Situated within Montreal's Olympic Park complex, the Biodome was originally constructed (1973-1976) as a velodrome (track cycling) and judo arena for the 1976 Olympic Games. Renovations began in 1989 to reform the structure into a nature exhibition area, which eventually opened as the Biodome in 1992. Visitors walking through the facility are able to view replicas of the four types of ecosystems found in the Americas: South American rain forests; Laurentian forests (i.e.North American wilderness); St. Lawrence marine ecosystem; and polar areas (divided into the Artic and Antartic). We found our visit to the Biodome to be a delightful and educational experience.
Entrance to the Biodrome exhibition hall.
The architecture of the rain forest area made us feel like we were really there.
It was hard to believe that some of the larger trees were actually made of a cement-like material and not real wood. Touching the "bark" was the only way of telling that it was not real.
Being this close to an actual beaver dam made us realize how large they really are.
The sloth habitat off of the main foyer.
You have to be really patient in order to see the sloth.
The two Canadian Lynxs in this exhibit were extremely active (and hard to capture both on film), chasing each other around the whole enclosure.
On the other hand, the caimans were content to just snooze on the sand.
We would not advise swimming with the piranhas.
Replica of a St. Lawrence estuary.
As always, the Penguins looked ready for a formal dinner engagement.
RSS Feed
