Published on Jul 12, 2023
by Tourism Eastern Townships
Sherbrooke, July 12th 2023 – Culture vultures and museum goers will love the new tourism offerings this summer, all over the Eastern Townships. Young and old alike can enjoy a range of indoor and outdoor activities, focusing on history, new discoveries and just having fun! Take a look at what’s going around the region, listed below:
Sunday in the Townships : Sur la route du patrimoine religieux et spirituel
The Townships Trail is a 430-km driving route that winds through 31 picturesque communities with 16 sites that showcase the region’s heritage, history and architecture. Every Sunday, throughout the summer, visitors, armed with the Dimanche dans les Cantons “passport”, can discover some of these unique venues. (One famous landmark is the St-Benoît-du-Lac Benedictine Monastery, renowned for its unusual architecture.) In addition to sacred and heritage sites, the passport gives access to a couple of concerts, a museum and an art gallery.
Granby Zoo upgrades its facilities
Upgrades are under way at the Granby Zoo, now celebrating it seventh decade in operation. Two new animal habitats in the Asia sector are being added to the existing enclosures and Amazoo (also part of the Zoo complex) is installing a new aerial adventure course.
The Night Zoo program returns in May. Visitors can stay overnight at a mini-chalet (there are four) for a VIP evening with a naturalist/interpreter who will guide you around the site, as you learn about the animals that live there. Entertainment and a campfire.
Hisséo - A new adventure park at Bromont, montagne d’expériences
Bromont, montagne d’expériences has built a new forest adventure - Hisséo – on Mont Soleil. Various obstacles strung out among the trees, allow young and old to test their agility as they clamber up a climbing wall, whizz along a zipline, grab ropes and sway in a giant swing! (The forest adventure is designed for four different levels of ability.)
Foresta Lumina celebrates its 10th anniversary
This summer, Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook celebrates its 10th anniversary. The illuminated Foresta Lumina night trail didn’t take long to become a major tourist venue and since its opening in 2014, it has attracted more than one million visitors. This summer, Forest Lumina will be open day and night, thanks to the high-tech expertise of Moment Factory, which through special effects, has transformed the Gorge into an even more magical place than before!
Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac - trilingual audio guides.
The Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Benedictine monastery now offers audio guides in three languages - Spanish, French and English – and they will be available throughout the tourist season (June-September). There will also be guided tours of the Abbey with three daily departures – 9:30am, 1pm and 3pm.
Summer packages with Blue Lavande and the Abbey
The « Forfait Champs Monastiques » is a package combining the attractions of the Abbey with the Bleu Lavande lavender farm. What they have in common are their natural surroundings and in the case of the monastery, an ambience of peace. Flowers, birdsong and artisanal products – a sure-fire formula for forgetting your worldly cares!
Themed days at Bleu Lavande
Every Sunday throughout the summer, Bleu Lavande invites families to enjoy its lavender fields. Various family-oriented activities are on the menu such as live entertainment, face painting and balloons, led by the lavender farm’s mascot - a giant bee! Bleu Lavande also runs interactive workshops themed around the many benefits of aromatherapy.
On “Romantic Thursdays” (July 20-August 10) picnics featuring country fare are on offer and between July 23-August 5, the real magic of the site is on display. That’s when the rows and rows of lavender plants are in full bloom!
Chill out with the family at the Strøm Spa
The Strøm Spa in Sherbrooke is offering families the opportunity to use its thermal facilities for several mornings during the week of July 19 (until July 23). The entry price includes a towel and use of a locker and spa-goers can chill out from 8am-11am. Children aged 5 and older also have access to the thermotherapy circuit but they have to bring their own bathrobes.
Learn all about bees at Miellerie Lune de Miel
From June 24-September 4, Lune de Miel in Stoke – the first bee interpretation centre in Quebec – is running educational tours about these vital insects. Through an immersive experience, an interpretation area and games, the passionate staff explains the importance to the environment of protecting bees and other pollinating insects. Also onsite are picnic areas and a petting farm.
Éveil du Dragon – a new escape game
This new outdoor escape game to “awaken” a dragon, was designed by a group of rural youth centres and was inspired by myths and legends from Région des Sources. Follow a lost dragon as he tries to find himself with the help of QR codes on around 10 interpretive panels along the Ainés de Saint-Georges-de-Windsor walking trail. The escape game is free of charge.
Ulverton Woolen Mill viewed through modern technology
Located in the Val-Saint-François region, the Ulverton Woolen Mill has just launched a new exhibition entitled Avant de perdre le fil. A first for the province of Quebec, it traces the history of the Mill and the manufacturing of wool, though a guided visit that combines virtual reality and 3D sound. It’s an immersive experience during which visitors can see and touch what is before them, while learning about a traditional skill that is fast disappearing.
The Ulverton Woolen Mill also hosts a weekly, British-style Bridgerton Tea Party (Wednesdays) and dinner shows (Thursday evenings). The historic site, which sits on the banks of the Ulverton River, has five kilometres of hiking trails with picnic areas, a covered bridge and an impressive waterfall.
New trails and products at Domaine Alpagas Essencia
Domaine Alpagas Essencia in Hatley has added several new attractions and items to its range of products - hiking trails around the site and quilts fashioned from alpaca fleece. Visitors also get the opportunity interact with these appealing animals.
Thermotherapy at Solstice Sauna
A Nordic spa with a difference! After getting good and hot in the sauna, plunge into the chilly waters of Lake Massawippi…. When Solstice Sauna reopens in the fall of 2023, spa-goers will be able to enjoy private or public 75-minute-long sessions of thermotherapy. Situated on the Municipal Beach in North Hatley, the spa has been designed to blend in with its natural surroundings – a tranquil venue that encourages contemplation, relaxation, connecting with Mother Nature and the opportunity to meet other like-minded souls.
Domaine Muscadine sets up an elk interpretation centre
Domaine Muscadine, an elk breeding farm in Bromont, has opened an interpretation center. Tours run on Saturday afternoons during which the general public can learn more about this breed of large deer, native to North America.
Podcasts reveal two sides of Granby’s heritage
By following Granby’s interactive heritage circuits (spread over a total of 2 kilometres) with the help of a couple of podcasts and the guidance of a Global Positioning System (GPS), visitors can learn about the city’s past. The podcasts entitled “Granby et ses vestiges” and “L’Imperial” cover everything from the history of the buildings to the workers of yesteryear.
A second store for Savonnerie des Diligences
In addition to its original boutique in Eastman, an online store and 350 points of sale across Canada, Savonnerie des Diligences now has a second outlet in Orford (Cherry River). The new store sells a full range of the company’s products, including body care.
The Brome-Missisquoi Prohibition Circuit
Along the Circuit de la prohibition you’ll learn all about the places that were part of the Prohibition period (1848-1933) in the Brome-Missisquoi region. With the help of an audio guide narrated by fictional bootlegger Alfred Carpentier, drivers can cover the 130-km circuit, which is peppered with tall tales and dodgy characters, recalling the era when booze was smuggled across the Canada/United States border!
New performance space for Granby’s summer theatre
The theatre production this summer is moving from the Ancien presbytère de Granby to the École du Verbe Divan – a space that is air-conditioned and can accommodate up to 210 people. Don’t miss Saint-Creux-du-Bonheur, a comedy about a Montreal radio host trying to find a balance between his family and his work life. (Until August 19, 2023.)
Sherbus introduces a new route
This company. which offers guided bus tours of Sherbrooke, is now running “mini” trips – Sherbus-micros. Every Thursday evening, the bus stops at four local microbreweries during which participants learn about the history and heritage of the city.
Walking tours around every corner of Sherbrooke!
A group of 14 guides calling themselves the “Sherbrooke Greeters” escort tourists from all over the province, indeed from all over the world (England, Argentina, Belgium, the United States, France, India, Mexico, to name a few..), The Greeters lead them around Sherbrooke, introducing the visitors to the many facets of the city. (New this summer are walks through the boroughs of Brompton and Lennoxville.)
The oldest hydroelectric power station in Quebec
The Centrale Frontenac is open to the general public every Thursday to Sunday. It’s the oldest hydroelectric power station in Quebec that is still in operation and an exhibition – La ville électrique – highlights its history. Visitors may be able to picnic on the terrace. (Until September 3.)
Balado Sherbrooke – a poetic soundscape
Two Sherbrooke artists, collectively known as Productions Muses & Chimères, have created a podcast narrated with their own words to describe places around Sherbrooke. An immersive experience, these eight soundscapes of poetry encourage the listener to truly listen, pause in their tracks, to stroll and to take time to let the mind roam free and emotions bubble to the surface – truly a different way to experience the city while walking around or in the comfort of your own home.
CURRENT AND UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AT OUR MUSEUMS...
Centre d’interprétation du Marais
« Entre Ciel et Terre » : is a display of endangered birds in the province of Quebec. The exhibition shines a light on five species on the « precarious » list and highlights the need to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Espace culturel Cookshire-Eaton
There are few experiences more relaxing that listening to a performance of harp music while rocking gently in a hammock! This unusual concert is taking place in Cookshire-Eaton, under the International Dark Sky Reserve. Performances are on July 14 and 28, August 44,11,12 and18 and on September 1st. By reservation only.
J. Armand Bombardier Museum of Ingenuity
- Until March 10, 2024 - "A Railroad to Dreams"
An introduction to the world of model trains in all its forms.
- June 24 to September 4 - "Défis à bidouiller"
Challenging activities to test your family’s creativity and their ability to adapt prototypes, based on their intuition about what might work or not work!
Yvonne L. Bombardier Cultural Centre in Valcourt
- Until August 27, 2023 - "Récits du vivant"
Featuring the work of visual artists Marie-Ève Martel, Onira Lussier and Brigitte Dahan.
Musée Beaulne in Coaticook
- Until November 26 - "À ton pied... Histoire de la Chaussure"
A history of footwear throughout the centuries.
- July 9 to September 10 – "Le retour des tourneurs sur bois"
The latest creations from a group of woodturners whose unique works were first shown at the museum in 2019.
Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke
- Until September 3 - « Que serions-nous ? »
Highlighting the history of women who were often forgotten, as seen through the eyes of painter and collagist Adèle Blais.
- Until September 3 - « Vibrations sur fibre 23 »
A retrospective of 45 years of work by textile artist Paulette-Marie Sauvé
Musée d’histoire de Sherbrooke
- Until October 22, 2023 - « Folles, les années 1920? »
A look back at the “Roaring Twenties”, the no-holds-barred years unleashed after the Great War.
- From July 7-August 23, 2023 - « Matinées découvertes »
Three guided walks around Old Sherbrooke - Plateau Marquette, Belles du Nord and Sur les traces du passé.
Marie-Victorin Botanical Gardens in Kinsey Falls
- June 3 and 4- « Salon Empreinte d’Art »
The work of painters, photographers, sculptors, fashion designers and other artists, displayed throughout the gardens.
- From July 1 onwards - « Génial! Tous intelligents! »
Highlighting different kinds of intelligence, including that of plants.
Musée des communications et d’histoire de Sutton
- From June 23-October 9, 2023 - « Au Fil des saisons – une expo à cueillir »
An exhibition looking at how plants have been grown and harvested in the region – past and present.
Musée de la Nature et des Sciences de Sherbrooke
- Until September 4, 2023 - « Place au cirque! » showcases the circus arts in Quebec –
From Louis Cyr to today’s modern companies, a number which are famous around the globe.
About Tourism Eastern Townships
Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est (Tourism Eastern Townships) is one of 22 tourism associations (ATRs) in Quebec and the official representative of Quebec's Ministry of Tourism in the Eastern Townships. Since 1978, the TCE’s mission has been to promote tourism development, marketing the region within Quebec and internationally. TCE brings together more than 500 members throughout the 9 regional county municipalities (MRCs) and in all sectors of the tourism industry: accommodation, restaurants, attractions, activities and events.
The Eastern Townships is the fourth most popular tourist destination in Quebec. The region attracts some 10 million visitors every year, accounting for 6.5 million overnight stays and spending more than $900 million annually. The tourism sector is also the region’s fourth largest employer, accounting for 17,000 jobs.
