Granby Zoo

The Granby Zoo is the main reason most Quebeckers have heard of Granby. It is one of Canada's largest zoos, with more than 1,500 animals in natural-habitat enclosures spread across forested grounds on the edge of town. African savannah animals, large cats, primates, reptiles, birds of prey, and an aquatic section — there is enough here to fill a full day without rushing.

The zoo also operates a water park on the same grounds (included in the main ticket or available separately), which gets extremely busy in July and August. Families with young children tend to mix zoo and water park on the same visit; serious animal-watchers might prefer to come before the summer holidays.

The zoo has an active conservation and research program and has been involved in breeding programs for several threatened species. Admission is not cheap by Quebec standards, but the grounds are extensive and the quality of exhibits is high. Buy tickets online to avoid queues at the entrance.

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The Granby Zoo opened in 1953, founded by a local mayor named Horace Boivin who wanted to give the city a tourist attraction to rival the competition from larger Quebec cities. He personally imported the first animals. The zoo now has over 1,500 animals in natural-habitat enclosures — a long way from the concrete cages of its early years, though Boivin's entrepreneurial spirit is still visible in the attached water park, which opened in the 1980s and has become as big a draw as the animals themselves.