Things to do in the Eastern Townships - The perfect weekend getaway
The beautiful countryside in the rolling Appalachians offers ski hills, history, great food and wine. Only 1 hour away from Montreal, the Eastern Townships are my favourite weekend getaway. The region is filled with small charming villages and offers year-round activities. What are the best things to do in the Eastern townships? In the fall, you can go leaf-peeping, in summer you can go relax by the lake and in winter, you can go skiing. It is also a foodie getaway for a vast selection of wine, craft beer and high-end restaurants that will delight your taste buds.
A little about the region, it lies between the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the border of Vermont and encompasses the cities of Granby in the southwest and Drummondville in the northeast and it is located in the administrative region Estrie. Historically, the townships were an enclave of English loyalists at the end of the 18th century. This legacy is mostly reflected in the Victorian houses, round barns, and over-covered bridges scattered throughout the region. Now, it is a mix of anglophone and francos giving the region the perfect cultural mix.
So are you ready for your next adventure?
Route des vins (the Wine Route)
Dunham is home to the wine route of Quebec and is a picturesque town with wineries and Victorian-style houses. There are more than 20 wineries in the region Almost all vineyards are accessible to the public and you can sample their different products either for free or for a small fee. If you are expecting good wine, this trip might disappoint you as the grapes that survive the harsh Quebec winter are not the best.
Psst: I always stick to the white wine probably the best product throughout the region.
A great way to explore the wineries is to do the wine route biking. What better way to enjoy a nice summer or fall day than by discovering wines? The route has also picnic areas or stops at local restaurants to catch a break from all the biking & drinking. Their website gives you all the directions and which establishments you can visit along the way.
If wine is not your forté, the region also offers ciders, lots of sugar shacks and fresh berries to pick and enjoy. The fresh air of the countryside and the valley scenery will make the trip worth it.
What not to miss?
Be sure to visit L’Orpailleur. Their vines stretch as far as the eye can see. The sunset is the most beautiful hour as the vine leaves turn to gold with the sunset colours. They offer tours and activities and they also have a small museum of how the wine is made.
Their restaurant, le Tire-Bouchon, offers simple French cuisine with local ingredients. It's also the best winery and the biggest wine producer in the region.
On a more personal note, this was the venue for our wedding. The backdrop was perfect for our rustic & vintage-style wedding.
To read more about this wine route, you can visit the different vineyards on your own or you can take guided tours. For more info, you can head to my in-depth article here.
Bromont
Bromont, better known as the ski resort, the mountain is beautiful year-round. It offers several outdoor winter activities like hiking, snowshoes, skiing, cross country skiing and bike paths. The township also has several lakes where you can swim, go kayaking or just go for a picnic near the water on the hot summer days.
After exploring the mountains, you can go relax at the Amerispa for their thermal experience. It's a small spa with less fuzz, it is less crowded and cheaper than the popular Balnea Spa. The Balnea is on a private nature reserve. The spa offers nature immersion, a thermal circuit, open water swimming, treatments inspired, eclectic relaxation areas, a restaurant, hiking, yoga by the lake and more. What more can you ask for to relax after your busy 9t o 5 work?
15 min away from Bromont, there is the town Lac Brome which is composed of seven villages and is worth a visit. The most well-known is the Victorian village of Knowlton. The Parc des Sommets offers trails for more than 140 km. This park will take you through the mountain, the heart of the Old Bromont, lakes, residential areas, and the Scientific Park. The park has both hikes and a horse riding circuit.
Where to eat in Bromont?
If you are a foodie, look for the restaurants in the “Chef Createur” network. This organization of chefs certifies gourmet experiences based only on local ingredients. These restaurants are most of the time linked to an inn or to a hotel. This might make your choice of lodging much easier. Les Quatre Canards restaurant located in the Chateau Bromont is delicious. Plus, it has a beautiful view of the mountain.
However, my favourite restaurant in the region is Le Cellier du Roi. The famous chef, Jerome Ferrer, will surprise you with the unique savours and original presentation of each plate. I highly recommend the wine pairing formula, their wine selection has something for everyone. In fact, they won for the fourth year in a row, The Best of Award of Excellence Wine Spectator.
Le Macpherson Steakhouse restaurant is a delicious steakhouse located at the heart of the town. If you are staying the night and you are looking for a European bakery for brunch, then Caneal is the place for you. they have amazing croissants and offer brunches & lunch formulas where you can try all their products.
In the Summer, if you are looking for a sugar high then Maitre Glacier should be a must-stop. The ice cream parlour has decadent options with a lot of sweets, shakes and a multitude of sweets to top your cones. There are also vegan ice cream options.
Souce: Le Cellier du Roi
The Beer Route
If you are a beer lover then you are not short on choices. The region offers several breweries to entertain your palate, 30 breweries in total to be exact. Most of them are located in these 2 towns, Dunham, Farnham and Sutton.
Farnham Brewery and Dunham Brewery offer similar kinds of beers. Both are located in an old house style with red bricks and wooden pillars. Their beers are a part of the new wave of North American brewers with delightful IPAs. If you are short on time then, I will suggest visiting Dunham Brewery. Located in downtown Dunham, the brewery is easy to access after wandering in the town. Plus, their restaurant only serves locally produced and organic ingredients.
The Edgar Hyper Tavern is a trendy after-ski place decorated as a chalet in Bromont. The bar offers great food and local beer from the West Shefford brewery. If you are in the area during hockey season, this is the place to catch a game.
The tourism office has a suggestion for these seven wonderful breweries. A lot of these breweries have restaurants which source their ingredients from local producers. If you are adventuring deep into the region, you can go to Brasserie 11 comtés, a rural brewery nestled in the country of hills, forests, fields and pretty villages. They brew from local ingredients. Microbrasserie Des Cantons has a sports beer series with fun designs of the sporting story.
Sutton
In Sutton, you will want to play outside. Famous for its ski resort, the mountain has activities year-round. After you finish playing, wander around in the quaint village alongside the main street and enjoy bistros and restaurants and several artisan stores and galleries to take the best souvenirs back home.
L’Abordage Brewery offers very good beers in the American style. The taproom also offers a good selection of wine and delicious food sourced locally.
Coaticook
Coaticook might be one of the most diverse jewels of the region. Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook has been named the 1st Wonder of Eastern Townships. One of the main attractions is the 169-meter-long suspended bridge on which you can admire the deep gorge. The park is home to the first lumina trails that have started to take the world by storm. Foresta Lumina, a night-illuminated and multimedia trail, takes you into the world of the fairies that live in the forest. Made by the recognized Moment Factory studio, the attraction is 2 km long. Via its scenography, lighting, video mapping and music, the immersive experience is based on regional magical and fictitious mythology.
Mont Pinacle is another hiking spot. For the families, you can check the Parc Découverte Nature to learn about fishing.
The Coaticook Brewery is also a must-stop for refreshing beers and good food, their fish & chips are not to be missed. For dessert, you might want to go to the famous Coaticook ice cream parlour.
Mont Orford National Park
The mountain is very popular in the winter for its ski resort. The mountain is part of the SEPAQ, the provincial parks and has different activities to enjoy. In the summer there is camping, beaches, hiking and bike trails, to name a few. I would suggest taking the trails L’Étang-Fer-De-Lance or Le Pékan for beautiful panoramic views in summer. Then you can cool off at the Lake Stukely beach. If you are a bird lover, then this is the place for you, 150 bird species have been identified at the park. In winter, enjoy downhill skiing. If you want to know more about the mountain you can go here.
Tea Route
The English heritage of the region can be experienced through the quintessentially British pastime of tea time. This under-the-radar route has 6 stops for you to delight with tea, scones and finger sandwiches. And who doesn't like a good tea time? The route has 6 stops that are between 30 min to 1h or more apart. The route takes you through towns of all sizes, from Sherbrooke city to very small towns lost in the mountains. Some of the stops will be in a museum or in a heritage building. You can read all about this route in this dedicated article.
Astrolab
For astrology lovers, this is your destination. Have you ever dreamt of seeing the perseids, or understanding the cosmos? Then this is the ultimate place to stargaze! The Astronomy lab is located in the Parc National du Mont-Megantic. If there is the right solar energy, you might even get the chance to see the Northern Lights. The whole region is a Dark-sky preserve, meaning that the surrounding municipalities restrict artificial light pollution. This can be a romantic getaway. This is a 2h drive from Montreal. However, since this is a night activity, I would suggest you spend the night in the region. The national park also offer numerous trails for hiking, skiing or snowshoeing.
Magog
Magog is a popular small town with Lake Memphremagog as a backdrop. The lake stretches for 40 kilometres and borders Newport, Vermont. There is a legend about a monster, Memphré, a creature that lives in the lake. People have been trying to spot it for the past 200 years and there are legends from the First Nations that warn about the creature. Think about it like the Loch Ness Canadian cousin. You can enjoy water activities like taking a sunset cruise, kayaking or just enjoying the beach. The quaint town has a brewery, a gin distillery and restaurants and bakeries. If you are religious or like religious architecture, you can add the monastery, Abbaye Saint -Benoît-du-Lac.
Sherbrooke
The city is the biggest in the region (it is the sixth-largest city in the province) and has a renowned university which gives the city a very young and vibrant atmosphere. Like in Montreal, the city abounds of street art, it has 16 murals to be exact. There is even a mobile app that takes you through the whole path and explains to you the work of art and the history of the artists. The city hosts many art galleries. Sherbrooke is also well known for all its craft breweries like Siboire and La Mare au Diable.
North Hatley
This is a quaint village at the northern tip of Lake Massawippi, it is very popular if you are looking for a relaxing weekend or if you are an antique shopper. The area is full of B&B and has countless hiking areas in the mountains to really enjoy nature. In summer you can swim or do mountain biking and in winter you can go skiing. Near the town, you can go ice fishing.
Go to a provincial park or a regional park
There are four national parks in total in the region (Parc National Mont-Orford, Parc National de la Yamaska, Parc National du Mont Megantic & Parc National de Frontenac. It is important to highlight that these are not part of the Parks Canada network. Québec calls them parc national since we are considered a nation within Canada. Parc National de la Yamaska is just 1h away from Montreal and offers a lot of water activities on the Yamaska River. The Parc National de Frontenac is located in central Quebec and is at the edge of Lake St-François, a huge lake of 51 km2. If you are an animal lover, then this is the place for you, more than 200 species of birds and over 30 types of mammals call this park home. The area also has three regional parks. Parc Regional du Mont-Ham is for the avid hikers, as it sits at 713 m above sea level with a 360 ° view. The site has 18 km of intermediate and difficult trails.
Do a scenic route
What is a scenic route? They are also called tourist routes, theme routes, or scenic byways. They guided you through a determined path for natural or cultural beauty. The region has 16 tourist routes! Some are more well-known than others. We already covered the tea route, the wine route and the street art circuit in Sherbrooke in this article, but you can also follow “Route des Sommets” (summits road) which takes you through 193km of beautiful mountainous scenery and a lot of hiking. The route suggests 21 stops over several days. If biking is more your jam then you can embark on the “Véloroute Gourmande” a 235km connecting Montréal and Sherbrooke along the Route Verte and the Trans Canada Trail. The route focuses on foodie stops with local producers, scenic stops and multiple other attractions and accommodations. If you are looking to explore more the history of the region, you can embark on the “Townships Trail”. You will learn about the Americans, Loyalists, Scottish and Irish settlers who came to the area during the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century. The Chemin des Cantons stops through 31 towns and villages and 8 regions where you can see gorgeous Victorian houses, round barns, historical characters, covered bridges, museums, churches, interpretive sites and more!
Practical information
Where to stay in the Eastern Townships?
The region is full of B&B and small hotels. If you are looking for a more cottage style, you can rent an Airbnb, if you are in luck you can rent a whole barn for your group of friends.
Bromont is a good hub for the region, from here you can explore the different circuits and trails of the surrounding towns. Bromont has a multitude of accommodations. The most well-known hotel is Chateau Bromont, where the Amerispa, the high-end restaurant 4 canards and golf. The hotel is right next to the mountains and has different types of rooms and packages. Beatnik is a trendy hotel next to the famous Balnea Spa & Reserve Thermale and the Gale Lake network trails. My last recommendation is the Auberge St-Georges Nights, a charming 3-star hotel with 9 rooms and an outdoor jacuzzi. The building dates back to 1881 and it is located in the heart of old Bromont with all the restaurants and shops, right in the middle of the action.
Another good place to relax in the region, you can book your accommodation in Sutton Brouërie - Microbrasserie & Auberge, a brewery inn. This accommodation has a brewery, a restaurant and comfy rooms. The hotel is right on the main street and has also other breweries and restaurants to try.
Getting around
I highly recommend renting a car to visit the region, the townships are not as close to one another and there are no taxis in every town. This is also the best way to go to the many national parks and enjoy all the outdoor activities.
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