Discovery activities

Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park

A host of activities will allow young and old to discover the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park and its mysterious inhabitants in a different way. 

Interpretive activities

Un plongeur sous l'eau regarde le fond marin.
St. Lawrence live!

Marine Environment Discovery Centre
2:30 p.m. | Duration: 60 minutes
June 22 to August 10, 2024: Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday (in French only)
Extra fees apply 

Take control of a diving mission in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park. Follow the divers live through high-definition sounds and images. You can communicate with them while exploring the world of starfish, anemones and sea cucumbers.  

Trois enfants et un guide-interprète observent un oursin qui est dans les mains du guide.
Behind the sea

Marine Environment Discovery Centre 
10:30 a.m. | Duration: 60 minutes
From June 22 to August 10, 2024: Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday
Included in the admission fees

Discover curious animals that live on the St. Lawrence seabed. A guide-interpreter presents some of animals brought back from the depths by divers. 

The children will then have the chance to draw the animals during the "Draw me your discoveries" creative workshop.  

Deux visiteurs discutent avec une guide-interprète au centre d'interprétation et d'observation de Pointe-Noire. Derrière eux se trouve l'embouchure de la rivière-Saguenay.
Whales at risk, it's our move!

Pointe-Noire Interpretation and Observation Centre
Between 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. | Continuous | until September 4, 2023
Included in the admission fees

The marine park is home to endangered whales such as the beluga and the blue whale. Meet a guide-interpreter to learn what Parks Canada is doing to protect them and find out how you can also help protect them.

Self-guided activities for families

Un groupe d'adultes et d'enfants regardent des algues à marée basse.
The ups and downs of the sea shore

Cap-de-Bon-Désir Interpretation and Observation Centre
The schedule varies according to the tides. The activity takes place at low tide. | Duration : 60 minutes
From June 22 to August 10, 2024: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
From August 11 to September 2, 2024: Every day
Included in the admission fees

As you explore the seashore at low tide, discover intriguing fauna and flora that live on the shoreline. A guide will present the adaptations of these living beings to this changing environment. 

Une petite fille en visite au Centre de découverte du milieu marin.
Sailor's stop

Marine Environment Discovery Centre

Bring your toddlers to have fun in the new space specially created for them. Discover the animals of the ocean floor with educational games that encourage the use of the five senses.  

 

Visiting with young children? Explore with Club Parka!

The Club Parka booklet invites kids to explore, learn and have fun! Once activities are completed, they'll receive a reward! The booklets are available on site.

Learn more about Parka and download other activities!

Exhibitions

Une femme et un enfant observent une maquette de baleine.
On the lookout

Cap-de-Bon-Désir Interpretation and Observation Centre
Included in the admission fees

Cap-de-Bon-Désir has long been a strategic site for monitoring the St. Lawrence. Whether it is to ensure the safety of navigators and goods or to observe marine wildlife, the Cape is still an exceptional observation site.

In the lightkeeper's house, you will learn about the history of this site and about the work involved in operating a lighthouse station until the 1980s.

Through scale models of the six most frequently observed whale species, learn how to differentiate them before going to the observation on the shore of the river.

Une maison blanche au toit rouge avec un phare en arrière plan.
The lighthouse station and its keepers

Cap-de-Bon-Désir Interpretation and Observation Centre
Included in the admission fees

Walk through the 1958 lighthouse station, admire the lighthouse from the outside, and enter the foghorn building to learn more about those mysterious sounds lighthouse stations make.

The lightkeeper's house houses the "On the Lookout" exhibition while the assistant lightkeeper's house invites you to relax in a 1960s atmosphere. A space is provided for coffee breaks or picnics. You may find something at the shop to bring back as a souvenir of your vacation.

Deux femmes visitent une exposition. Elles sourient et regardent un panneau d'information.
The St. Lawrence estuary: stunning scenery on a current of mystery

Marine Environment Discovery Centre 
Included in the admission fees

Take a deep breath and dive into the St. Lawrence Estuary. The exhibition will reveal the mysteries and wonders that are hidden at various depths of the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park. 

A woman, a man, a child and a baby visit an exhibition and look at a model.
Belugas meet the currents of the fjord and estuary

Pointe-Noire Interpretation and Observation Centre
Included in the admission fees

The Pointe-Noire Interpretation and Observation Centre has been a beluga whale observation site for a long time. Visit the exhibition on ocean currents and the history of beluga research. Researchers are studying the movements of white whales in this habitat at the confluence of two waterways.

Since 1875, Pointe-Noire has been guiding ships to the entrance to the Saguenay Fjord. Once inhabited by lightkeepers, it continues to play an important role for navigators.

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