Hudson (Quebec)

Although it's now an easy 45-minute highway drive from Montreal, it used to be an isolated village of mainly Scottish and English farmers. It was briefly a lakeside cottage getaway. Most residents of Hudson get out of town by spending the day in Montreal or the West Island, with occasional trips to Ottawa.

Much of its past can still be seen today, with a largely anglophone population, turn-of-the-century homes, pretty lakeside views, tree-lined streets and the English-inspired architecture of the town centre. These features make it a popular daytrip for Montrealers, particularly in the summer.

Travellers can benefit from waterfront infrastructure and services for nautical activities on the Ottawa River, downstream from the Carillon dam, on Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes. There is a scenic mountain there, as well as sucreries, i.e., maple syrup farms where tourists can go for a hayride and try a traditional Quebec meal.

The town's architecture is quite distinct from most towns in the greater Montreal area. Some buildings date back to the beginning of the 1900s, while the new buildings have tried to copy some of the older building's features.

Most people who come to Hudson take a drive down Main Road to see the old houses, foliage and lakeviews. This is popular in the summer but perhaps best done in October, when the leaves turn fall colours.

• 🌍 Hudson Village Theatre (Théâtre du village de Hudson), 28 Wharf Road (in the old Hudson train station, behind the Château du Lac), ☏ +1 450-458-5361. Most of his shows take place in the summer. It features a variety of travelling theatre companies as well as local productions. Occasionally, dedicated trains from Montreal take ticket holders directly to the theater for a performance. (updated May 2022)
• 🌍 Greenwood Centre For Living History, 254, rue Main, ☏ +1 450-458-5396, istory@greenwoodcentre.org. The Greenwood Living History Center preserves the legacy of Phoebe Nobbs Hyde, the last occupant of this multi-faceted house. Greenwood's complex history is told through numerous historical documents, paintings and ancient artifacts. Original museum visitors can visit this magnificent property and bucolic gardens. Various events are organized during the summer. This centre is administered by a non-profit organization. (updated May 2022)

• Have a lakeside picnic. The town has two public accesses to the shore of the Lake of Two Mountains: Sandy Beach (in the centre of town) and Thompson Park (near Finnegan's market). Bring mosquito repellant. The best time to do this is Labour Day weekend, when the lake fills with sailboats for an annual regatta.

• 🌍 Falcon Golf Club (Club de golf Falcon), 59, rue Cambridge, ☏ +1 450-458-1997. 18-hole public golf club. Score Golf Magazine ranked the Falcon as the best public course in the province of Quebec for its course design and layout for 2021. (updated May 2022)
• 🌍 Whitlock Golf & Country Club (Club de golf Whitlock), 128, Côte Saint-Charles, ☏ +1 450-458-5305. Golf in operation since 1912 and equipped with 27 holes in an environment of mature trees. The club also has four curling rinks (in winter) accessible to players of all levels and for tournaments; the Hunter Room overlooks the curling rinks. The modern Whitlock Lodge offers bar and dining service. The Whitlock hosts major dining events, weddings and community celebrations. (updated May 2022)

• 🌍 Sandy Beach (Plage Sandy), rue Royal View (take Main Street, then Royal View Street). Municipal beach overlooking the south shore of Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes and located in Jack Layton Park. (updated May 2022)
• 🌍 Hudson Yacht Club, 10, rue du Yacht Club, ☏ +1 450-458-5326. Club established in 1909. The club site has a swimming pool and playground. Every year on Labor Day, the club holds its famous annual sailboat regatta. The club also organizes many events: lobster meal, boat launching, Mother's Day brunch, St. Patrick's Day, etc. (updated May 2022)
• 🌍 Royal Oak Tennis Club, 36, Royal Oak, ☏ +1 450-458-4320, royaloaktennisclub@gmail.com. A private tennis club catering to tennis players of all skill levels. The club offers a training program. (updated May 2022)

For such a small town, Hudson has a large number of antiques and arts and crafts shops. Almost half of the town's businesses are devoted to this. Aside from Finnegan's market, you can find many of these shops as you stroll down Main Road.

• 🌍 Organic Hudson Orchard (Verger de Hudson Bio), 839, rue Main, ☏ +1 450-458-0163, vergerdehudson@gmail.com. Boutique offering products from the orchard (e.g., mustards of various types, organic apple juice, ketchup), and products for the home. (updated May 2022)
• 🌍 Hudson Heartbeet Community Farm, 723, rue Main (In Alstonvale zone), ☏ +1 438-506-3276, hudsoncommunityfarm@gmail.com. Organic farm with community participation. Educational activities and awareness of organic culture. (updated May 2022)
• 🌍 Finnegan's market (Marché Finnegan), 775, rue Main (at the west end of Hudson on the Aird family farm), ☏ +1 450-458-4377. Flea market in operation for 45 years; it is named in honor of Finnegan, the chiel of the Airds. This market offers in particular antiques, collectibles, crafts, fruits and vegetables, food, farm products. (updated May 2022)
• 🌍 Captain Frog pêche, 49, rue Royal Oak. Sports club for fishing. (updated May 2022)

• 🌍 Restaurant Viviry, 510 Rue Main (town centre, corner Yacht Club Road), ☏ +1 450-458-5343. breakfasts, lunch, supper. Inexpensive pizza, hamburgers, poutine, spaghetti and souvlaki, family restaurant. 
• 🌍 Willow Place Inn Pub & Restaurant, 208 Rue Main (about 2 km east of town centre), ☏ +1 450-458-7006. Lunch & supper daily from 11:00; Sunday brunch. This restaurant has good pub food, French cuisine, and its own ghost story (ask the waiters). But the real reason to go is for the lake view on the terrace; many Montrealers drive one hour to Hudson just for this. Have a lakeside drink or meal on the terrace of the Auberge Willow Place Inn restaurant, from where you have the best view. 
• 🌍 Mon Village Restaurant & Pub, 2760 Côte St-Charles (near exit 22 of Autoroute 40), ☏ +1 450-458-5331. Daily 11:30-23:30. Pretty good pub food and a rustic atmosphere. 
• 🌍 Bistro Carambola, 72 Rue Cameron, ☏ +1 450 458-0098. Tapas restaurant and modern Canadian bistro dishes made with local and sustainable products. A small bring-your-own wine restaurant in Hudson that's quite popular with the baby boomer crowd. $25-35. 

There are three bars in town:

• 🌍 Chateau du Lac, 460, rue Main, ☏ +1 450-458-4092. Perhaps the most striking old building in the town (corner Main Road and Wharf Road). Apart from the architecture, it is simply a small-town bar. 
• 🌍 Willow Place Inn Pub, 208, rue Main (Located on the edge of Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes.), ☏ +1 450-458-7006. A cozy pub in the English tradition. 

• 🌍 Auberge Willow Place Inn, 208 Main Road (2 km east of Hudson town centre), ☏ +1 450-458-7006, reception@aubergewillowinn.com. Bicentennial historic inn (built in 1820 as a private residence for George Mallette and his family) in the heart of Hudson. This inn has a dining room for receptions including weddings and other events. 

• Public Parks in Hudson (Parcs municipaux à Hudson). Sanderson Park, 83, rue Sanderson. Playground, volleyball court, basketball court, badminton net.Saint-Thomas Park, 78, rue Blenkinship. Hudson community pool, soccer fields, volleyball court, basketball court. Located behind Saint-Thomas school.Jack Layton Park, 392, rue Halcro. Boat launch, outdoor amphitheater. Located on the edge of Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes. (updated May 2022)
• 🌍 Hudson Community Pool (Piscine communautaire), 78, rue Blenkinship, Hudson (Behind St-Thomas school). Outdoor pool. (updated May 2022)

• 🌍 Vaudreuil-Dorion Saint-Lazare is a city where the modern mixes well with the old built heritage. A city offering many nautical activities thanks to its shore on the cove of Vaudreuil du Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes. In addition, the multisports center as well as the sports and leisure infrastructures contribute to the offer of recreational and tourist activities.
• 🌍 Saint-Lazare Landlocked in the middle of the land between the Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River, Saint-Lazare offers a countryside, forest and urban landscape (in the villages of Saddlebrook, Cedarbrook, Maple Ridge and Saint-Lazare). Saint-Lazarre offers sports and leisure facilities, as well as recreational and tourist activities (eg National Day on June 24). Its municipal recreation book demonstrates the intensity of community life.
• 🌍 Rigaud Rigaud is a city that is both picturesque and modern, offering a wide range of infrastructures and recreational tourism activities, thanks to resorts, boating on Lac des Deux-Montagnes, Vieux-Rigaud and Mont Rigaud. The mountain particularly attracts skiers, hikers, climbers, snowshoers, maple syrup and beer lovers and religious tourists.
• 🌍 Saint-Placide Saint-Placide is a municipality on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, offering a range of infrastructure and recreational tourism services, including resorts, agrotourism, boating on the Bay of Saint-Placide du Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes. Route 344 is a heritage circuit along the shore of Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes.
• 🌍 Oka In Oka, great local history mixes with agritourism, foodie attractions and public events. The marina bears witness to a river past where leisure and business navigation was the soul of the locality. Visitors have fun in many facets: Oka calvary, Oka recreation park, historic streets, various mountains, restaurants and accommodations. Oka offers a magnificent historical circuit with nine points of historical interest. This is a quaint town with a cheese-making monastery, a large water park and a Mohawk Indian reserve.