Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-de-Pointe-Navarre
In a peaceful setting several kilometres (miles) outside the town centre, Our Lady of Pointe-Navarre has been a place of retreat and pilgrimage for the local Catholic community since its founding in 1940 by Father Jean-Marie Watier. The complex consists of a spacious church building that's replete with breathtaking works of religious art and hosts novena recitals, personal visitations, and a Tuesday evening Mass every week at 7PM; the smaller Chapel of Remembrance, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for private prayer and meditation at the site of Father Watier's tomb; and a verdant hillside hermitage out back whose pleasant paths and grottoes offer a peaceful setting for spiritual reflection (not to mention spectacular views over Gaspé Bay). Website in French only.
Church open daily 8AM-7PM; gift shop Mon-Sat 9AM-4:30P & Sun 1PM-4PM
Site d'interprétation micmac de Gespeg
The Gespeg Mi'kmaq Interpretive Site's goal is to expose visitors to the culture of the Mi'kmaq people, who inhabited the Gaspé Peninsula and adjacent lands for centuries before the arrival of Europeans, as well as chronicling more recent chapters of local First Nations history since the 17th century. Volunteers are on hand to lead folks on guided tours through a reconstructed village, interpretive exhibits and artifacts detail Mi'kmaq history, cosmology, and everyday life, and there's even a display of medicinal herbs and plants used in traditional Mi'kmaq culture. As well, in the gift shop you'll find a range of authentic handicrafts produced by local artisans.
Daily 9AM-5PM, mid-Jun through mid-Oct·$11, seniors (65+) $9.50, children 7-15 and students with ID $8.50, children 6 and under free, $32 for families of two adults and two children
Situated on the main drag just north of the Gaspé Regional Museum, this retro-style snack bar offers pleasant summery fare — think poutine platters, soft-serve ice cream, hamburgers, and even pizza — in a picturesque setting overlooking Gaspé Bay. Lines can be long on summer weekends and prices are a little high compared to the competition, but the combo "trios" offer a chance to economize. Website in French only.
Sun-Wed 11AM-8PM, Thu-Sat 11AM-9PM, Mar-Sep·$10-20
En mémoire d'Elle
Located on the grounds of the Gaspé Regional Museum, this concrete statue — the work of Percé native Renée-Mao Clavet — was dedicated in 2013 in honour of the contribution of women to Quebecois history and society. 5 metres (16 feet) in height, the sculpture depicts a pregnant woman in a flowing skirt, with a face designed in an ambiguous way so as to be representative of Francophone, Anglophone, and First Nations women alike. The book and the satchel of traditional medicinal herbs that the figure carries symbolize women's contributions to the fields of education and medicine.