Take your pick: adrenaline packed or slow and contemplative?
THINGS TO DO
Your Townships adventure starts here.
Sports, Nature & Outdoor Activities
Take your pick: adrenaline packed or slow and contemplative?
Arts, Culture & Heritage
Let your imagination run free at galleries, theatres, museums and workshops.
Spa & Wellness
Treat yourself to massages, body treatments, Nordic baths and other sensory delights.
Shopping
Scour our markets, boutiques and other hidden gems to score incredible finds.
Events
Discover our cultural vitality with a wide range of special events.
The Colour evolution
The tree-covered leaves change hues presenting different warmer and warmer and more luminous colours
Cycling
The Townships is a great cycling destination, because it’s designed for pedal power - slow, contemplative, challenging or sporty.
Hiking Trails
Fill your pack with local flavours before setting off to explore the natural beauties that make our region so stunning.
Restaurants
All are sure to please even the most discerning of palates. Bon appétit!
Orchards
Our orchards are overflowing with fruit, all ripe for the picking! Won’t you join us?
Where to stay
Lodging options to suit any taste and budget.
Hotels & Country Inns
Stunning locations and outstanding service come together for a bliss-inducing stay.
Bed & Breakfasts
Get up close and personal with life in the Townships.
Off the Beaten Path
Think outside the box with out of the ordinary accommodations.
Cottages & Condos
Custom comfort near the city or in nature.
Campgrounds / RV Rentals
Abundant amenities in the heart of nature.
Vacation Centres
Kick back and relax as a family with all-inclusive vacation options.
Other Types of Lodging
Experience something different by choosing unique lodging.
Lodgings with Spa Options
Plan a stay in an accommodation with a private spa or a treatment center. Relaxation guaranteed!
Hikers Welcome
If you, like thousands of visitors annually, plan on hiking in the region, know that your efforts will be rewarded by our world-class hospitality.
Bienvenue Cyclistes
Explore the region on two wheels and stay in one of the many accommodation options bearing the Bienvenue cyclistes icon.
Pet Friendly
Don’t want to leave your four-legged friend behind? Book a stay in some of the region’s many dog-friendly digs and you won’t have to.
The Townships
The Townships possess a rich heritage that you will discover everywhere on its nine territories, in its towns and villages, its Coeurs villageois, etc.
Not to be missed
What is it that draws visitors to the region, year after year? Find out here :
Cœurs villageois
Visit our Cœurs villageois – charming communities that truly characterize the spirit of our region.
Towns and villages
Explore our lively, welcoming towns and villages with their heritage architecture and fascinating histories.
Nine territories to discover
Each territory has a distinct personality and a wealth of hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered!
The Townships at a glance
Here’s a glimpse of the region, a few historical notions, and numbers.
Tourist routes
Hit the road! The region has several tourist routes designed around different themes – heritage, scenic landscapes, wine….
National and regional parks
Four national and two regional parks – an outdoor paradise in the fresh air, each and every one!
Taste the townships
Here, in so many ways, you’ll enjoy all kinds of gastronomical experiences! When you discover our unique products and our highly renowned tables, you’ll love us forever!
Restaurants
Every time you sit down at one of our tables, you’ll experience a truly special moment. Savour it!
Cafés de village
Visit our Cafés de Village and discover each one’s specialties while meeting the most welcoming and friendly people.
Créateurs de Saveurs Products
You can rely on our food producers who put as much love as delicious flavours into everything they plant and produce.
Vineyards
The Route des vins de Brome-Missisquoi, the Route des vins de l’Estrie, and about twenty other vineyards… The Townships region proudly honours its title of being the first wine region of Quebec.
Microbreweries
The region counts more than twenty microbreweries! Just like the people who run them, each one has established their own strong, unique personality and … extremely inviting character!
Cheese Factories & Dairy Producers
goat’s milk… Here you’ll savour rich artisanal cheeses. Some you already know, many others you’ll enjoy discovering.
Public Markets
Purple peppers, fir honey, pineapple tomatoes … besides all the products you love, sometimes you also discover new, amazingly surprising ones!
Orchards
Our orchards are overflowing with fruit, all ripe for the picking! Won’t you join us?
Restaurants Complices
These restaurants take to heart working with local producers and to offer dishes that integrate certified Créateurs de saveurs products.
Foodie’s Maps
Brasseurs des Cantons and Têtes fromagères are two gastronomical circuits highlighting our microbreweries and cheese factories.
Gourmet Itineraries
Plan your stay by offering yourself a wealth of flavours. Consult our getaway ideas.
Weekend and Trip Ideas
Discover our activities suggestions, getaway ideas and itineraries in the Townships.
Family Outings
Find loads of ideas for memorable family outings!
Romantic Getaways
Outings, restaurants, spas, weekend ideas… Suggestions for spending some precious moments together.
Outdoor Activities
Hiking, kayaking, beaches, cycling… Without a doubt, all outdoor enthusiasts are sure to find something to do here!
Slow Travel
Take the time to take your time in the Townships
Tourist Routes
Vineyards, mountain peaks, heritage sites… Our designated routes make for the most beautiful road trips!
Itineraries
Whether for two, with your family or with friends, here you will find a ton of suggestions for planning perfect getaways!
Experiences to Try
Our collaborators have tested several different adventures … and have approved!
Coeur villageois
Visit our Cœurs villageois – charming communities that truly characterize the spirit of our region.
Towns and Villages
Explore our lively, welcoming towns and villages with their heritage architecture and fascinating histories.
Guide and Maps
View our guide and maps online or order your free copies.
Published on Apr 12, 2021
Geometrical shapes, bright block colours, eco-responsible recycling, Marilyn B. Armand is restoring this artisanal know-how’s proud heritage. Her creations, bed covers, throws, cuddle blankets, placemats, produced in her workshop, in Bedford, are as comforting as they are pleasing to the eye.
By Natalie Sicard
Raised by her aunts and grandmother who initiated her to the basics of sewing, this future artist quilter grew up hoping to launch her own textile business. But what form would it take? What would be her medium? When she moved away from the Plateau Mont-Royal 5 years ago, after completing a master’s degree in International Relations, and leaving behind a job in business management to settle in Dunham, it clicked! That’s when she picked up the threads.
While looking for a gift to concoct for a newborn, she found this pattern for sewing a quilted cuddle blanket on the Internet. Perfect! this true fan of DIY projects had already tried to create everything possible in the field of textile arts in her free time (weaving, macramé). Suddenly, she felt very stimulated. Then came her meeting with France Verrier of the Cercle des fermières de Cowansville, an experienced quilter who would become her mentor and who taught her all the basic techniques. That was it! She had found her medium. After months of training, she established her workshop inside the Bedford Lofts, an old factory that used to produce needles … for knitting machines!
The walls of her workshop are covered with colourful rolls of material, and batting, corduroy, velour, wool … 95% of these materials are new. Concerned about the enormous quantity of waste produced by the textile industry, she retrieves trimmings and leftover materials from clothes designers or end of lines. “Rolls of 4–5 metres that won’t ever be used! This doesn’t make sense. To give this forgotten material a second life before they’re sent to the trash bin is the modus operandi that sustains my business.” Through her upcycling approach, she improves the sustainability of textiles, by sewing and topstitching them. In fact, her quilts now have lifespans that will last over several decades.
It takes her more than 25 hours to produce each, very unique, piece telling with its own story. She finds her inspiration contemplating the surrounding architecture and environment. “I just have to step outside to feed my chickens, as I admire the fields all around, and I’m inspired!” One of her models evokes the memory of an evening while on a canoe camping trip; “The water was like a mirror. We could see the moon and stars reflecting on it. Such tranquility in the middle of nowhere!” The simple shapes, the clean lines, her play on perspectives are born from her imagination. Sometimes fragments of stories inspired by a picture, an illustration given by a client are the starting point for her custom-made creations. The results offer these minimalist compositions that you can’t wait to hang on a wall!
Hoping to perpetuate and spread this skill passed on by several generations of women, she also offers kits to make your own design on her website. And very soon, you’ll be able to pre-order a creation by selecting colours, shapes and the materials from 12 basic models.
For more information: lepointvisible.com
Chouquette et Amandine on Bedford’s Main Street: to savour a croissant or a dessert. This artisanal bakery-pastry shop concocts pies, Viennese pastries, brioches, different breads, sandwiches and salads.
Brasserie Dunham : While awaiting the reopening of their pub, people have literally been raiding their classic beer series as well as their latest boutique creations (open 7/7 from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.). The reason is simple, their brand has taken 42nd place among the world’s best breweries in 2020 on the prestigious Ratebeer website!
A bicycle outing in the town of Saint-Armand: “You can take any road, they’re all lovely.” The Circuit La doyenne des vignes takes you through the towns of Frelighsburg and Dunham; and the Circuit du Patrimoine starts out in Bedford to lead you across the villages of Saint-Armand, Pigeon Hill and the pretty hamlet of Mystic.
Townships's Artisan
Atelier Ulric & Associés: Nothing’s Lost… Everything’s Recyclable!Townships's Artisan
Cobalt blue and Raku: The World of Potters Robin Badger and Robert ChartierTownships's Artisan
Recycled Glass in the Spotlight2 metres, 20 seconds, a face covering... You know the drill. This summer, we all need to do our part to make this vacation season both enjoyable and responsible.
(In fact, I can even stand apart.)
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(Anyways in #touristmode, I'm in no hurry!)
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(Ring ahead to avoid the crowd... it’s that simple!)
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(I promise... this is no time to joke around.)
Together - For a safe vacation - Let’s be responsible.
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