Family-run gîte complex in the Pyrénées near Carcassonne and Mirepoix
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The Ariége is home to over 30 working museums, showing old and new crafts ranging from cheese making, through jam, paper making and even the EDF hydroelectric museum near Foix.
One of the lesser known, but on a hugely impressive scale, is the guided tour of the talcum powder mine at Luzenac, situated 1800 metres up in the Pyrenees. The museum still produces a large proportion of the talc used in Europe.
The Pyrenean Forge museum near Foix still has a huge water driven hammer which can be seen working every day and is one of the last of its kind in France.
The Ariége also has a number of working farms, in many cases unchanged after decades of family ownership, and the majority sell their produce direct from the farm and also in the local markets.
As a major wine region, the area down towards the Mediterranean has several wine museums, and many of the vineyards will also happily provide a guided tour and tasting!
The final stronghold of the Cathars was the chateau of Montsegur, which is only 20 minutes from us. While the chateaux itself is now in ruins, there is a museum to the cathars in the village of Montsegur at the foot of the chateau.
Other cathar museums abound, there are a good handful in and around Carcassonne, and the chateau at Foix has display rooms covering the history of the area from the Cathars to the present day.
The prehistoric caves of La Vache and Niaux have yielded many historic artifacts dating back between 12,000 - 15,000 years. The most famous of these are the cave paintings in Niaux, carbon-dated to 13,000 years old, which means that they were painted during the last ice-age.
Many of these prehistoric artifacts are held in the Parc of prehistory, a hands-on family parc just outside Tarascon, which also has a full size reconstruction of the painted cave at Niaux.
The village of Carla Bayle is the art village of the department. Situated near the Mas D'Azil, the village boasts many artist studios, sculptors, ceramic specialists, glass, textile and iron workers along with several exhibitions through the year.
