Musee Stewart

Au détour d’une balade au Parc Jean-​Drapeau, profitez-​en pour visiter le Musée Stewart. Celui-​ci a pris place dans une ancienne armurerie et c’est là où le lieu prend une orientation originale: sa collection est composée en parti d’armes en tout genre! L’exposition temporaire actuelle en est le témoin (D’artagnan Al Capone etc …): la scénographie est dynamique, il y a beaucoup d’interactif. Idéal avec des enfants.
Le parcours permanent a été refait récemment (quelques années il me semble) et expose de magnifiques cartes anciennes.

«historical reenactments AND firearms? this is awesome.»
as a history buff, I gotta say that this is an great museum to visit. I’ve been to one of the other history museums in Montréal (Pointe-​a-​Calliere) and this was a bit more to my liking. there’s an epic feeling that you get seeing a British fort that’s stood for 200 years, yanno?
two main exhibits here, both taking up two floors of the main building. one details the history of Montréal, from native peoples, to French colony, to British territory. the second exhibit is focused on more cultural aspects; currently it’s about home and kitchen design. I preferred the history part more, but the cultural section had its interesting parts.
I do feel like the historical part was in need of better lighting; it was a little hard to read the descriptions in the light and my photos all required flash. other than that, everything is well-​documented and easy to follow. it wasn’t information overload, but it wasn’t an exhibit ripoff either.
my favorite part? twice a day, they perform military interpretations (reenactments). first, Scottish Highlanders come out, in full kilted glory, playing bagpipes and drums. then, the French colonial soldiers march, fire rifles, and practice different battle formations. it is glorious and I loved every second of it.
admission isn’t too bad ($ 13/​person), and it also covers guided tours and the historical reenactment shows. staff are very friendly, and aside from the guy at the front desk, they’re all in historical uniforms too.
easy to get to — take the yellow Metro line to Jean Drapeau and then walk just a few minutes through the park. plenty of signs, so getting lost is pretty much impossible.
budget about two hours for this, I’d say.