Centre socioculturel Manoir Le Boutillier
This National Historic Site of Canada was once the cozy timber-framed house of John Le Boutillier, a shipbuilding magnate and local politico who, in his day, was one of the most prominent citizens in the hamlet of L'Anse-au-Griffon. Nowadays, tour guides in period costume lead you through the main house, servants' quarters, and vast grounds — all restored to the way they looked in the 1850s — furnishing a glimpse at upper-class life in 19th-century Gaspé. There's a gift shop that sells locally-made clothes, accessories, and handicrafts, or cap off your visit with a stop in the attached tea room and pastry shop. Website in French only.
Daily 9AM-5PM, mid-Jun through mid-Oct·$8; seniors and students with ID $6, children under 11 free, $18 for families of two adults and two children
Centre culturel Le Griffon
Once a cold storage warehouse where local fishermen stored their catches, this handsome old clapboard building overlooking L'Anse-au-Griffon's harbour is nowadays a multipurpose space — there's a breezy seaside café where local seafood is on the menu, a boutique where Gaspesian artisans sell handmade souvenirs, and above all, the Claude Côté Gallery and Workshop (Atelier-Galerie Claude Côté), where the eponymous artist in residence displays his watercolours during the tourist season. Côté has said of his work "I am inspired by my immediate environment, where 'intellectualism' is forgotten and gives way to the poetry of everyday life, the beautiful freedom of simple things", and that's as apt a way as any to describe the stark beauty of his landscapes and nature scenes. Website in French only.
Mon & Wed-Fri 11AM-9PM, Sat Sun 8AM-9PM, late Jun through late Oct; by appointment other times
Phare de Cap-des-Rosiers
The tallest lighthouse in Canada at a height of 34.1 metres (112 feet), Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse has been warning traffic on the St. Lawrence away from the rocky headland on which it stands since 1858 — using the original optical apparatus, no less. Now fully restored and automated, it was named a National Historic Site of Canada in 1973.
Site open daily 8AM-6PM, late Jun through early Sept; guided tours every half hour 9AM-5PM·Admission only: $3, children 6 and under free. With guided tour: $10, children 7-17 $7, children under 6 free; families $25 for 2 adults and 1 child, $30 for 2 adults and 2 children, $3 per additional child
They say good things come in small packages, and that's certainly the case with this casse-croûte in Rivière-au-Renard — Croque-Faim may be small in size, but it's certainly not short on friendly, lightning-fast service or unequivocally delicious, scratch-made comfort food. Nosh on hamburgers, fries, pizza, club sandwiches, and — most popular of all — 17 different varieties of poutine in the dining room or, on pleasant summer days, outdoors on picnic tables. Website in French only.
Mon-Wed 5AM-9PM, Thu-Fri 5AM-10PM, Sat 6AM-10PM, Sun 7AM-8PM·$10-25