The Cantons de l’Est, also known as the Eastern Townships, is a region of rolling hills and flat countryside peppered with apple orchards, vineyards and lakes. Bordering Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, the region was settled in the late 1780s by United Empire Loyalists fleeing the United States after the American Revolution. With the area’s multitude of covered bridges, Victorian-era towns and tidy Protestant churches, New Englanders will feel right at home here. Activities include hiking, canoeing, golfing and boating in summer and cross-country skiing and ice fishing in winter.