Summertime is family time in the Townships!

Published on Jul 10, 2025
by Tourism Eastern Townships

Sherbrooke, July 8, 2025 – The summer holidays provide endless opportunities for families to have fun. All around the Eastern Townships, you’ll find family-oriented activities ranging from cultural outings to animal encounters, a particular favourite with youngsters. 

Creepy tales of days gone by

By donning a pair of headphones and with the guidance of a mobile app, families (ages 14 and older) can learn all about the troubled history of Sherbrooke’s Winter Prison. This immersive, self-guided tour entitled Radcl_ff is narrated by three actors from Traces et Souvenances - the same theatre company behind La Grande Échappée. Although the stories are fictional, they are based on the life and times of a real person -  John Radcliff, a famous executioner, who died in 1911 (The tour runs between July 10-September 3).

Oolretaw is an ’alternative’ literary tour of Waterloo that focuses on the ’dark’ side of the city where reality and fiction intertwine. Inspired by the parallel universe of Stranger Things, this immersive experience is designed around stories (audio and text) created by students. Participants follow the tour via QR codes scattered around town. Each stop explains some mysterious, little-known aspects of Waterloo’s past. The tour is free of charge.

La Grande Échappée is another creation from Traces et Souvenance and building on the success of the show in 2024, it is back for a second year in Coaticook. Through the magic of theatre, the audience is transported to the early 20th century – the era of Barnum & Bailey -  when circuses were hugely popular. On stage are costumed artists and exotic « animals » as well as a lost mother elephant. La Grande Échappée is performed every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 4pm-6pm (July 17-August 30).

The Sutton School of Art is once more hosting Nocturnes, a series of outdoor movie screenings, food and live entertainment. This second cultural event , organised in partnership with the Knowlton Film Festival, showcases some of the best cinematic offerings from Quebec. The outdoor screenings are held on Thursday evenings from 6 :30pm onwards. Upcoming titles include Tomifobia and Mille Bottine (July 17), Les Éphémérides (July 31 and August 7) and Vil et misérable (July 31).

Fun activities for the entire family!

Winslow Ranch in Stornoway is marking its 25th year in business with a couple of new horse-oriented activities. One of the activities is a horseback « safari » along a forested trail, where riders can observe such exotic creatures as bison. The other activity is inspired by Shinrin Yoku – the Japanese practise of « forest bathing » - which combines the calming effect of horses and Mother Nature.

Granby Zoo has added a couple of female white rhinoceroses – Alice and Hazina - to its collection of exotic creatures. They came from the San Diego Zoo and this summer, two lemurs - Ziggy (from Texas) and Ripley (from North Carolina) - will also be arriving in Granby.  The animals are part of the Zoo’s conservation initiatives to protect species that are endangered.

Bleu Lavande has added some « extras » to its summer attractions and activities – outdoor yoga, BBQs, painting and gardening workshops, concerts… In other words, something for everyone! Even Fido can come along and have his or her photo taken! Visitors can wander through the fields of lavender and learn all about the pretty plants at the interpretation centre. And don’t miss the immersive « experience » created by Moment Factory. The Bleu Lavande boutique offers a wide range of lavender-based products. 

Calling all culture vultures!

Galerie Perkins in Melbourne is running an exhibition entitled One for All/All for One in a building that was, at one time, a Presbyterian Church. Built in 1841, it was depicted on the Canadian $2 bill between 1954 and 1975! Some 40 artists will display their work at the historic gallery – paintings, photographs, sculptures – which is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays  (10am-5pm, until July 13).

Express your creative side by taking one of the workshops offered by the Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke (Fine Arts Museum). Entitled « De la passerelle au musée » it’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to draw inspiration from the fantastic art collection held by the Museum. The workshops begin outside, on the footbridge across the Magog River Gorge, then progress to the Museum’s educational workshop where participants create their own images with charcoal crayons, pastel crayons or graphite pencils. The workshop, which is held  every Tuesday, is included in the price of admission -  free for MBAS members! (2pm-3:30pm, until August 26).

La Route des concerts tracks places around the province where concerts are being held throughout the summer – over 80 venues in all! Many happen to be in the Eastern Townships – In Saint-Benoît-du-Lac abbey, Stornoway, Saint-Camille, Sherbrooke, Cookshire-Eaton, Lac-Mégantic and Lac-Brome.

Photo credit : Bleu Lavande

About Tourism Eastern Townships

Tourisme Cantons-de-l'Est (Tourism Eastern Townships) is one of Quebec's 21 regional tourism associations (ATR) and the official representative of Quebec's Ministry of Tourism in the region.  Since 1978, TCE’s mission has been to foster the region's tourism development, promote, coordinate, support and represent the entire tourism sector, while focusing on the quality of the visitor experience. TCE brings together nearly 600 members representing more than 1,000 tourism offerings 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 region in Quebec, with volumes reaching 10 million visitors annually, accounting for 6.5 million overnight stays and a tourism spend of more than $900 million per year. Tourism in the region generates over 20,000 jobs, making it the region's fifth largest employment sector among all tourism regions.