Visiting the Acadian Peninsula during the Acadian Festival

Earlier this year, I received an invitation to visit two regions of New Brunswick: South Eastern New Brunswick and the Acadian Peninsula with Expérience Acadie, the organization in charge of promoting everything that has relationship to the Acadian heritage in Canada.

I first visited South Eastern New Brunswick before going to the Acadian Peninsula to finally take part in the Grand Tintamarre at the Acadian Festival in Caraquet.

Here are the addresses and activities that attracted my attention the most during my stay in the Acadian Peninsula.

La Péninsule acadienne du Nouveau-Brunswick — Travel — Jeff On The Road

Caraquet — La Péninsule acadienne du Nouveau-Brunswick — Travel — Jeff On The Road

Brasseux d’la Côte à Tracadie-Sheila

The first stop of my trip in the Acadian Peninsula was at Brasseux de la Côte in Tracadie-Sheila. It is one of the largest microbreweries in New Brunswick and I had the chance to taste all their beers. My favorite was definitely Moscou-Miscou, a delicious Russian Imperial Stout.

Microbrasserie Brasseux d'la côte — La Péninsule acadienne du Nouveau-Brunswick — Travel — Jeff On The Road — Microbrasserie Brasseux d’la côte — La Péninsule acadienne du Nouveau-Brunswick — Travel — Jeff On The Road

Village historique acadien à Bertrand

As a huge history aficionado, I was greatly served at the Village historique acadien. The village offers a tour that highlights Acadian history from the 1770s to 1949. I was rather surprised to see my family name (Frenette) at the entrance of the village among all other Acadian surnames. Interesting fact: you can even sleep in the Village to live a little like at the time at the Hôtel Château Albert. One of my favorite parts of my visit was to sample traditional Acadian cuisine directly on site.

Village historique acadien — La Péninsule acadienne du Nouveau-Brunswick — Travel — Jeff On The Road

Miscou Island Lighthouse à Miscou

If you want to live the ultimate relaxation and total calm, go to Miscou Island, located about 1 hour drive from Caraquet. My suggestion: go for the sunrise or the sunset to have a magnificent show of light and soft colors.

La terrasse à Steve à Miscou

I did not have the chance to try La terrasse à Steve, but it’s considered one of the most popular dining establishments in the area. If you want to eat fresh seafood with your feet in the sand, it’s the place! Expect a lot of waiting during high season.

Photo credit Facebook Terrasse à Steve

Dixie Lee Caraquet

If you’ve ever been to Gaspésie or New Brunswick, the Dixie Lee banner probably tells you something. All Dixie Lee restaurants serve fried chicken and seafood, but Dixie Lee from Caraquet stands out from the rest with a spectacular dessert offering. I was strongly recommended to go see for myself and I found that Dixie Lee was in a class of its own with its beautiful dining room and delicious dessert bar.

La Brôkerie à Caraquet

La Brôkerie is a bar and café located at the Carrefour de la Mer, near the marina of Caraquet. The place becomes very festive at the end of the day and you may even have the opportunity to enjoy live music

Grains de Folie à Caraquet et La Vieille Brûlerie à Caraquet

In these two establishments located in the center of Caraquet, you will find everything you want for breakfast: coffee, eggs, pancakes, you name it!

Origines Cuisine Maritime à Caraquet

While visiting the Acadian Peninsula, I had no idea what to expect in terms of gastronomic offer. When I went to Origines Cuisine Maritime, I still did not know what to expect but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. If you’re a foodie like me, you’ll love it for sure! A tasting menu is offered with an optional wine pairing and you can also choose à la carte. Chef and owner Benjamin Cormier definitely knows what’s up in terms of food!

To make your mouth water, here is the tasting menu that I had the chance to taste during my visit:

Origines Cuisine Maritime Chef Benjamin Cormier — La Péninsule acadienne du Nouveau-Brunswick — Travel — Jeff On The Road — https://www.originescuisinemaritime.com

Le Grand Tintamarre du Festival acadien de Caraquet

As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, one of the reasons for my coming to the Acadian Peninsula in mid-August was to experience the excitement of the Grand Tintamarre, which is the highlight of the Acadian Festival of Caraquet. Everyone was dressed to the nines in their best Acadian acoutrement and wore the Acadian colors: blue, white, red and a touch of yellow. It was very beautiful to see in action, especially when people started making noise around 6pm. It was definitely impressive to see such a proud and united group of people.