While Western Canada gets most of the hype, Quebec offers outstanding skiing and snowshoeing from the Laurentians to the Gaspe... The Eastern Townships is dotted with quaint villages of fieldstone houses with church spires towering over frozen ponds and snowy streets lined with pubs, restaurants and boutiques. Mont Bromont, less than an hour southeast of Montreal, has the largest lit skiable terrain in North America with 66 night-skiing trails.
The village of Bromont is at the base and not far off is picture-perfect Knowlton, where restaurants such as the Auberge Knowlton serve up the local specialty, Quebec’s celebrated Lac Brome duck. It’s also a good place to sample luscious ice ciders, Quebec’s answer to icewine made from crushed frozen apples...

Even though it’s been raining off and on (mostly off, hooray!) for two of the past three days, I honestly can’t think of any place I’d rather be. My sweetheart Marilyn and I are celebrating a major milestone in our life together with . . .you guessed it! . . . a getaway focused on shared outdoor activities. When we were planning this celebration together, I asked her where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do. She hesitated all of a nanosecond before choosing Quebec in foliage season...
That night we ate another superb dinner at Le Relais at the Auberge Knowlton, the oldest continuously operating hotel/restaurant in the Eastern Townships. The next morning we biked around beautiful Lac Brome and back into Knowlton for some shopping... Click below to read the full story
Quebec in Foliage

Auberge Knowlton is celebrating its 160th anniversary with this mural painted at the inn's restaurant Le Relais by Eastern Townships artist Marie-Andrée Leblond. The mural is entitled «Revenge of the Ducks» and features ducks taking over the daily life of the Auberge, enjoying good food, conversation and company in vengence for the restaurant's long history of serving duck from Brome Lake on the menu. The mural also nods to local artists and gallkeries in Knowlton, with some of the duckies painting, playing music and writing letters in the scene.
Auberge Knowlton started out in 1849 as Blinn's Inn; it now operates as a hotel withn twelve rooms and a 90-seat restaurant with a 60-seat terrace. It also houses several boutiques, a real estate office and is featured on the «Townships Trail» route for tourists exploring the architectural and historical heritage of the Townships. Owners Signy Stephenson and Michel Gabereau wanted to honour the long-running establishment with something special.
«Marie-Andrée's work is very special. She's given a modern twist to a long-standing tradition, which is as it should be as the Auberge continues to lead in hotellerie in the area. And it's funny. There are little twists and tweaks that the viewer won't initially see, sort of like «Where's Waldo», says Stephenson. «We hope that people will love it as much as we do.»

The Auberge Relais (sic) in Knowlton commissioned artist Marie-Andrée Leblond to create a mural to celebrate the 160 year history of the historic inn. Leblond used Brome Lake's famous ducks to incorporate themes and special events such as the Knowlton Music Festival, Letters from Knowlton and the Duck Fest, with a musician-duck, a painter-duck and a letter-writing duck.

Auberge Knowlton, along with its restaurant Le Relais, situated on the corner of Knowlton Road and Lakeside celebrates its 160th anniversary this year. ...."To celebrate this auspicious and important anniversary, we commissioned well-known Eastern Townships artist marie-Andrée Leblond, to create a mural for the hotel's restaurant."... During the current Festival Knowlton, Auberge Le Relais (sic) is preparing a special menu inspired by and in keeping with the musical performances. Two special dinner concerts are also planned.

...Stay at the Auberge Knowlton, right in the middle of town at the four corners, and not only will you luxuriate and dine in style but you'll be doing it in one of the most historic buildings in Knowlton... Click below to read the full story
What Travel Writers...

...It’s off to the town of Knowlton, best not viewed after 5p.m. on a Monday. Historic town, for sure, with many shops, a theatre and another museum, The Brome County Historical Society with five buildings, one that includes a World War II Fokker DVII Plane. Joie de Lavende, a lavender farm, is located in walking distance of downtown. Worth the walk, you get to roam a bit of the fields and pick your own bouquet or buy various lavender products. If you’re lucky, the ducks will emerge from the lake and allow you to feed them. These are not the ilk of ducks that the waiter will serve you. Speaking of which I had lunch at Le Relais in Auberge Knowlton, the longest continuously operating hotel in the Eastern Townships. Since the restaurant and the area are known for serving Lac Brome ducks, I thought I’d have the breast in an orange sauce. A dish of various cold local delicacies is offered and not to be passed up. www.aubergeknowlton.ca. ... Click below to read the full story
Eastern Townships...

Despite a long, hard winter, Knowlton's fashion boutiques are thinking spring and summer and preparing for their yearly fashion show at the beginning of May. "This will be our 7th annual show," says Terry Dimock. "It's a community event, really. Everyone knows everyone. We use our customers and friends as models - nothing anorexic here - just real people, real fashions. It's a chance for everyone to see what the boutiques are doing for the season." ... The fashions comne from a wide range of Knowlton boutiques including Elle Diva, Jones New York, Rococo, Paddies, Clemenine à la campagne, designer Jodi Mallinson, Sandila, Woolrich and Zen Den.....

One of Knowlton’s best kept secrets, and a real treat for visitor’s, is the Saturday night Jazz performances at the Relais Restaurant in the Auberge Knowlton.The live performances take place from 6:30 to 9:30 on Saturday evening and is a great occasion to enjoy an evening of dining in the historical Inn while listening to some great jazz from the classics of the 1940’s to easy listening Jazz...
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Live Jazz ...

The Auberge Knowlton in the heart of Lac Brome is arguably one of the most beloved historical buildings in Lac Brome. The popular hotel provides visitors and locals with one of Knowlton's better restaurants and comfortable rooms with the real Victorian character of the Eastern Townships
Auberge Knowlton, the oldest operating hotel in the Eastern Township’s, is not one to sit on its laurels. Having been hailed by Fodor’s, America’s leading travel publisher as “Fodor’s Choice… the place to stay and eat” in the area for the past 3 years as well as being featured by travel guides, Ulysses, Petit Futé and Lonely Planet, the Auberge has now aligned itself with the prestigious chain “Auberges du Passant Certifiée” managed by the Fédération des Agricotours du Québec...
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Local Hotel ...

...It was late in the afternoon when I reached Knowlton, one of the seven communities that were merged to form the town of Lac-Brome in 1971. It is a charming Victorian-style village, with a number of old buildings dating from Loyalist times. There I would pass the night at one of the best-known hotels in town, the Auberge Knowlton, an establishment that has been receiving guests since 1849 when it was one of the main inns serving the old Magog Road. Its small but charming rooms are full of period décor, but also offer a number of up-to-date amenities including free wireless Internet service. ...During that time, I dined on the restaurant’s main dish, duck from Lac-Brome in a marvellous strawberry sauce. Lac-Brome is famous for its duck, and the next day my host at the Auberge Knowlton, Signy Stephenson, took me on a scenic tour of the area around the lake that included a stop at a local duck farm. I was sorry to learn that my visit would just miss the annual Lac-Brome fête de la canard, the duck festival that was then being organized in the town park. Here a number of restaurants would offer a variety of dishes featuring local duck, along with a variety of other activities including a duck race! My duck was savoury and delicious, and was well accompanied by one of the locally-produced wines. Dessert was one of my favourites whenever I visit Québec, tarte au sucre, or maple-sugar pie, was as mouth-watering as any I have had the pleasure of sampling on previous trips...
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The Historical Strata

...Duck dining is one reason to stop in Knowlton, a charming Victorian hamlet with plenty of Loyalist influences. It's situated on Lake Brome, where gastronomes arrive in the fall for the annual Duckfest. Galleries and boutiques lure travelers to this quaint village in any season. Auberge Knowlton continues to add years to its century-and-a-half history of guest care on the corner of Knowlton's main intersection, and serves bistro-style lunches amid an antique-filled interior...

* Fodor'sChoice: Where To Stay & Eat* Auberge Knowlton
The 12-room inn, at the main intersection in Knowlton, has been a local landmark since 1849, when it was a stagecoach stop.The inn attracts businesspeople, as well as vacationers and locals who like coming to the old, familiar hotel to celebrate special occasions. Bistro Le Relais ($$-$$$), serves local wines and cheeses and has a wide range of duck dishes, including warm duck salad served with gizzards and confit de canard.

Auberge Knowlton is a landmark Victorian, in business since 1849, which has come a long way since the stagecoach days. Antique-style furniture meets modern amenities in the country-themed, spacious rooms. Breakfast is à la carte. Here you will also find Le Relais, a great place to try the juicy Brome duck paired with a glass of local wine. In summer, the tables on the upstairs terrace are much in demand.

The editors at Fodor's Travel, America's leading travel publisher, has chosen Auberge Knowlton as its "Fodor'sChoice2006" for the area. Every year, Fodor writers around the world select an exclusive list of restaurants, hotels and attractions in their area to represent the best places to visit when travelling to the respective regions. Auberge Knowlton has been selected as one of these establishments and is noted with Fodor'sChoice distinction in the 2006 guidebooks, as well as being recognized on Fodors.com where 1.7 million travellers plan their trips each month.
Fodor's hires local writers who know their destinations better than anyone else, says the travel publisher. With its team of over 700 travel writers covering over 300 destinations worldwide, Fodor's guidebooks are written for a variety of travelers who have one thing in common--they are seeking the best travel options available within their budget, including the best places to stay, eat, shop, and see.
"This is a great honour for us", enthused owner Signy Stephenson, who has operated Auberge Knowlton with her husband Michel Gabereau since 1997. "The visibility Fodor'sChoice gives the Auberge and the village of Knowlton is unparalleled."
Stephenson also noted that this year Auberge Knowlton and its restaurant Le Relais are also singled out in the Lonely Planet 2006 Canada Travel Guide as the only place in Knowlton the stay and eat.
"We are extremely pleased with both distinctions," notes Stephenson. "Being recognized by such influential publishers can only help increase business, both for us and for the entire village."

Food and fashion are a natural fit when comes it comes to the annual "Country Chic Champêtre" fashion show held every spring the Le Relais Restaurant- Bistro in Knowlton. The only fashion event of the season in Knowlton, "Country Chic Champetre" combines the beautiful and varied fashions from the many boutiques of the small village with the culinary talents of the chefs at the restaurant for an entertaining and mouth-watering luncheon-show.
Scheduled for Sunday, May 7, 2006, the show, now in its fifth year, is unique is its concept as it uses real women of all sizes wearing real clothes. "The whole community gets involved," enthused restaurant manager and owner Lynn Patenaude. "The boutiques use their customers as models, local hairdresser Christina Bushey of Creations Christina does the hair and make-up, Terry Dimock, a former fashion writer and marketer, coordinates the show, and we, of course, do the food. It's a lot of fun, both for the participants and for the audience."
Both women's and men's fashions are featured from Agnes & Grace, Jones New York, Paddie's Boutique, Rococo, Sandila, Woolrich and Zen Den. Accessories and jewellery are from Trésors d'ici. A draw following the show offers the audience the chance to win gift certificates from the many boutiques.
In the past, the event has been consistently sold out, so manager Patenaude advises early reservations. There is no charge for the show. Reservations may be had by calling Le Relais at (450) 242-2232.

Quebec is a four season travel treat for visitors attracted by a deeply-rooted cultural, historic and artistic tapestry unique in North America. Travel with a Challenge editor, Alison Gardner, highlights one of her favorite reasons to stop and stay in La Belle Province, by guiding readers through three of her favorite destinations: Old Montreal, the Eastern Townships and Old Quebec City. Whether low budget-friendly or fit for royalty (and rock stars!), large and small accommodations are today's theme, each one sampled and selected because they have a uniquely historic story to share with guests.
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Country History is Alive and Well

... The village is home to Auberge Knowlton, an excellent place to stay while exploring the area. The Auberge, located at the corner of Lakeside and Knowlton Road, in the heart of the community, advertises that the building has been an inn for 150 years. Present owners, Gabereau and Signy Stephenson have done a great job of sympathetically renovating the heritage structure. It's such a pleasure to stay in a room that has windows that actually open! Their on-site Restaurant-Bistro, Le Relais, specializes in local cuisine. Patrons rarely stop at one basket of warm crusty baguette with creamy Eastern Townships butter and their soups are excellent...
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Quebec's Eastern Townships

"The autumn Brome Lake DuckFest is a great place to meet all the local wine producers and makers of all sorts of liqueurs - there's even one made from maple syrup." ~ North Hatley sommelier, Steven Monfett
Knowlton is one of the best-looking hamlets in the Eastern Townships, a fertile area of lakes, farms, and gentle hills 60 miles southeast of Montreal and adjacent to Vermont. In the town center, 19th century brick buildings trimmed with Victorian gingerbread surround leafy Coldbrook Park, with its millpond and waterfall... The region's best known product is undoubtedly Lake Brome duck, raised in Knowlton and exported around the world. (Knowlton is part of a community called Lac Brome, made up of six villages on Brome Lake.) In fall,usually late September, gartronomes flock to the DuckFest, which celebrates the local large white Peking variety, with orange feet and bill. "It's the most gorgous time to be in the Townships," says Monfett. "The trees are all turning red and gold and yellow and amber. And the people at the festival are so freindly - it's hardly ommercialized. You feel as of you've stepped back to an earlier time."
Stay at: Auberge Knowlton, the oldest continuously operating inn in the Eastern Townships, built as a stagecoach stop in 1849 and renovated in 2000. It has 12 guestrooms (doubles from $85, includes breakfast) and a bistro, Le Relais.
Click below to see Susan Seubert/Traveler Magazine's "Photo of the Day".
Knowlton's Mill Pond

Transferrable skills: Signy Stephenson and Michel Gabereau left impressive careers in business, publishing, and public relations in Toronto to operate the Auberge Knowlton, an 1849 inn and the first such establishment to offer food, beverages, and accommodation in the Eastern Townships. Their professional acumen and business talents are excellent examples of the kind of "transferrable skills" that the marketplace in the 21st century requires. The Inn and its restaurant have been faithfully restored and renovated; this is a place for people to gather. The ambiance is pure Cantons de l'Est especially on the day I arrive when the fall Duck festival is in full swing. (If you order duck in Paris, chances are it came from this area which is considered one of the best duck producing areas in the world.) Signy and Michel introduce me to friends who all seem to be on their way somewhere but en route are passing by or through the inn. The streets are full of visitors, musicians, artisans, and the residents of Knowlton. Knowlton is known for the super friendly dogs in the town's businesses. Actually there is a competition in the spring when clients get to vote for the most accommodating dog. Among other dogs I meet, I would vote for Henry if I could. He likes to mind the till in the shop next door to the Auberge Knowlton.
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Talkin' Travel

…All this food makes us hungry, so we enjoy lunch on the patio of the historic Auberge Knowlton in the village of Knowlton. Built in 1849 and the oldest continuously operating hostel in the Townships, the auberge was restored in 1997 by ex-Torontonians Signy Stephenson, former editor of Style Magazine and Michel Gabereau, a former TV cameraman who had previously opened the Auberge du Joli Vent in 1988. Of course I had to try some of the area's famous Brome Lake duckling, and the smoked duck salad was divine.

... The setting of this Eastern Townships community has a lot to do with its popularity. The approach to Knowlton is along a lake ringed with mountains, and in the heart of the village is a millpond and a waterfall around which are clustered several 19th century brick buildings - landmarks like the Pettes Memorial Library and the United Church, with its striking black-roofed steeple. Knowlton even has an old coaching inn - the Auberge Knowlton, built in 1849 - which anchors Lakeside St, and Knowlton Rd., the main thoroughfares.
Don't duck dinner. Lake Brome duck prepared every which way is the main item on many local menus ... Le Relais also serves warm duck salad, as well as magret de canard (duck breast) and confit du canard - leg of duck, cooked French style, very slowly in the oven. By the time it comes to the table, the meat practically falls off the fork. Dinner on Saturday nights is accompanied by easy-listening music played by local pianist and music teacher John Barr. Call (450) 242-2232.
Check in. The owners of Auberge Knowlton and Le Relais are Winnipeg-born Signy Stephenson, a former fashion-magazine editor, and her husband, Parisian Michel Gabereau, who worked as a sound man for CTV's W5. They moved from Toronto in the late 1980s, to change careers and to raise their young family in a bilingual environment. They became innkeepers and in 1997 bought Auberge Knowlton to save it from the wrecker's ball.
The hostelry had been a Knowlton landmark for a century and a half (it is the oldest hotel in the Townships in continuous operation) but it had become shabby and rundown. Stephenson and Gabereau gutted the place (but kept the framework and exterior walls) and created a dozen bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. The rooms have planked floors, beamed ceilings and antiques. The inn tends to attract a business clientele, so the rooms also have Internet access - though shame on you if you start checking e-mail on a week-end getaway. Room rates are $100, double occupancy with breakfast. Hotel guests also get a 10-per-cent discount of meals at Le Relais.

Auberge Knowlton
The 12-room inn, at the main intersection in Knowlton, has been a local landmark since 1849, when it was a stagecoach stop on the road between Bolton Pass and Gilman's Corner. The current owners gutted the building but retained the historic exterior. The inn attracts a corporate clientele (the rooms have Internet access) as well as vacationers and locals who like coming to the old, familiar hotel to celebrate special occasions. The on-site bistro (Le Relais) ($$-$$$), serves local wines and cheeses and offers a wide range of duck dishes, such as warm duck salad served with gizzards.
Confit de canard is made with the leg of duck, roasted slowly in the oven, then marinated in its own juices for several days before being reheated. The result is tender, tasty meat.

Auberge Knowlton/Le Relais
Doubles from $90. At the Auberge, stay in very pretty rooms in a Victorian hotel. Le Relais, a reputed restaurant on the 1st floor, serves very nice regional and international cuisine. There's a nice terrace. Appetizers go for $3 to $7, dishes for $15 to $22.

Knowlton
This town looks as if a corner of New England has been transported to Quebec ...The village is draped with hundreds of tiny white lights (part of Knowlton's Festival of Lights), which make it look even more festive than usual. The setting, too, is Christmas card pretty. A pond with a millrace through the centre of town and at the top of Lakeside Road is the imposing Auberge Knowlton. Constructed in 1849, as a coaching inn, it is the oldest hotel in continuous operation in the Eastern Townships. (The inn sells gift certificates, and you can pick up a brochure for a self-guided walking tour around town at the restaurant entrance.) ...

Topography, climate and a certain sensibility create a small paradise for the palate in Quebec's Eastern Townships.
Where To Stay: Auberge Knowlton.
Small hotel with 12 rooms for bed-and-breakfast in a lively, historic town.

Blinn's Inn, 286 Knowlton Road, Knowlton * The Eastern Townships *
Belden's Atlas (1881) called Knowlton pleasingly picturesque. The coming of the railway in the 1870s helped this lakeside village, set among hills, to become a resort and cottage area for English speakers. Edward Blinn built his hotel in 1849 when the stagecoach was the principal means of travel. The stagecoach passed right in front of the hotel on its way to the Bolton Pass, Knowlton's Landing, and Magog. In the 1850s, this building became well-known as Kimball's Hotel, and later, as Robinson's Hotel, and others. Today, it operates as Auberge Knowlton, carrying on a 150-year tradition.

The Eastern Townships, just an hour's drive from Montreal, have all the ingredients for a great escape - food to die for, comfy beds and inns for every budget ...
Now I'm hooked on what is a truly four-season destination. In fact, I'm already making plans to go back to cross-country ski, while my husband does his Jean-Claude Killy downhill imitation on the majestic mountains, some more than 1000 metres high. Mind you, we may go back before that because himself wants a rematch with some of the golf courses he played while I was sightseeing and the fall colours are spectacular ...
And oh the little villages. It was hard to chose a favourite, Hatley, North Hatley, Bolton, Magog, Sutton and of course, Knowlton, voted one of the prettiest villages in Canada. Which brings me to the food... and a great burger and fries at Le Relais ... So was the accommodation which ranged from spectacular ... to reasonably priced ...There's a landmark Auberge Knowlton in the village of Knowlton, owned by writer Signy Stephenson and Michel Gabereau, where a pretty room and breakfast costs $ 100 for two. Have fun, we did.

Friends arranged for us to spend the next night at Knowlton. Found on Brome Lake, this appears to be a village particularly cognizant of its Loyalist heritage. Auberge Knowlton is a small hotel rather than a bed and breakfast. The large rooms have antique furnishings and private baths. There's even television, with all the Plattsburgh and Burlington stations for those who want to check in with the home front. Lac Brome is famous for raising duck, so I chose breast of duck for dinner at the Auberge's Le Relais restaurant. One of our companions found his rack of lamb to be excellent. My waitress suggested the homemade chocolate cheesecake. Why not ? I'd biked 25 kilometers, about 15.5 miles.

June began with a flurry of activity at the Auberge Knowlton. Its ground-floor restaurant-bistro, Le Relais, just opened an outdoor patio, on the roof of Bousada's furniture store. This terrasse, which seats 65 and serves three brands of McAuslan beer on tap, overlooks the leafy lawn of the public library. For now, patrons can reach the terrasse via the restaurant, but stairs will soon provide direct access from the parking lot in the back. Upstairs at the Auberge, a new conference room equipped with audio-visual equipment, Internet access and a photocopier, was completed just in time toaccommodate its first business group this week. This 12-room hotel stays busy year round serving corporate clients. Almost 50% of bookings come from the Auberge's Web site, which lets visitors view each room separately and book the room of their choice. Decorated in antiques and antique reproductions by Signy Stephenson, each room has its own individual cachet. Former owners of the Auberge du Joli Vent in Foster, Stephenson and husband Michel Gabereau own the Auberge Knowlton and the building in which it and the restaurant are housed. They are also partners in Le Relais with manager Lynn Patenaude.

"The extensive renovations saved the old building and a piece of Knowlton history."
With the upbeat melodies of "Little Fish" in the background, guests and patrons joined innkeepers Signy Stephenson and Michel Gabereau on Friday, Dec. 3 for a celebratory drink on the 150th anniversary of the Auberge Le Relais (sic)Knowlton. ...
Stephenson and Gabereau set the tone by their greeting guests while decked out in period costumes as the original Inn owners Agatha and Edward Blinn ...
... clever use of subdued lighting, iron fixtures, wood paneling, shaker chairs, pictures of Victorian matrons, curiosities and open hutches has kept the ambiance of the old days alive ... The Gabereaus are only using a portion of the renovated building as a restaurant. They're rented space to "Paddies Boutique" and a realtor and the lower level is now "Bousada", a shop for upscale country furnishings and accessories.
"We haven't finished yet," says Signy Stephenson. "We'll soon start renovations on the upper floor, We'll have guest rooms there as they used to in the old days."

"The inn was the life of the town and we wanted to bring it back to what it should be," Gabereau said.
Visitors to the Auberge Knowlton may have been surprised being greeted by Edward and Agatha Blinn this past Friday, since they had founded the historic inn 150 years ago. As part of the Auberge's sesquicentennial, current owners Michel Gabereau and Signy Stephenson dressed up as the Blinns in the spirit of the occasion
... Stephenson and Gabereau finally bought the building in 1997 and apart of salvaging some of the building's original beams, extensive renovations have been made ... Two boutiques have been added on the first two floors, with plans to add guest rooms on the top two floors. As well, Auberge Knowlton now houses a restaurant bar called "Le Relais" which is under the helm of (manager) Lynn Patenaude ...

"Le Relais is one of those rare restaurants that is a triple treat: It has good food, good atmosphere and a good location."
Run by a triumverate with years of experience in the service industry owners Signy Stephenson and Michel Gabereau, and manager Lynn Patenaude "le Relais" is a charming, country-style eatery distinguished by large windows along virtually three-quarters of the dining room.It is a large space tastefully divided into sections by old-fashioned cabinets and panes of stained glass; paintings decorate the walls and wicker baskets hang from the ceiling.
As patrons are seated in French-Canadian high-back chairs, they are given a menu that is the height of comfort food ... A nice touch is a wine list featuring local creations, sold by the bottle or the glass ... regular bottled wines are sold at their SAQ price plus $9.
We are told that Warm Brome Lake Duck Salad is a chef specialty, and so begins our meal. A very generous portion, sufficient for two, soon arrives. It is a succulent dish a perfect starter ! The Trout Amandine was a very well-prepared dish of grilled trout seasoned with lemon, butter and white wine, sprinkled with parsley. Simple, unadorned and delicious. The Veal Forestière was a devine dish of tender, thin grilled veal scallops covered in a pepper sauce and topped with plenty of muchrooms… … The desserts included in the table d'hôte commanded their rightful place on the evening's menu… … The two table d'hôtes … with the addition of the duck salad – not including wine or tip – cost $60.
As ‘Old Man Winter' finally rules the Townships, the 150-year-old building "Le Relais" provides a perfect escape for some old-fashioned country comfort.