New Brunswick or Charlevoix?
 

Am in the planning stages of a 9 day trip, driving from New Jersey(very close to NYC).Which of these two destinations would be an easier trip?
We are travelling with our daughters, ages8 and 18. The 18 year old is fluent in French.
We enjoy good food, outdoor activities, wildlife viewing...18 year old is an avid horseback rider.
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Charlevoix without a doubt. Let me know what towns you're considering and I'll be more than happy to give some reccomendations.

Ross :-)

Both destinations would be great, but each one is different. What kind of outdoor activities do you plan on doing with your two children?

New Brunswick is ideal if you want to go to the beach. There's lots of wildlife viewing as well and other activities. However, the food compared to Charlevoix isn't as good. You can get fresh seafood, but in general, Charlevoix's food is better.

On the other hand, Charlevoix has stunning scenery, the Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie, one of Quebec's most beautiful provincial parks. You'll definitely see wildlife and eat good food.

Your daughter can use her French in both places, although in New Brunswick, she can only use it on the Acadian coast and in Moncton, and the Acadian accent is somewhat different from the Quebec accent.

Thanks everyone!...We were leaning toward Charlevoix..you've validated our choice.

Haven't decided on any town/s yet. Any recommendations?

Also, any "shortcuts" to the drive? Is it necessary to head up the Thruway to Montreal, then east past Quebec City?
Thanks! Lori

There are alternate routes than through Montreal, but I don't know whether they're actually shorter.

You could head up the I-91 into New Hampshire and cross over just south of Sherbrooke (becomes Autoroute 55 Nord). From there, you could continue on the 55 until you cross the St. Lawrence River to the city of Trois-Rivières (you'll be going over a high bridge), then take the 40 Est toward Quebec City.

Or, instead of continuing on the 55 Nord, you could get on the 20 Est around Drummondville and head up to Lévis that way, then cross the St. Lawrence at Quebec City and continue to Charlevoix.

In my opinion, the former is a more scenic route.

My vote is for NB...but what kind of french is your daughter speak anyway? If it is Parisian french...it is going to be different than both Quebec and New Brunswick...NB french does tend to be a bit of a mix of English...French is spoken in our provence on the North Shore from Shediac all the way up to Campbellton, and around the top of the provence all around to Grand Falls...so quite a large area...

We have an absolutly amazing provence and I think you should consider it over Quebec...check out www.nbtourism.com