5/26/2026

We landed in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, for the rather unromantic reason that it sat almost exactly six hours from our last stop — our self-imposed daily driving limit. What an unexpected gift that decision turned out to be. Using Chase points, we treated ourselves to a free night at a luxury hotel and spent the time wandering this charming, vibrant city.

Nestled at the confluence of the Magog and Saint-François rivers, Sherbrooke began as a Loyalist settlement in the late 1700s before growing into a thriving textile and manufacturing center during the 19th century. Today, thanks to its French- and English-language universities, the city feels youthful, creative, and full of energy.

Our main adventure was exploring the Murales de Sherbrooke, an extraordinary project that transformed downtown into a sprawling open-air art gallery. These were far more than random street murals — each one reflects something about the city’s history, culture, and identity.

Most of the murals are painted in the trompe-l’oeil style — literally “fool the eye” illusion art — where windows, balconies, staircases, and even people appear startlingly real. More than once, we found ourselves convinced that parts of the paintings were actual architectural details. At one point, we walked right up to a wall and ran our hands along it just to convince ourselves it was truly flat!

The mural project began around Sherbrooke’s bicentennial in 2002 and later expanded, not only to beautify downtown but also to reconnect residents with local history and breathe new life into neglected spaces.

There are roughly twenty major murals scattered throughout the city. We downloaded an excellent app that guided us from one mural to the next while explaining both the artwork and the surrounding neighborhood. It turned out to be a wonderful way to finish our 10,000 steps in while discovering Sherbrooke’s history through its art.

Our ambitious goal was to see all twenty murals, but toward the end we lost steam — and, briefly, our sense of direction — after wandering slightly off course. Still, we managed to experience most of them and loved every minute. It was a perfect way to spend our lone night in town.