The châteaux that make history fun
Invite your little ones to take part in varied and surprising events in the châteaux that populate the Pays de la Loire region! Here's a little overview of some of the activities on offer, either all year round or during the holidays, depending on the site.
In the shoes of an explorer at the Château des Ducs de Bretagne
As visitors stroll calmly through the thirty-or-so rooms of the Musée d'Histoire de Nantes, located inside the Château des Ducs de Bretagne, a small group of children stands excitedly near a model boat. The mini-explorers are getting ready for a naval expedition, just like the sailors in the 18th century! This is one of the many special activities on offer here, as well as tracking the animals that fill the monument or going on an adventure in the footsteps of the heroes who visited here, for example. After these discoveries, workshops offering activities like engraving or painting allow kids to leave with something they have made here.
Treasure hunts disguised as archaeological digs
Other châteaux offer similar activities in Loire-Atlantique, such as the one in Ranrouët, with its treasure hunts and fun-filled tours, during which little knights can roam sword and shield in hand. In Oudon, they can even put on costumes of guards and ladies of the tower to climb to the keep, opening chests with puzzles as they go, or looking for a mysterious secret passageway... In Maine-et-Loire, the château at Angers also allows kids to get dressed up, try out olden-day dancing or design crests. In Plessis-Macé, the château invites them to learn the art of calligraphy and illumination, while at Châteaubriand they can go on archaeological digs.
Role play with real-life war machines!
Sarthe has its fair share of the fun, with the riddles at the château du Lude or the geocaching circuit in the Courtanvaux parkland. The Musée du Château de Mayenne, in the neighbouring department, organises a wider variety of workshops that are just as likely to feature musical instruments as insects or even war machines. The latter are shown in action in the Vendée at the forteresse de Tiffauges, with real firing demonstrations that visitors can take part in! The one-time land of the terrible Bluebeard also invites kids to rediscover the legend of the sinister figure, learn archery and crossbow shooting, or joust on wooden horses. Who said that history was boring?