Espace Pour la Vie - Space for Life

Today's pace will be a little slower and we venture out of the old city.

Jardin de Montreal

Montreal’s Jardin de Montreal, or Botanical Garden, is a 75 hectares oasis in the middle of the bustling city and has a reputation as one of the most important and established gardens in the world. Declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 2008, the gardens attract nearly 700,000 visitors each year and boast vast collections and impressive facilities.  They are one of four nature attractions under the city of Montreal’s Space for Life (Espace Pour la Vie) umbrella, the others being the Biodome, the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium and the Insectarium.

The Botanical Gardens, established in 1931, comprise outdoor gardens (covered with snow for four months of the year), and a multi-complex of greenhouses which feature plants from all over the world. Take your time to meander through the many themed gardens which make up the Montreal Botanical Gardens, including the Japanese Garden – 2.5 hectares of native Japanese plants. These gardens host ceremonies and shows throughout the year, including a traditional Japanese tea ceremony in the summer. The First Nations Garden celebrates the cultures of Canada’s indigenous people, and features native trees such as maple, birch and pine. Impressive totem poles display native artwork.  The Chinese Garden offers winding paths, an artificial mountain and houses a unique collection of penjing and bonsai. The Alpine Garden, poisonous plants garden and the flowery brook are all popular among visitors.

The huge 1.4 meter lion statue (Lion de la Feuillee) located at the entrance to the rose garden, makes a great photo-op for visitors.

Olympic Stadium

Montreal was the host of the 1976 Summer Olympics.  We'll visit the Olympic Stadium and tour the inclined Montreal Tower which is the word's largest inclined structure.  The stadium was used for professional teams after the Olympics, but has been plagued by numerous problems over the years and does not have a major tenant anymore.

Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium

This planetarium opened in 2013 is part of the Space for Life (French: Éspace pour la vie) museum complex, a cluster of museums focusing on nature. Sustainable development is a focus for the Space for Life, as reflected in the planetarium's architecture and its status as a LEED Platinum certified building. Constructed of aluminum and concrete, the building contains an exhibition area and two dome theatres named "Chaos" and "Milky Way". 

Visitors choose one of two programs, then view two presentations, one in each theatre. One presentation focuses on the science of astronomy while the other presents a more artistic view of space. There is also an exhibition area with exhibits on meteorites and an area, Exo, which uses touchscreen panels to discuss the origin of life and the possibility of life on other worlds (exobiology).