4 Best Sights in Side Trips from Quebec City, Quebec

This family farm has won international awards for its crème de cassis, a liqueur made from black currants. In its vast and attractive tasting room and shop, you can taste free samples of the strong, sweet cassis or black currant wines; the tour explains how they are made. In summer, you can sample foods made with cassis at La Monnaguette, the house bistro featuring a terrace overlooking the river.

This working forge belongs to the talented local artisan Guy Bel, who has done ironwork restoration for Québec City. He was born in Lyon, France, and studied there at the École des Beaux-Arts. You can watch him and his team at work; his stylish candlesticks, chandeliers, fireplace tools, and other ironwork are for sale.

Things are buzzing at this workshop and store devoted to bees and honey. An exhibit explains every aspect of honey production, and you can taste honey and honey ice creams, chocolates, and snacks made by bees that have fed on different kinds of flowers, including clover and blueberry. It's a 10-minute drive east of Montmorency Falls.

Visiting potters, many from France, study Canadian ceramic techniques at this pottery studio, about 25 km (15½ miles) east of La Malbaie. Classes for amateurs are available from late June through August (by the hour or longer, starting at C$15). Half of the bright yellow barn housing the studio is a store, with ceramics and other crafts made by Québec artists.