Uniquely Québec activities for events

Do you have a lot of thrill-seekers in attendance at your next meeting or convention? Did you know that Québec City’s outfitters can up anyone’s game with a myriad of activities and new-found sports?

For events held in the winter, planners can organize a half day of mushing—aka dogsledding. Ahh, the magic of mushing! Dogsledding has been a part of Québec’s culture since the first Europeans settled in New France, including what is today Québec City. Coureurs des bois (“runners of the woods”) were French-Canadian traders who used dog sled to trade goods between the Europeans and First Nations.

Nowadays, outfitters can give event delegates the ultimate coureur-des-bois experience by teaching them about the dogs and team hierarchy as well as how to effectively mush. Then, attendees will pair up two by two, get on the dog sled, and mush on winding trails in the forest and across wind-swept fields. Don’t worry: dogsledding is safe for people and the dogs. Be prepared to witness a lot of happy pooches when they realize they are going out for a run!

Another original ride in Québec is snowmobiling! Plan an unforgettable trip for attendees through groomed fields of snow and snowmobile trails in the forest! They’ll take in scenery that simply cannot be appreciated at other times during the year. Snowmobiling is a spectacular experience for exploring the city’s backcountry.

Additional quintessential Québec City activities for groups includes snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding, snow tubing, fat biking, ice fishing…the list goes on and on. After a time spent outside in Québec’s crisp winter, give delegates the opportunity to warm up with an artisanal hot cocoa and a scrumptious beaver tail (a dessert, for all you animal lovers out there!).

Spring in Québec City is synonymous with the forest coming alive—and sugaring off season! Sugar shacks open to event planners and attendees so that they enjoy a traditional and artisanal Québec meal that consists of pancakes, waffles, sausages, tourtière, eggs cooked in maple syrup (we kid you not!), and more.

To top it off, dessert is hot maple taffy, poured on snow to harden, and licked off a popsicle stick. Yum! Sugar shack owners offer visitors guided tours of their facilities, presentations on how maple sap is tapped from trees, storytelling, dancing to folk songs, and several other Québécois springtime traditions.

Another uber-popular group activity for event-goers? Delight in Québec City’s hearty bounty by scheduling a food tour. Evening food tours allow event-goers to try different local restaurants with items not usually found on their standard menus. Have attendees embark on a culinary, mouth-watering journey with an itinerary that includes visits to local producers in the countryside and on Île d’Orleans. You’ll definitely treat some taste buds with local ciders, cheeses. One part culture. Two parts adventure. Three parts delicious.

Québec City has a rich past that blends French, British and First Nations influences. As the first inhabitants of the land, the city’s Huron-Wendat are an Iroquoian-speaking First Nations community that has left a compelling imprint on Québec’s culture.

The Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations, located just outside Québec City, offers event delegates a fascinating perspective into the history, heritage and culture of the Huron-Wendat. The site offers a wide array of group activities, including savouring First Nations’ culinary traditions, storytelling, team-building sessions in a longhouse, arts and crafts workshops, and much more. Attendees will be encouraged to get swept away with sports that the First Nations enjoyed over the centuries, including canoeing, fishing and animal observation. For an authentic, one-of-a-kind activity, Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations is a journey to another time and another place.