway I love going. They do an amazing job. Last couple of years it has seemed more about the music and party and less about the art but partying is fun too! I know a lot of these street artists personally from working at S16; I am blown away by how much talent Montreal alone has then of course all the international heavy hitters come into town too.

Montreal is one of my getaway weekends. It's an escape! I can speak French, eat crepes at "Creperie…read moreChez Suzette, and soak up the ambiance on Rue Saint Jacques in the Vieux-Port de Montreal. Old Town Montreal is like stepping into a European city. It's picturesque neighborhoods and buildings dating back to 17th-19th century surround you at every turn., Cobblestone streets with flower gardens everywhere, history & science museums, shops you will not find in the States and a promenade along the Saint Lawrence River add to the Old Town Montreal experience.. This is where Montreal had it's beginnings with the fur trade in the 1600's. From Old Town Montreal you can access the Gates of Chinatown, the Latin Quarter and Mount Royal. These are neighborhoods with their own charms. In the summer there are boat tours, ziplines, a giant Ferris wheel and a man-made beach at the base of the clocktower.

We were here to attend the Festival de Street Food Festival and enjoyed the variety of options!…read moreThere was an entry fee to enter into the festival. They were many different types of cuisine, desserts and drinks available. A DJ was present as well. In the flip: Since this was an outside food festival, there were port-a-potty's available that ran out of bathroom paper so it helps to check the potty's guest and cone ready - have your own available in your purse ladies stocked for occasions like this. (Me 1 - port-a-potty = 0) There were water buffalos and soap available to wash your hands. It was a nice area for the festival. We had beautiful weather that day. There were various activities. There was a Ferris wheel and we saw someone do the bungee as well. Neat shops were around the port. Nice spot.

It will be my pleasure to update this review at some future date, several years from now…read more As a fan of contemporary art I was looking forward to this museum only to learn - too late - that it's under renovation for the next couple of years. The site I was directed to (in Montreal's underground mall) is a tiny sample of their usual offering, so small in fact, that paying anything to enter struck me as an utter money grab. (My entry fee was waived as I had the Passport MTL). Even with essentially free admission for me, what was on view here was less than compelling and I had to work hard to engage my interest. My recommendation is to wait until they're back in their permanent home. Finding this place wasn't worth the time it took but, of course, I thought I was headed to the real deal, not a temporary exhibit.

I visited the MAC Montreal a few weeks ago when I was visiting the city on a solo trip. The museum…read moreis small and in a temporary location at Place Ville Marie (it's moving and its permanent location is under construction). So it has one small exhibit at a time. When I visited, the exhibit was "femmes volcans forêts torrents,) an exhibit featuring nine woman artists whose works relate to the environment, ecosystems, environmentalism, etc. I'm not sure I would have gotten much out of the exhibit or spent as much time at the museum except that they offer a free walking tour of the exhibit if you enter at the right time (included with the price you pay to visit; the museum is not free). The guide was wonderful and really helped me to have a better interaction with the pieces. I highly recommend taking them up on their offer of a tour if you have the time! Overall, very small and the temporary location is strange, but it can be very interesting if you're interested in contemporary art or if you're interested in the exhibit at the time you visit!

What an absolutely hidden gem here in Montreal. If I were to make a museum about a town I love,…read morethis is exactly how I would have done it. With lots of interactive exhibits following from indigenous to colonization to modern times. Full of interesting facts about infrastructure, transportation, immigration and so much more. The temporary exhibit was a multimedia experiment full of amazing stories about people in Montreal that don't have your typical life or job. Love, love, love this museum and everyone should experience it.

If you've already been to the Museum of Vancouver, it's kind of the same vibes. The Mem is a space…read morethat showcases the diversity of Montrealers' identities and their histories through interactive activities and exhibitions. The café/gift shop inside the building is really good and you do not want to miss the lobby!

Really great art gallery right smack in the action of the city. The great thing about this place is…read morehow fuss free it is. You don't need to be an expert to walk in. You can have a chat with the staff and they are really approachable and relax.

I was sure I'd reviewed this place since I spend a lot of time checking it out but…read more.... Location: On the main, above Pine Avenue. The closest subways are St. Laurent (green) and Sherbrooke (orange) Street parking is available but metered, so if you plan to hang around, best to use transit. The place: Station 16 is a Montreal institution as far as I'm concerned. These guys dedicate most of the art that's on display, to local artists like Stikki Peaches, 123 Klan, Mister X-Ray etc. In addition, they also have regular exhibits that are often theme-based (i.e. Stenciled, which is currently on) so this allows you to discover other art genres and artists that are not necessarily local. You can find some prints by international artists like D*Face and Rone, among others. Service: N/A - you walk in and do your thing. The staff don't have any issues with you taking photos either. Some days seem friendlier than others. Price point: No charge to get in but if you want to buy any of the art, get ready to take out your wallet because it's not cheap! Miscellaneous: You can usually pop by here during Mural festival and get a map of the previous years' murals + those that will be going up during the current year.

The most wonderful, arty-farty, curated junk shop curiosity cabinet, I-can't-believe-they-have-that…read moreshop I have ever been in. This is the place you always want to discover on vacation and you never do. It's always a weird awkward gallery that doesn't have anything you want to buy, so you duck out (embarrassed for both yourself, and the shop owner), or else you want something but it costs $500 so you just sigh and leave. No. This place is awesome. I was lured in by the hilarious window display, and stayed to wind my way through stacks of hand silk screened prints ($10-$100), vintage drawings and posters and postcards, a vintage Disneyworld map from back when they made aesthetically pleasing tourist schwag ($15), bowls of plastic fruit (for sale? display only????), vintage viewmaster reels ($5+), and cubbies full of random weird ceramics, souvenir dishes, and other flotsam and jetsam that seems to have washed up on Monastiraki's shores. We spent at least an hour in here perusing the wares before departing with a gorgeous print. The owners were kind and charming.

Art epicenter for underground comics run by the wise and crafty Billy Mavreas, trust me you want to…read moreapproach softly and see if you can get him opening drawers for you and telling stories. There is a whole history of poster art tucked into the nooks and crannies of Monastiraki, rareties coming through, art exhibits and friendly parties sorta monthly, and all kinds of good looking and weird antiques and vintage books and memories to be dusted off and appreciated by the right set of hands. The whole place is a living installation - if you're lucky in the summer you walk by and the window is alight with shadow puppets, or a kids crafty birthday party - and any day you come there's something in there to discover.