In an effort to promote ecotourism, the town of Echelles has constructed one of the largest natural bathing areas in France. Its filtration system is 100% natural, powered by thousands of plant seedlings.

Global warming is threatening the ski industry in the French Alps. Many operators have to resort to snow guns to keep the slopes open as snowfall has halved in the last fifty years.

On two summer nights per year, the small town of Nieul-le-Dolant transforms into “Nieul, Village de Lumière” (“Nieul, Village of Light”) and captivates both its residents and its visitors with a dazzling display of illuminated buildings and monuments.

Henri Griffon, an art enthusiast, puts his passion to work and brings together an amazing collection of contemporary artwork featuring the best artists from the Vendée.

Losing weight is one of the most common New Year's resolutions, probably due in part to the richness of holiday feasts. As you'll see in this video, a lot of French people switch to a diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, and soups as they get ready for the new year or recover from holiday indulgences. Clementines are an especially popular and low calorie wintertime snack.

Over thirty French bakeries from the Vendée region show off their skills in a galette des rois (Kings' cake) contest. The lucky judges, whose onerous task is to taste those delicious galettes, go to great lengths to explain their choices and make our mouths water. The galette des rois is traditionally served at Epiphany and is notoriously difficult to make. It comes in two varieties, flaky or brioche, and is available at French bakeries throughout the month of January.

Laurent literally takes sand castles to new heights with his giant sand sculptures, and he's sharing his love of beach art with the next generation. In this video, Laurent teaches a group of kids how to build a giant turtle out of sand.

The corn maze (maize maze?) in Saint-Genis-Laval is a fun vacation activity for kids and adults alike, with puzzles and games to solve as you make your way through. This year's theme is "Robots and Humans."

La Roche-sur-Yon, a friendly town near Brittany, is abuzz with Christmas activities. Local children are busy decorating the town Christmas tree with their own personalized ornaments. Santa is there, of course, taking toy orders. The mayor is also involved and has the town hall organizing ten days of festivities.

At the Micheletty Circus Village, you can discover the joys of the circus by joining in! Both children and adults are invited to learn the circus arts alongside the artists themselves and have a fun family time.

In Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, people have come out to witness the installation of bells in the bell tower. It's a very delicate and dangerous operation that requires a huge crane to lift the bells, each weighing several tons, into a very tight space.

TV Vendée interviews 104-year-old Pierre Zucchi, an architect and musician who helped build Queen Elizabeth's private hospital. So far, he's written five autobiographical books that he plans to share with his children.

This nurseryman from Cinq-Mars-la-Pile urges Christmas tree buyers to do the right thing: buy a root balled tree so that it can be replanted the following year!

When a film shoot comes to town, it often brings a lot of jobs along with it, from hiring locals as extras to enlisting the services of caterers, hotels, and other businesses. The numerous film shoots near the town of Saint-Cyr-du-Gault have supported the area's economy and put many people to work.

Whether you are a fishing enthusiast or not, hop on board Charlie's boat and listen to what he has to say. The Indre-et-Loire Federation hired him to promote fishing and help revamp the dowdy image of the fisherman by dispelling stereotypes and encouraging young people to take up the sport.