Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We've compiled the best of the best in The Acadian Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
This two-week celebration of Acadian culture is held in Caraquet during the first two weeks of August. In the Tintamarre, costumed participants parade noisily through the streets; the Blessing of the Fleet, a colorful and moving ceremony that's usually held on the first Sunday of the festival, eloquently expresses the importance of fishing to the Acadian economy and way of life. Alongside these events is a schedule of concerts, theater, storytelling, poetry, and visual arts.
This incredible "enchanted journey" through the forest takes you on an immersive journey through the history of the Acadians using light, sound, poetry, video projection, and music. Designed by Montreal-based Moment Factory, whose impactful installations can be seen across Canada and beyond, this experience truly transports you, offering an amazing introduction to this vibrant culture and its tumultuous and often tragic story.
The word Kouchibouguac (Kou-she-boo-gwack) means "river of the long tides" in the Mi'kmaq language, and this natural wilderness park consists of sandy beaches, dunes, bogs, salt marshes, lagoons, and freshwater, and is home to an abundance of birds. It is also a Dark Sky Preserve, so when the bird-watching is over for the day, stargazing can take over. The visitor center (open mid-May–mid-October) features information and interpretive exhibits. Kellys Beach is supervised and has facilities. There are more than 60 km (37 miles) of trails for biking and hiking in summer and for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snow walking, and kick sledding in winter. The forests and peat bogs can be explored along 10 nature trails, each of which has a parking lot. There are lots of nature-interpretation programs, and you can canoe, kayak, and picnic or rent bikes and boats. In summer there are Voyageur Canoe trips, paddling to a seal colony while your interpreter recounts tales of Mi'kmaq and Acadian culture. Other programs include storytelling, Mi'kmaq dances, and outdoor theater. Reserve ahead for one of the 311 campsites.
The warmest salt water in Canada and a 3-km (2-mile) stretch of glistening sand has earned Parlee Beach the title of the best beach in Canada by several surveys, and it has a Blue Flag international eco-certification. It is a popular vacation spot for families, with a campground, and plays host to beach-volleyball and touch-football tournaments; an annual sand-sculpture contest and a triathlon are among a schedule of summer events. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee 9 am–5 pm); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; swimming; walking.
