We had to pass through Quebec to get to New Brunswick, and Sherbrooke was the halfway point for this leg of the trip. Initially, I was going to wake up at midnight and drive straight through without stopping to get to my destination on the East Coast, but thankfully, I changed my mind. A solid 18 hours of driving does make the butt sore. Instead, I decided we needed to have a few stops here and there and sleep over in Sherbrooke.
Interestingly, we were last in Sherbrooke exactly three years to the day. I had no idea, nor did I plan on this. I really liked the city and desired to return to do more. It is a great place with many things to do, many of which can be done repeatedly. The map for this first trip through Quebec can be found here.
Flowers and gardens are always worth a repeat visit. Plus, walking among these flowery displays offers serenity, and after driving for most of the day, it was good to find that. One place I was definitely going to visit again was Parc du Domaine-Howard. I loved this location three years ago because it had flower and plant arrangements in the shape of people and objects. It was well done, and I wanted to see how they held up through these years.
But to our delight, they changed them. What was on display was replaced by different ones. I am convinced that they change these each year, and now I want to include this park in future trips to see the creations for the year. We came up first to everyone’s favourite childhood friend, a teddy bear. I had to hug it (but did so without damaging the plants).
We walked around the park to see what was new and discovered a gnome. It was tall and stood proudly at the street corner before the entrance. Considering its beard was made of dried grass, it showed that everyone respected the work and did not damage it. The best display was their under-the-sea section. There was a fish, starfish, and seahorse.
After leaving this park, I decided to go to another area that had been a favourite three years ago. The Magog River flows through the town, and where it expands into a small lake at Place De La Gare, there are other sculptures, a water fountain and great viewing of the setting sun. It was crowded when we arrived at this time because sunset was approaching, and people were there for the free show. We only stayed briefly on this most recent trip because we wanted to rest and go to bed before another day of extensive driving. Had we been in better shape, we would have walked on the long path around the river with more artwork.
Sherbrooke was the second city we found, with murals throughout. On our first trip there, we stopped at the tourist information centre, Circuit des Murales de Sherbrooke, to get a map of the murals. Searching for murals is a good pastime and allows for a more significant experience in a location. Plus, it helps put in our steps after sitting for so long in the car.
Right beside the tourist info centre is the Magog Gorge. Pathways lead through it to see the three falls that characterize this Quebec city.
Like much of Quebec, Sherbrooke is very proud of its Catholic heritage. During the summer season, there are churches that can be entered and admired. Our favourite thing to do in Quebec is to see if the door is open and explore a church and the artwork inside.
Add museums, Fromagerie Victoria (the best poutine place in town), and plenty to do inside and outside of town, and Sherbrooke is a place I will want to explore again. I only wish that on our current visit, we weren’t just passing through and could stay a little longer.
- There is a surprising number of free places to visit in Sherbrooke. Just make sure to pay for parking.
- View All The Places We Have Been map to see where we were when we visited this region.
- My French is very limited, but that does not pose a problem when visiting Quebec. Many know English, or someone will be willing to help.
- The map for Sherbrooke Murals can be found here. I update it whenever I travel to a region, so some murals may not be listed. This will help add to the discovery when coming across an unexpected mural.
