Sites and Attractions
By Noémie De CarufelHow about discovering Rouyn-Noranda with headphones on? Some songs seem to have been written to accompany specific places, as if the soundtrack and the landscape were one. Here is a sensory journey where each stop finds its musical echo.
La Jeunesse est un autre pays – Philippe B
📍 Musée d’Art de Rouyn-Noranda
Philippe B’s introspective poetry perfectly accompanies the hushed rooms of the Art Museum. His song evokes memory, the passage of time, and inner landscapes. As you wander among the works, you feel that same gentle melancholy. The museum becomes a space where you can revisit your own youth—another country, fragile and precious.
Vélo Volant – Guillaume Laroche
📍 Sentier polyvalent Osisko
With its images of momentum and freedom, Vélo Volant is the ideal soundtrack for exploring the Osisko multi-use trail. Whether by bike or on foot, you can move to the rhythm of the song, carried by the fresh air and wide open spaces. Here, the city is experienced in motion. To fully enjoy the experience, bikes can be rented from RécréOsisko.
Je serai bien – Alex Pic
📍 Parc Botanique à Fleur d’eau
This song exudes tranquility. Listening to it is like settling into the sunshine among the flowers of the Parc Botanique à Fleur d’eau. A moment to slow down, breathe and simply feel good.
Upper Hand – Zach Zoya
📍 Plage Kiwanis
At Kiwanis Beach, summer comes to life with energy. Upper Hand instills confidence and vibrancy—perfect for a day in the sun, between swimming, laughter, and music echoing across the water.
Morceaux – Saratoga
📍 Collines Kekeko
Climbing the Kekeko Hills to the sound of Saratoga means letting the landscapes open up to the rhythm of a sensitive and ethereal song. Up there, the view stretches far and wide, and each “piece” of the landscape seems to come together in a magnificent panorama.
Shiny City – Elliot P.
📍 Zone piétonne du Quartier Centre
With its radiant title and vibrant melody, Shiny City is the perfect song to accompany the Quartier Centre pedestrian zone. Terraces, shops, passersby: the city shines with its own energy.
Les Fros – Richard Desjardins
📍 Fonderie Horne
It’s impossible to talk about Rouyn-Noranda without mentioning the Horne Smelter. Les Fros pays tribute to the workers and mining history of the region. Against the backdrop of the imposing industrial silhouette, the song takes on an almost documentary-like quality.
Le Beat à Tibi – Anodajay ft. Raoul Duguay
📍 Magasin général Dumulon
This song brings together tradition and modernity, just like the Dumulon General Store, a living testament to the city’s beginnings. An encounter between heritage and creativity.
Moquette – Et On Déjeune
📍 Bar-Librairie Livresse
At Bar-Librairie Livresse, books sit alongside drinks, ideas flow freely, and connections happen naturally. It’s the perfect place to listen to Moquette: a space that is both cultural and friendly, where you can go from reading to discussion to contemplation without ever leaving your seat.
A stop that invites you to slow down… and stay a little longer than planned.
Let’s Twist Again – Phil Norman
📍 Église orthodoxe russe de Rouyn-Noranda
The contrast is charming: a festive classic performed by Phil Norman, an immigrant artist, resonates in the unique architecture of the Russian Orthodox Church of Rouyn-Noranda, recalling the city’s cosmopolitan past. A surprising encounter between heritage and popular energy.
To plan your own musical journey, check out the “What to do?” section of the Rouyn-Noranda Tourism website. Whether you’re an art lover, outdoor enthusiast, culture or history buff, the city can be discovered with your eyes as much as your ears.
How about turning your next visit into an open-air soundtrack? 🎶
Translation review, all our thanks to Jessica Nesteruk, Neighbours Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
