For most Canada-bound
visitors, the country’s rich French culture – the result of a colonial movement
that began in the 1600s – is well known. But while many New France pioneers
settled in what later became the province of Quebec, where more than six million
Francophones live today, others called the adjoining east coast region, now
known as the Maritimes, home.
Centred on the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
and Prince Edward Island, this distinct colony of hardworking,
independent-minded farmers and fishermen – delighted to have new lives far from
the feudal subjugations of old France – called their adopted land Acadia. The
name was derived from the Greek name Arcadia and was first used to label the
eastern coastline of North America by 16th-century Italian explorer Giovanni da
But when Britain won
control of the region in 1713 after decades of war with France, the Catholic locals
quietly resisted Britain’s attempts to impose Protestantism and the English
In 1755, the Brits
responded by launching what became known as “the Expulsion”. As many as 18,000
Acadians were violently removed from their homes, crammed into cargo ships and
sent south to British American colonies including Virginia and Pennsylvania.
More than half are estimated to have died en route.
But in recent years,
the Acadian culture has been rediscovered, and the area is still home to Canada’s
second-largest French community after Quebec. Started in 1994 and staged every
five years, the World Acadian Congress sees
an estimated 50,000 attendees partaking in parades, live music, culinary events
and reunions where Acadians trace their families back through the generations.
Along with Quebec, New Brunswick will host the upcoming congress from 8 to 24
A road trip through time
Of course, if you do
not want to wait for a taste of Acadia’s dark and fascinating culture, take in
at least part of New Brunswick’s Acadian
Coastal Drive. More than 400km long, the easily navigated ocean route that
reaches from the town of Dalhousie to Port Elgin includes several worthwhile
stops, including the Acadian Historic Village.
Opened in 1977 near the
New Brunswick coastal community of Caraquet, one of North America’s oldest
Acadian towns, the historic village is like a tasteful theme park: dozens of
wooden buildings dot the bucolic farmland, while costumed interpreters (from
grubby urchins to hoity school mistresses) stroll around, bringing the past to
There are period
recreations, from blacksmithing to bread making, and visitors weave between
houses meeting the people that “live” in them. Alongside authentic dance and
music performances – including plenty of fiddle music and fast-moving step dancing
– Acadian food also takes centre stage. Quebec is known for its poutine (fries topped with gravy and
cheese curds) but the hearty Acadian version, poutine râpée, is markedly different: a boiled potato dumpling
enclosing a cooked pork filling; the perfect fuel for farm workers.
Passing red cliffs
dotted with squat wooden lighthouses and bright-painted heritage homes flying
red-white-and-blue Acadian flags (the French flag with a yellow star in the top
left corner), the route’s northern stretch also includes the small, artefact-packed
Acadian Museum in Caraquet, which
illuminates the lives of the early settlers with historic exhibits ranging from
farm tools to lobster traps.
If you time your visit
for Caraquet’s two-week Festival
Acadien each August – this year from the 1st to the 15th – you will also see how lively the culture still
is. With concerts of local fiddle bands, French Canadian acts from Quebec,
fireworks displays and a French-language Acadian poetry contest, the shindig
attracts thousands every year.
Back on the road, grab
a fresh crab lunch at one of several welcoming seafood cafes in the fishing
town of Shippagan – a 32km drive southeast of Caraquet – before nipping into
the town’s New Brunswick Aquarium and
Marine Centre. The family-friendly attraction illuminates Atlantic Canada’s
fishing history and also has plenty of live marine critters, from harbour seals
to a celebrated blue lobster or two. The azure-hued crustaceans, found only on
North America’s Atlantic coast, are genetic mutations sometimes caught by local
Heading south from
Shippagan, the raw oceanfront scenery of meadow-topped cliffs and hidden sandy
bays calls like a siren song. Tranquil Kouchibouguac
National Park, around 200km away, is the perfect way to see the region as
early Acadians would have. Fringed by the sea and streaked with tidal rivers, it
is studded with beaches, birdlife and breathtaking sand dunes. There is also
some easy hiking – go for the 1.9km Bog Trail’s boardwalk route, a one-way
nature walk that includes a viewing tower vista of grass-fringed Kelly’s Bog.
By the time your reach the town of Shediac, 95km south,
you will likely have worked up an appetite. A popular summertime destination –
not just during July’s Lobster
Festival (10 to 14 July 2013) – visitors often come for lobster-tasting
boat trips. Shediac Bay Cruises will
take you out on the water, pull pots onto the boat and show you how to crack and
eat the finished product like a local.
Off the map
From here, many veer from the official route and take
a 25km detour to Moncton. One of New Brunswick’s biggest cities, it is an ideal
place to grab an end-of-day beer. Like a hard-working Acadian who has been in
the field all day, pick a pint at downtown’s Pump House brewpub, where the malty Fire
Chief Red Ale and a seat on the sun-licked side street patio is recommended.
But Moncton should not be the end of your Acadian
exploration. Just more than 22km southeast of the city, the town of Memramcook’s
Monument Lefebvre is one of Canada’s most important Acadian
sites. Symbolising the culture’s 19th-century renaissance – Acadians began returning
to the region in the late 1800s – the
handsome red sandstone college building became Atlantic Canada’s first
French-language degree-granting institution in 1864.
Now an Acadian cultural centre, the interactive exhibits
explore the long story of the region’s Acadian people. There is also an
excellent bookstore; look out for tomes on Acadian cooking. The recipes –
including such exotic fare as roast porcupine and goose tongue – show how the
early French colonists adapted to their surroundings, making use of the all the
ingredients they could find as they built their new lives in the New World.