Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts
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Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts is a town of 10,000 people (2016) in the province of Quebec.
Understand
Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts is a service centre for the surrounding region: its economy is based on tourism activities that include, in the summer, horse-back riding, boating, fishing, and lakeside recreation, and in winter, cross-country skiing, dog-sled racing, skating, and ice hockey. While the train is no longer in service, there is an extensive bike path that has replaced it called "Le Petit Train Du Nord". It directly connects to other paths that extend as far as Montreal.
The town is characterized by its history and tradition of B&Bs, inns, hotels, and spas. As a growing municipality, it has a developing service area that includes a new Walmart, Super 8, and Jean Coutu (among others) strategically placed on the edge of the town so as to not affect its village atmosphere.
Canadian author Mordechai Richler set his novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts. Former Quebec premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand (1916 - 1973) was a native of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.
- Tourist information office, 24, rue Saint-Paul Est, ☏ +1 819-326-0457, toll-free: +1-888-326-0457. Daily 09:00-18:00.
History
In 1849, the first European families arrived on the northern fringe of the area. Beginning in 1850, a rapid colonization of the region began. The arriving families were primarily of French Catholic background. In 1865, the land on which the church stands was donated to the parish by Dr. Luc-Eusèbe Larocque, brother of the Monsignor. Dr. Larocque had amassed a fortune in the California Gold Rush and had decided to live the life of a seigneur. He bought several farms around Lac à la Truite (Trout Lake) and area but was too kind-hearted to ask for the rents. The English Protestant community grew from the time the train first arrived in 1892.
With the completion of a railway to Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts in 1892, the town experienced a rapid increase in population. Between 1892 and 1911, spas and hospitals were established. In 1899, a tuberculosis hospital was founded by Dr. Arthur Richer. Elizabeth Wand, a nurse from New York City established a spa, which still operates as Auberge Tour du Lac. It was believed at the time that fresh mountain air could help cure tuberculosis and other pulmonary diseases.
By 1910, many wealthy families from Montreal and northern United States had built residences along the shoreline of Lac des Sables. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the town was a popular tourist centre with large resort hotels and many shops and restaurants. In the 1980s, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts grew as a four-season tourist destination.
Next to Mont Tremblant, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts has the largest population of English-speaking summer cottage residents in the Laurentians (with a smaller but still sizable winter cottage population as well, particularly on the weekends). Generations of cottagers from English Montreal, Ontario, New York, and New Jersey vacation amidst the lakes and mountains surrounding the town.
Get in
By bus
- Autobus Maheux. Service from Val-d'Or and Rouyn-Noranda.
- Autobus Galland. 2-3 times a day from Montreal's rue Berri bus terminal (2 hr 30 min, $18-26), with onward service to Mont-Tremblant, and, on some runs, to Mont-Laurier.
By car
Two highways enter Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts
- Autoroute 15, a freeway from Montreal that ends just north of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, where the highway combines into Highway 117. At 95 km in length, the fastest route to Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts from Montreal on Autoroute 15 to Exit 86, then west on Route 117.
- Route 117, a highway running northwest and south-east. Route 117 is part of a branch of the Trans-Canada Highway, that starts from its interchange with Autoroute 40 (Trans-Canada Highway's main route) in Montreal, which becomes Highway 66 in Ontario. Highway 66 ends as part of the Trans-Canada Highway about 14 km west of Kirkland Lake, where Highway 66 intersects with Highway 11, which is another branch of the Trans-Canada Highway.
By plane
The nearest big airport is Montreal Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International Airport.
By train
The closest train station served by VIA Rail is in Montreal.
Get around
- Taxi Ste-Agathe, ☏ +1 819-326-3300.
See
- Church of Sainte Agathe (Église de Sainte-Agathe), 37, rue Principale Est, ☏ +1 819-326-3644. Built from 1905 to 1907, the church of Sainte-Agathe is part of the current of eclectic architecture. Eclecticism was In vogue in Quebec between 1880 and 1910. It drew from different stylistic sources, and was not restricted by the styles' formal settings. The eclectic style also incorporated new materials and new technologies, which appeared at the turn of the 20th century. These allowed more monumental constructions.
- Theatre Le Patriote, 258 Rue Saint-Venant, ☏ +1 819-326-3655, toll-free: +1-888-326-3655. French-language theatre and concerts.
Do
- Downhill skiing and snowboarding at Mont Blanc and other famous resorts such as Mont Tremblant, all within a 25-minute drive.
- Tessier Beach, 35 Rue Major, in the middle of town. Changing rooms, bathrooms, snack bar, volleyball net, swings, and slides, lifeguard.
- Boat cruises - discover the beauty of Lac de Sables (Sandy Lake) in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts
- Golf Sainte-Agathe (formerly Laurentian Golf & Country Club), ☏ +1 819-326-3022. A classic nine-hole golf course. The fairways rise, fall, twist and turn, leading you to spectacular views of Lac des Sables and the surrounding mountains. Greens require a careful approach and precision putting. Golf Sainte-Agathe is open from early May to mid October for all golfers. 18-holes $30-42, 9 holes $23-32.
- Festi-Neige. Winter festival that runs from mid-January to mid-February. The program includes family activities and an ice-rink on the lake.
- Cross-country ski center at Camping Sainte-Agathe, 2, chemin du Lac-des-Sables, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, ☏ +1 819-561-0482, toll-free: +1-800-561-7360. 48 km of cross-country ski trails and 12 km of snowshoe trails.
Buy
- Le Carrefour Ste-Agathe, 40 Boul Morin. Shopping plaza with Canadian Tire.
Eat
- Maison 1890, 114 Rue St. Vincent, ☏ +1 819-324-1890. Tu-Sa 11:00-22:00. French cuisine. Dinner mains $20-35, lunch mains $14-28.
- Restaurant la Chaumiere, 15 rue Principale est, ☏ +1 819 326 3174. M-Sa 11:30-17:30. Gastronomic restaurant with over 700 wines for sale. Spontaneous French cuisine using local produce. Four rooms for rent.
- Restaurant Des-Monts, 88 Rue Saint Vincent. Daily 07:00-14:30. Breakfast and lunch. $11-25.
Drink
- Brasserie Les Deux Richard, 92 Rue Principale Est, ☏ +1 819-326-0266. Su-Th 08:00-00:00, F Sa 08:00-closing. Upscale pub with full menu.
Sleep
Camping
- Camping Sainte-Agathe, 2, chemin du Lac-des-Sables, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, ☏ +1 819-561-0482, toll-free: +1-800-561-7360, info@parcdescampeurs.com.
Inns
- Auberge & Restaurant Chez Girard, 18 Rue Principale Ouest, ☏ +1 819-326-0922. Three rooms with private bath, microwave oven, coffee maker, mini-fridge, air conditioning, Wi-fi. Part of a gastropub. Double $110-130.
- Auberge aux Nuits de Reve, 14, rue Larocque ouest, ☏ +1 819-326-5042, toll-free: +1-888-326-5042. A romantic 7-room inn on the lake with breakfast served in room. From $152.
- Motel Clair-Mont, 1591 rue Principale ouest, ☏ +1 819-326-1444, toll-free: +1-800-520-1444. Most of the rooms are non-smoking, equipped with wood floor and equipped with bath and shower, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, HD TV, mini fridge, microwave oven, coffee maker with coffee, tea, sugar and milk, and hair dryer. Dogs or cats are welcome (additional fee). In summer, a heated outdoor pool and a propane grill are available. Parking is free. From $60.
Connect
Go next
| Routes through Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts |
Val-d'Or ← Mont-Tremblant ←  ← |
N  S |
→  → Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs → Montreal |
| ENDS ← | N  S |
→ Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs → Montreal |
| Val-d'Or ← Mont-Tremblant ← | N  S |
→ Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs → Montreal |