Throughout this summer, CTV News Ottawa is exploring eastern Ontario and western Quebec, showing off hidden gems in the region to give you ideas for day trips that can be done on a single tank of gas. Drive about 30 kilometres north of downtown Ottawa and you’ll find Mont Cascades Waterpark in Cantley, Que. The family-oriented waterpark features 13 water slides of various sizes, two pools and activities for everyone. “I think people like the services that we are providing to them. They enjoy that we have such a nice atmosphere here at the park. We can hear laughing, screaming. People are just having so much fun over here,” said Eve Lagrois, the guest services director at Mont Cascades. The park has been a popular spot for generations of families, Lagrois says. “If you are coming from the Ottawa region, you must have been at least one time here at Mont Cascades,” she said. “We have a lot, a lot of people who are coming over here who have nice memories from when they were kids and now, they are coming back with their own kids. It’s really in the history and the memories of different families here in their area.” Jasmine Delage has been coming to Mont Cascades since she was about 6 years old. Now, she’s 40 years old and says she’s happy to be able to bring her 9-year-old daughter to the park. “I have so many memories here like when I was a kid with my friends. My birthday is in the middle of the summer, so I did a lot of birthdays here,” said Delage, “I just have a lot of memories here, like the same slides. It’s awesome.” Delage says she lives about a 10-minute drive away and this is their second time coming for the season. the family purchased season passes and plan on enjoying their summer at the park. “We’re going to be here 3 or 4 times a week,” said Delage, “It’s not too crowdy. This is fun. You don’t wait too much time in line like in other water parks.” Father and daughter, Aiden and Elsie Richardson live near by and say they love the variety of the park. “It’s accessible. It’s really fun cause the slides are family friendly. There are ranges of ages for the slides,” said Elsie. “It’s a nice place for families.” “It’s a great place to spend the day when it’s hot out,” said Aiden. “It’s something to do in the summer. Just being outside and enjoying the weather. It’s a good time. It’s fun.” Planning a day at Mont Cascades Visitors are welcome to bring their own lunch to the park but there’s also the option of purchasing food at the different food stops, which include a taco stand, food truck and ice cream bar. Visitors will want to pack a swimsuit, towel, sunscreen and water shoes to walk from slide to slide on the hot concrete. An indoor chalet is just steps away from the slides with washrooms, lockers, changerooms and a large sitting area. There are multiple events planned at Mont Cascades this summer, including morning yoga and live music shows. “We saw the season passes and we were like, let’s go. Coming almost every day now,” said Chelsea Therrien, a park attendee. Tickets range from $31 per person to $129 for Cabana rentals. Additional information can be found montcascades.ca/aqua
