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The islands of Montreal, Ile Ste-Helene and Ile Notre-Dame and their environs, offer various slightly-out-of-the-way sights, all well served by public transport but mostly worth the trip only if you have time to kill. Lying just south of Montreal, the combined 2.7 square kilometres of the smaller islands were the main venue for Expo '67 and have been developed as playgrounds for the city's inhabitants, with the La Ronde amusement park the main draw. The Maison St-Gabriel is included in this section as it is a bit of a hike from central Montreal. The fur-trading centre of Lachine is on the western shore of Montreal island, about the same distance from downtown as the art museum in the suburb of St-Laurent , while the Musee Ferroviaire Canadien (Canadian Railway Museum) is off the island on the south shore of the St Lawrence. Biosphere , 160 chemin Tour de l'Ile (June-Sept daily 10am-6pm; Aug-May Tues-Sat 10am-4pm; $8.50; www.biosphere.ec.gc.ca ). An interactive museum focusing on the St Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes. The exhibits change yearly and there's lots to amuse children, from interactive touch-screens to skill-testing games, movies, user-friendly computers, multimedia displays and educational workshops. On the fourth floor, a gorgeous lookout point takes in the St Lawrence River and the city. Metro Ile-Ste-Helene. Cosmodome and Space Camp Canada , 2150 Autoroute des Laurentides, Laval (late June to early Sept daily 10am-6pm; early Sept to late June Tues-Sun 10am-6pm; $9.75). A voyage through the solar system in a moving theatre, where you can walk on the moon, see a real moon rock, take control of the space shuttle Endeavour and become a cosmonaut. Buses #60 and #61 from Metro Henri-Bourassa. Ecomusee du Fier Monde , 2050 rue Amherst (Wed 11am-8pm, Thurs-Sun 10.30am-5pm; $5). Housed in a wonderful Art Deco former public bathhouse, this museum focuses on the history of Montreal's industrialization with exceptionally good temporary exhibits. Metro Beaudry. Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery , 1400 boul de Maisonneuve (Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 1-5pm; ellen-gallery.concordia.ca ). Canadian art by both established and emerging artists on the main floor of Concordia University's George-Webster building. Metro Guy-Concordia. Lieu historique national du Commerce-de-la-Fourrure-a-Lachine , 1255 boul St-Joseph, Lachine (April to mid-Oct Mon 1-6pm, Tues-Sun 10am-12.30pm & 1-6pm; mid-Oct to early Dec Wed-Sun 9am-12.30pm & 1-5pm; $2.50; www.parcscanada.gc.ca/fourrure ). On the shore of Lac St-Louis, the old Lachine warehouse puts on an exhibition on the fur trade; the staff wear the costumes of natives, coureurs des bois and the Scottish merchants who worked here in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Bus #195 west from Metro Angrignon. Maison St-Gabriel , 2146 Place Dublin (daily: late June to early Sept guided tours hourly 10am-5pm; mid-April to late June & early Sept to mid-Dec guided tours Tues-Sun 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm; $5). Dating from 1698, this stone farmhouse was the home of Marguerite Bourgeoys ; antique furniture and the restored kitchen are the main attractions. Bus #57 from Metro Charlevoix. Musee d'Art de St-Laurent , 615 boul Ste-Croix, Ville St-Laurent (Wed-Sun noon-5pm; $3, free Wed). A small museum in the former neo-Gothic chapel of St-Laurent college, featuring early traditional arts and crafts from Quebec. Metro Du College. Musee Ferroviaire Canadien , 122a rue St-Pierre, St-Constant (May to early Sept daily 9am-5pm; Sept to late Oct Sat & Sun 9am-5pm; $6). Canada's largest collection of railway, tramway and steam locomotives is hard to reach without a car, though bus #160 near Metro Bonaventure does the (infrequent) journey. Musee Stewart , Old Fort, Ile Ste-Helene (mid-May to early Sept 10am-6pm; early-Sept to mid-May Wed-Mon 10am-5pm; $6; www.stewart-museum.org ). In the fortified arsenal commissioned by the Duke of Wellington, the museum contains a collection of weapons and assorted domestic and scientific artefacts. The fort is also the summer venue for the re-enactment of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century military manoeuvres by the Fraser Highlanders and Compagnie Franche de la Marine. Metro Ile-Ste-Helene. Musee de la ville de Lachine , 110 chemin LaSalle, Lachine (Wed-Sun 11.30am-4.30pm; closed Jan-March; free). This seventeenth-century fur-trading post contains a humdrum collection of contemporaneous artefacts and a display on the history of the Lachine canal. Bus #110 from Metro Angrignon. Planetarium de Montreal , 1000 rue St-Jacques ouest (several performances daily; tel 872-4530; $6; www.planetarium.montreal.qc.ca ). Shows include "guided tours" of the solar system and more distant galaxies, while various performances explain eclipses, sunspots and the movement of the planets. Metro Bonaventure. La Ronde , Ile Ste-Helene (late May to late August 10.30am-10pm; $29, ground admission only $15). Ticket gives unlimited access to every ride in the amusement park and admission to the nearby Aqua Parc, a waterslide park. La Ronde is the venue for various celebrations throughout the year, including the annual Fireworks Competition from June to July. Metro Ile-Ste-Helene.
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