For decades, folks of all ages have screamed down rides such as the Monster, La Ronde's classic wooden roller coaster that winds near river's edge. On assorted summer evenings, La Ronde hosts Montreal's International Fireworks Competition. Thousands pay to watch from the reserved comfort of bleachers. Legions more crowd the bridge, where they stand and gaze for free. Orchestrated to background music, the night sky erupts in explosions of light and tentacles of streaming color.
Judges evaluate each country's performance.
Across from La Ronde sits the island's fort. After the War of 1812, the British feared an attack by Americans, so they constructed a stronghold to defend the city's harbor. It was built from native breccia stone, an iron-rich rock that turns orange after long exposure to air. Vertical gun portals dice rust-tinged walls and mute cannons aim toward the river. Over the years, industrialist David M. Stewart amassed a collection of artifacts covering four centuries of Montreal history.