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Excitement envelops me. The polished steel, tarnished copper, and posters of characters donning goggles. Everything at Quebec City’s Mega Parc, takes me back to the mid-2000s when Steampunk ruled.
If you are unfamiliar, Steampunk began as a literary genre. Stories combined the Victorian Era with Science Fiction. Authors Jules Vern and H.G. Wells are considered the fathers of Steampunk. During the height of Steampunk popularity, I listened to Abney Park, read all of the books, watched the movies, and even had my own Steampunk attire. There were Steampunk bars, dance clubs, and endless events celebrating all things pocket watches and gears. Then one day, the Steampunk fandom woke up and poof, it was all gone. The mass population moved on to the next trend. I still miss those Steampunk days and am elated when places like Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Mega Parc keep the fandom alive.
Click here to read about our visit to Toothsome Chocolate Emporium
Getting There
The indoor amusement park is located inside the Galeries de la Capitale Shopping Center (mall) in Quebec City, Canada.
You can take a bus, but a bus trip adds significant time to the commute. You can drive to Galeries de la Capitale. Being a mall, there is plenty of free parking. We did not have a car and were staying in Quebec’s Old City. We took a ride-share to Mega Parc. It was quick and easy, and though it costs more than a bus, it saved time.
Tickets
Saturday-Wednesday, the amusement park is open from 10 am-5 pm. It is open 10 am – 6 pm on Thursday, and on Friday, it is open until 9 pm. We opted for an all-day wristband, which meant we could ride attractions as many times as we wanted for as long as we wanted. Compared to the indoor amusement parks in the United States we have visited, this Canadian park is a bargain. They have special discounted wristbands for smaller kids, Adult Chaperones who are required to ride certain rides with kids, those visiting Fridays from 6pm-9pm, and for those only wanting to visit for the last 90 minutes of the day.
The ticket counter is located near the mall’s entrance.
If you don’t care to ride the attractions, you can wander and bask in the Steampunk amazingness for free.
Ice Skating
The first floor has ice skating for an additional charge. The ice skating area looks like a frozen lazy river. It gives skaters the ability to view all of the entertainment as they zip around.
There is also an arcade in the park area.
The Crowd
We visited on a weekday in June. There were a handful of travelers. The rest of the park was filled with middle school group trips. Normally, the sight of large groups of tweens would fill me with dread, but not in Quebec City. The students were the most friendly and polite young people we’ve encountered at an amusement park. I was impressed. They were boisterous with glee and laughter but not obnoxious. They ran excitedly from ride to ride, but were always respectful of others. There was not a single line jumper.
During one of our rides on Cortex, Shannon earned the highest score. A young man approached him, sincerely told him congratulations, and shook his hand.
WELL DONE, Quebec.
I imagine the park is busier on the weekends and possibly during the winter months. During our visit, we barely waited in a line and were able to revisit attractions multiple times.
The Staff
All of the staff were incredibly friendly and polite.
In other indoor amusement parks, we’ve encountered a mix of passionate staff and others who seem to want to be anywhere else but checking your safety strap.
It’s fine. Not everyone has to be Disney-level happy all day. But you get extra points if you don’t seem like you hate every second of your workday.
From Adults to the smallest kids, the Mega Parc staff appeared glad you chose to spend the day at their park.
The Food
In our experience, mall amusement parks are usually located close to the mall’s food court. At Galeries de la Capitale, the food court surrounds the park. We got a coaster credit, and rode a rare Ferris Wheel, so we decided to mark a food off of our list. Beaver Tails are an obligatory Canadian food. Queues de Castor is Canada’s Beaver Tail chain. Although they are traditionally a sweet treat, it was lunch time, and we were hungry. Since we fancy ourselves amateur hot dog connoisseurs, we really wanted to try the Beaver Dog. A Beaver Dog is a hot dog wrapped in Beaver Tail pastry.
The hot dog was more like a smoked sausage. The pastry was savory, lighter than expected, and crispy on the outside. I liked it better than a traditional American corn dog.
The Rides
Electro
Our first goal of the day was to get a coaster credit. One of Mega Parc’s most popular rides is their roller coaster, Electro. Electro is a mine train car coaster, but make it Steampunk.
As the roller coaster operator prepared to load the train, he stopped us and asked,
“Do you speak English?”
I’m not sure if he heard us talking or if we just had a look. We responded yes. He smiled brightly.
Once seated and belted, we understood. The operator first presented his roller coaster safety monologue in French, then repeated it in English. It was one of the most cheerful and enthusiastic safety spiels we’ve encountered. It’s a great way to start our Mega Parc visit. We returned at the end of the day for one last ride. The speech was delivered with the same amount of energy as the first.
Electro doesn’t have the best coaster reputation. Most reviews say it’s too jerky and just an “okay” ride.
Though my favorite indoor amusement park coaster thus far is the Fairly Odd Coaster at the Mall of America, Electro was my favorite indoor coaster of its type. It was smoother than expected, and there’s a light tunnel! The tunnel of lights that the train travels through provides extra pizazz. I enjoyed it more than Slime Time at The American Dream Mall and the Orange Streak at The Mall of America.
Click here to Read about our visit to the Mall of America Amusement Park
Click here to Read about our visit to the American Dream Mall Amusement Park
Pendule
When it comes to Pendulum rides, my feet are firmly planted on the ground. I take pictures and video while Shannon soars through the air. Mega Parc’s ride is a mini-pendulum. It doesn’t swing to crazy heights or go upside-down. I decided it looked unscary enough to give it a try.
Pendule is more akin to riding the swings. It’s a nice option if you are a scaredy cat like me, or if you want to give kids an introduction to a Pendulum ride.
Carrousel
Mega Parc’s Carrousel feels like a fantasy. It floats atop an island-like platform aglow with ethereal lighting.
Since one of my travel side quests is to ride every carousel I can, I skip with excitement to ride this traditional, two-story carousel. It is as beautiful up close as it is from afar. With handsome, detailed horses and lovely artwork.
One of the advantages of visiting a small amusement park is that instead of feeling like you will never have time to ride every ride, you can leisurely enjoy multiple spins on the carousel.
Helix
Helix is Mega Parc’s tea cups. The enclosed Steampunk-themed capsules are a tight squeeze for adults. Helix was fun, but it’s tea cups. I wouldn’t make it a priority over Electro or Cortex.
Telegraphe
*Per Mega Parc’s website, this ride is perpetually closed.
I’m not sure how often Telegraphe is operational, but on the day of our visit, it was open.
Telegraphe is considered the indoor amusement park’s second roller coaster. It is a single-rail suspended family coaster. We jumped in line at the very start of the day. Since only one person can ride it at a time, the line builds quickly.
More skyride than coaster, it’s a fun novelty with fantastic views of the park.
Piston
Piston is a drop tower. I am not a drop tower fan, but Shannon gave it a ride. As it is one of the more thrilling rides at the mall’s indoor amusement park, it was quite popular. Since it accommodates a lot of visitors at once, the line was never long. Shannon said it was enjoyable but basic.
Given its position in the middle of the park, it doesn’t have the impressive views like the drop tower in New Jersey’s American Dream Mall’s Nickelodeon Universe.
Pare-Chocs
Bumper Cars are low on our list of must-ride attractions. I think once you start driving real cars, bumper cars lose their appeal. We were intrigued by Mega Parcs’s inflatable tube hovercraft version. Using two joysticks to control the tubes felt futuristic and fit the Steampunk theme.
The controls were easy to navigate, and gliding effortlessly around the track was fun. I’d ride these all day over traditional bumper cars. The only downside was that we boarded the ride with no one else in line. Soon, we were joined by a large group of middle-school girls. It was a bit awkward. Do we furiously run into children? We mainly rode around the track, and if we bumped, we bumped.
Cortex
The surprise of our day at Quebec City’s Mega Parc was Cortex. Cortex is a 4D Interactive attraction. You are given 3D glasses and strapped into a row of theater seats. A short movie plays on the screen while you use a gun to shoot at targets for points. Your seats move and shake with the action on the screen. The ride cycles through four different movies. If you ride multiple times, it’s possible to get a different movie each ride. For our first ride, we got a horror- themed movie. I’m a horror wimp. The movie wasn’t too scary. There were a few jump scares that legitimately got me. I burst into a fit of giggles each time.
Loving the ride, we returned for a second ride and got the alien invasion movie. If we didn’t run out of time in the park, we would have tried to ride all four.
*Note-the movies for Cortex are rated PG13.
Cortex is a Mega Parc must-ride. If you are an amusement/theme park enthusiast, Cortex is designated as a rare ride, so it’s worth a trip to Mega Parc to check it off your list.
Zenith
Zenith is a holy grail for amusement enthusiasts. Aside from the coaster credit, Zenith is the reason we planned a day at Mega Parc during our trip to Quebec City.
We’ve ridden a historic Ferris Wheel (Coney Island, NYC) and a solar-powered Ferris Wheel (Santa Monica Pier, LA), but never a spokeless Ferris Wheel.
Spokeless Ferris Wheels are rare. They are even rarer in North America. This makes riding Quebec City’s Zenith Ferris Wheel an accomplishment for amusement park enthusiasts.
Zenith is the focal point of Mega Parc. The pronounced rivets, tarnished metal, lack of spokes, and the way the cars seamlessly glide through the air announce, I am Steampunk!
No matter where you are in the park, you cannot not take your eyes off this marvel. The park is small and the space compact, so it’s not a Ferris Wheel to ride for spectacular views. What makes it special is admiring the unique wonder of the wheel’s engineering. Riding this Ferris Wheel is a must.
Other rides
There are a handful of traditional kiddie rides that we did not ride. A crazy thrill ride called G-Force that didn’t interest us.
Conclusion
Visiting Mega Parc was simultaneously exhilarating and relaxing. I greatly appreciate indoor amusement parks. If it’s hot outside, you are cool. If it’s cold outside, you are warm. If it downpours outside, the rides don’t shut down. There is never an underlying sense of anxiety that the weather might ruin your day.
Yes, visit Quebec City for the history. Visit for the food. And visit for the nature, but if you need a day of frivolous fun, are a kid or kid at heart, are a theme/amusement park enthusiast, or love Steampunk, visiting Mega Parc should be added to your Quebec City itinerary.
FIND A GREAT PLACE TO STAY IN QUEBEC CITY, CANADA
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