Découvrir Sutton
Heritage Tours
Audio guided tours: FREE!
Audio guided tours: FREE!
© Lynda Graham, Richard Leclerc and Heritage Sutton
Now you can discover Sutton with our first self-guided audio heritage tours for tablets and smartphones.
Meander along Sutton’s back roads. Admire the scenery that charmed the early settlers of the Eastern Townships. Listen to music and sounds created especially for these circuit. Each of our self-guided heritage tours is a rendezvous with the history of Sutton. Hear voices from the past including a brothel madam, First World War soldiers and founders of the village, all brought to life by expert storytellers.
By car or on a hybrid bike, this is a great way to discover one of the distinctive features of our region: the ancient hamlets that shaped Sutton as we know it today ... North Sutton, Westover Mill, Sutton Junction, Draper Hill, West Sutton, Glen Sutton, The route also highlights the local religious heritage and includes visits to cemeteries and churches… on the trail of the pioneers. There are also places where you can pause to continue your exploration on foot.
If you love history and culture, these tours are for you!
Circuit 1 - On the trail of the pioneers: tales of Sutton
Circuit 1 : 15 km - 2 h 30 min
On this route, give your imagination free rein as you listen to the soundscape and the historical tales. Enter the life of a preacher, a pioneer or a soldier of the Second World War who paid the full price. Note the diversity of religious currents that have left behind so many cemeteries and churches. Let yourself be seduced, like the original colonists were, by the charm of our breathtaking natural landscape.
Circuit 2 - Life in the hamlets: tales of Sutton
Circuit 2 : 23 km - 2 h 45 min
Georges C. Dyer, an eminent 19th century figure in Sutton, is your guide along the pretty country lanes and hamlets that form Sutton. Share the harsh life experienced by first the English-speaking pioneers of the canton, and then their French Canadians counterparts as together they carved out a hardscrabble existence in these hills. Their hopes and exploits made it possible to clear and develop this vast territory, allowing the rise of trade and manufacturing industries. You will even learn the role played by the future Saint Brother André in Sutton!
Circuit 3 - If these roads could speak : tales of Sutton
Circuit 3 : 44 km - 3 h 30 min
If they could speak, our predecessors would tell you about the sometimes hair-raising life of people near the border during the prohibition era, and the lively events that occurred during tourist boom in the early 20th century. The narrative of this circuit is more like a radio drama offering insight into the historical intrigues of the time along with sound effects. The narrator also tells the first-person story of Pearl Porter, an orphan sent to make her way in Glen Sutton, a thrilling tale cobbled together from first-hand accounts of elders in the community.
For more information about the making of this circuit visit our Facebook page. (Some clips in English or with subtitles)
Several partners worked with the Town of Sutton on these tours. In particular Heritage Sutton did the historical research, the Maison des arts et de la parole created and interpreted the storytelling, Audiotopie took care of the music, sound effects, recording and editing of the audioguides and Andrée Pelletier did the script writing of the 3rd tour.
Traditional tours
© Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), Richard Leclerc and Heritage Sutton
Three fascinating heritage tours were created in 2001, all starting in Sutton, allowing you to discover a little of the rich history of the Eastern Townships and its architecture. At each stop there is an information panel illustrated with photos from our archives. You can pick up a combined guide and map at the Sutton Tourist Information Office.
Circuit 4 - Sutton Village Heritage Circuit
Walking tour in Sutton: 4 km | 1:15 | 16 stages | Sutton
For this tour, guided by the bilingual leaflet distributed at the Tourist Reception Office, go along Principale, Maple, Pleasant and Academy streets to discover the origin and construction features of the buildings that are part of Sutton's heritage wealth: notables, churches, convent or town hall. Signs with archival photos and architectural descriptions punctuate these stops.
Note that Pleasant Street and Academy Street each have additional signage that highlights their historical importance in the village core. The architectural diversity of the houses and the anecdotes recounted on the new signage will surely pique your curiosity.
Circuit 5 - Sutton Rural Heritage Circuit
Tour in Sutton and Abercorn - 33 km, 10 stages. Ideal for by car or hybrid biker.
This rural circuit travels paths that offer several heart-stopping views of the surrounding mountains. The panels tell the story of the houses that make up the region’s architectural heritage. The original owners were also the builders of local economic development.
Circuit 6 - Heritage Tour of Churches And Cemeteries
Our churches and cemeteries are precious witnesses to the importance and diversity of the religious doctrines implanted in the region as the settlers arrived: Anglican, Methodist, Adventist, Baptist, Catholic ... faith supported their work and brought the communities together. The circuit, split into two parts, visits 6 churches and 16 cemeteries, communal or family, all of which have their own history.
The entire tour, consisting of 2 loops, takes you through some of the most picturesque countryside we have to offer.
- Loop 1: Starts in Sutton and takes in Sutton Junction, Brome, West Brome and North Sutton.
About 45 kilometers. - Loop 2: From Sutton and goes south through Abercorn and Glen Sutton.
Approximately 54 kilometers.
Circuit 7 - The Blue Muse Fun Tour
Explore or rediscover the village of Sutton on a walking tour that takes you through art and time, from past to present. Feel free to stop along the way at shops, parks and art galleries to take a closer look or listen to memories of previous generations and the stories of local artists. As you walk along, you will become more familiar with Sutton’s cultural, artistic, architectural and natural heritage.
For this two-hour tour through the village, just follow the blue line on the ground and on the interactive map found on the app Ondago. Whether you’re doing the tour as part of your daily walk or as a visitor to Sutton, stop anywhere you wish or when something catches your interest.
The tour is a 4,3 to 5,3 km walk and it starts at the Sutton Tourist Office and ends at the Sutton School of Art. And for more family fun, follow the blue line while completing the outdoor discovery rally.
Historical Treasures Hunt Tour
Circuit 2 - Life in the hamlets
Circuit 2 - Life in the hamlets
Information