Cowansville: Trails, Water and History

Cowansville can be explored through different interests for the day: trails and water features at the Centre de la nature, historic architecture and a mural connected to the city’s history, as well as stage performances and cinema. The Route des Vins adds a regional theme. When choosing a vacation rental, it helps to consider what you want your days away to revolve around: outdoor activity and water, history and culture, or the wine route. The following places and activities offer specific points of reference.

Nature and outdoor activities in Cowansville

The Centre de la nature in Cowansville has a hiking trail and a bicycle path. It also has water play facilities, and watercraft equipment is available to rent. Different interests come together in one named location: walking, using the bicycle path, or exploring the water play facilities and watercraft equipment. If you plan your day around activities, you can choose between these different options.

Another trail option is the Corridors actifs in Cowansville. They include more than 18 kilometres of designated routes for walking, cycling, skateboarding and inline skating. While the Centre de la nature specifically has a hiking trail and bicycle path, the Corridors actifs also include skateboarding and inline skating. The accompanying map was last updated in July 2018.

Architecture and local history

Trinity Church in Nelsonville, Cowansville, was built in 1859. Its architecture is considered typical of rural Anglican churches from the mid-19th century. Maison Nesbitt was built in 1881 and is a bourgeois house with Second Empire influences. The two buildings showcase different architectural features and bring two 19th-century construction dates into focus: 1859 and 1881. Anyone interested in the development of architecture will find two clearly identified examples here, rather than a general overview.

A historic mural is located at the corner of Rue du Sud and Rue Principale. It commemorates a historic section of Rue Principale; the buildings depicted in it were destroyed in the great fire of 1944. The mural thus connects a specific place in Cowansville with an event in the city’s history. The historic walking tour of Cowansville also offers several ways to explore: an interactive map, the GuidiGo mobile app or a brochure.

Stage, cinema and seasonal culture

Sur la scène Davignon offers a varied programme in Cowansville, ranging from comedy and theatre to classical and popular music. This range provides different reasons to explore the city’s cultural programme. As the programme may change, it’s a good idea to check the specific dates before your trip.

Cinéma Princess has three screens and also offers a varied programme that may change. Sur la scène Davignon’s seasonal events include free summer concerts at Parc Davignon. Check the specific dates for these events; the seasonal programme may change. This lets you plan around the kind of cultural event you want, rather than treating concerts, stage performances and cinema as the same offering.

The Route des Vins as a regional theme

The Route des Vins connects 21 wineries in Brome-Missisquoi and follows a 140-kilometre loop through nine municipalities. It includes La Grenouille winery, which is located in Cowansville. This provides a local connection to a route that extends beyond a single municipality. When choosing a vacation rental, you can first consider whether your trip will focus mainly on Cowansville’s trails, history and cultural offerings, or whether the regional wine route is your main interest.

Discover more destinations: Farnham, Frelighsburg, Bedford, Knowlton, Brome Lake, Dunham, Sutton, Saint-Ignace-De-Stanbridge.

For the full travel overview: Brome-Missisquoi.