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City in Quebec, Canada
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Birthplace of traditional folk singer Mary "La Bolduc" Travers and championship hockey goaltender Mathieu Garon, Chandler is one of the largest towns in the Gaspé Peninsula, a deepwater seaport and industrial centre situated near the mouth of Chaleur Bay. Although it doesn't have a wealth of tourist attractions to offer visitors, Chandler prides itself on its status as a village-rélais — a Québécois term for a small village or town that boasts a disproportionate wealth of accommodations, shopping and dining options, and other services for highway travellers.
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Galerie d'art Linda-Molloy
A self-taught watercolourist whose lovely landscapes and happy scenes of life on the shore of Chaleur Bay are painted in a bright yet not garish palette, Chandler native Linda Molloy operates a cozy, yet bright and airy, gallery in an unassuming two-story house on a quiet side street in Pabos Mills.
Site Mary Travers dite: « La Bolduc »
Located on the wave-lapped shore of Chaleur Bay in Newport, a 15-minute drive from downtown Chandler, is this museum dedicated to the Cinderella story of local native Mary Travers, an ordinary working-class housewife who became, in the 1920s and 1930s, one of the most famous and innovative voices in chanson, or Québécois folk music. The museum's permanent collection includes artifacts, historic photos, recorded music, and other items that tell the story of the "Queen of Canadian Folk Singers", and temporary exhibits and special events are frequently featured as well. You can also catch spirited musical performances over tea in the cozy little onsite performance space, with modern-day chansonniers singing the songs of La Bolduc and her contemporaries.
Site archéologique de Pabos
Located in Pabos Mills at the east end of Pabos Borough Park (Parc du bourg de Pabos), this site encompasses the former grounds of the manor of Jean-François Lefebvre de Bellefeuille, the seigneur (feudal lord) of Pabos from 1729 until 1758. There's a marked trail with bilingual interpretive plaques that leads visitors around the former townsite and past the remains of the chapel, an old mill, some fishing shacks, and the town cemetery. At the interpretive centre, artifacts of both European and Indigenous provenance are displayed, and plenty of exhibits are on hand for those interested in the history of Pabos as an 18th-century fishing village.
Foire country de Pabos
As the hometown of La Bolduc, Chandler is much better known as an epicentre of chanson than of country music. However, that doesn't stop folks from all over the region coming to the Pabos Recreation Park (Parc récréatif de Pabos) for four nights of country line dancing and rollicking musical performances by local bards — including, in its 2014 iteration, a Shania Twain tribute show par excellence. But music is only one facet of the experience at the Pabos Country Fair: this is a full-scale country hoedown, with a horse show, target-shooting demonstrations, thrilling horse races, food and drink, and, on opening day, a grand parade through the streets of Pabos with inflatable floats.
Carnaval de Pabos
Every year in early February, locals brave the winter cold at the Pabos Recreation Centre (Centre des loisirs de Pabos) for a weekend-long winter carnival that's fun for the whole family. By day, revelers can enjoy snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on the complex's manicured trails, as well as ice skating and tobogganing; in the evenings the festivities move indoors for a set of rousing musical performances.
Club de golf de Chandler
Founded in 1950, the Chandler Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-72 course that's suitable for all skill levels, sandwiched between buzzing downtown Chandler and the wide Chaleur Bay with stunning seaside views that do double duty as a formidable water trap on some of the holes. Uniquely, each hole also boasts an interpretive panel that covers some aspect of Chandler's identity: from historical factoids to local lore to ideas for places to visit around town. Club and cart rental are also available, and courses for beginners are offered by licensed golf instructor David Huard. Website in French only..
One of Chandler's nicest restaurants, La Chaloupe sur Mer's menu boasts an amazingly diverse selection of items including the seafood specialties ubiquitous to the area, some killer chicken kebabs, pizza, and from Thursday through Saturday, a range of Canadian-Chinese mains. There's also a prix fixe menu that is good value, comprised of soup of the day, your choice of appetizer, and a seafood entree. Try to get a table by the front windows: the view over Chaleur Bay from the dining room is unparalleled. Service can sometimes be slow and inattentive. Free WiFi is offered.
Located right downtown across from the Chandler Golf Club, Le Chialeux's menu is dominated by a huge selection of pastas: you start with spaghetti, farfalle, or penne, or homemade fettuccine, linguine, tortellini, or ravioli, then you choose from a vast selection of specialty sauces to top it with (many of these are quite creative and luxurious, incorporating locally-sourced seafood as ingredients). Seafood is also the star of the show in the appetizer selections, whether it be crab rolls, smoked salmon, or a great seafood chowder. Panini sandwiches are served for the lunchtime crowd, and daily specials are offered. Bring your own wine.
It doesn't get any better than this: at La Grave, you can relax on a breezy terrace overlooking the beach at Pabos Bank and enjoy fish chowder and other seafood specialties for lunch or dinner — or, in the morning, a wide range of breakfast platters (try the scrambled eggs with lobster). If seafood is not your thing, hot dogs, hamburgers, poutine, and other summery fare is also available. There's a large, airy dining room as well.
This humble but pleasant little place in Pabos Mills serves pizza, seafood, and other homestyle specialties in a friendly atmosphere. Delivery is also available.
Located at the Motel Chandler a stone's throw away from the Place du Havre shopping centre, Ô P'tit Café boasts an elegant yet cozy and relaxed ambience in which is served upscale dinners of chicken, pasta, meats, pizza, and — of course — the seafood that lies at the heart of Gaspesian cuisine, with a fresh-from-the-docks flavour you'll find in few other regions. Interestingly, the menu also contains a few Greek specialties, as well as a daily three-course prix fixe meal that's a good value for the money. The lunch menu is modest in size and consists of salads, sandwiches and burgers. There's also an extensive beer and wine list featuring craft beers from Pit Caribou, brewed just down the road in L'Anse-à-Beaufils.
You wouldn't expect the most refined fine-dining experience in Chandler from a motel restaurant, and certainly not at prices as affordable as these. But that's exactly what you get at the Motel Fraser's Le Sieur de Pabos. What the menu lacks in size, it makes up for in diversity and quality — going far beyond the seafood that's the stock in trade of restaurants around these parts, the ever-changing menu at Le Sieur de Pabos is crowned by a table d'hôte that features a diversity of delicious meals crafted from locally-sourced ingredients. There's also a range of à la carte options that run the gamut from steaks and chops to chicken to pasta (and yes, seafood lovers are well taken care of here too). Seasonal selections abound, and no matter what you order, you can be assured that everything is prepared artfully, in a way that balances time-tested tradition with creative innovation. Best of all, Le Sieur de Pabos' chefs are happy to cook dishes to order and to accommodate those with food allergies, special diets, and the like. The ambience features dim lighting and a contemporary, arguably Asian-inspired decor centred on a lovely glass-wall waterfall.
Situated close to the Place du Havre shopping centre yet boasting a full slate of amenities, Motel Chandler is equally suitable for business travellers and tourists. Rooms contain either one king or two queen beds, as well as air conditioning, iron and ironing board, coffeemaker, refrigerator, and a flat-screen TV with cable. Soundproof rooms, local newspaper delivery, and up to one extra bed per room (subject to a $10 upcharge) are also available on request. Relax on the sundeck in the summer, in the sauna or hot tub in cooler weather, and year-round at the lovely onsite restaurant where locally-brewed Pit Caribou craft beer is on tap. Free WiFi is available.
The Fraser is the smaller and less expensive of Chandler's two motels, but don't let that fool you: this place has its own charms, from the comfy rooms newly renovated with a modern decor and eco-friendly materials such as cork flooring and hypoallergenic Milano bedding, to Le Sieur de Pabos, Chandler's most upscale restaurant with a breezy terrace bar looking out over the outdoor pool (open seasonally), to special packages for snowmobilers and ATV enthusiasts during the autumn and winter months. All 31 of the Motel Fraser's rooms contain a fridge, coffeemaker, and flat-screen TV with cable, and WiFi is free and available throughout the property. Pets are also accepted, subject to additional fees.
Parfum de Mer is an odd mixed bag: the proprietor, Madeleine, is bilingual, supremely friendly, knowledgeable about things to do in the area, and really gets down to the nitty-gritty in providing guests with a pleasant, peaceful getaway from the workaday world, yet she is also by some accounts a stickler for the rules, especially when it comes to noise. It's on busy Route 132, but in a quiet location on the outskirts of Pabos, with a peaceful terraced garden in back with sweeping views over Chaleur Bay, and a private beach and kayak launch to boot. Breakfasts are artfully prepared in-house, and Madeleine's homemade jams are legendary — but the preparation happens the night before and the food is refrigerated overnight in the kitchen, with guests left to make their own plates in the morning. The guest lounge and kitchen are spacious and inviting, but tucked away in the basement and, in the case of the kitchen, only open during breakfast time — another of those house rules Madeleine enforces strictly. If you can take the good with the bad, Parfum de Mer might be for you. There's three guest rooms, with decor that's pleasant if a bit dated: two boast a full-size bed and come with en suite bathroom and kitchenette, hair dryers, iron and ironing board, and free WiFi; the third room is somewhat larger, with a queen bed and all of the above-listed amenities plus cable TV and soundproof walls. No children under 5 are admitted. Open year-round.
A handsome wood-frame house built in 1916 for the Langlois family, La Petite Auberge's location in the heart of downtown Chandler just a block off Route 132 isn't what you would call quiet. However, owner Gilda Grenier really does a good job crafting a pleasant, relaxing experience for her guests. The four guest rooms each are equipped with cable TV, free wireless Internet, and fireplaces; two bathrooms are shared among them. There's also a comfy sitting room where breakfast is served each morning from 7AM to 9PM: a full spread of French toast, pancakes, cereal, homemade jams, a selection of meat, and coffee. Parking is on-street, but free of charge. Website in French only.
Camping du Bourg de Pabos
Open early Jun through late Sep. Boasting an ideal location at Pabos Borough Park directly adjacent to some of the finest beaches in all of Quebec, Pabos Borough Campground is a perfect choice for families with children as well as inexperienced campers — a number of trailers and tents are available for rent for those without their own, and themed celebrations including "Pyjama Day" and "Western Day" are a hit with the younger set. Pabos Borough Campground has 128 campsites; water, electricity, and sewer connections (or any combination thereof) are available, as well as primitive campsites located directly on the beach. There's also WiFi Internet, a public phone, a children's playground, horseshoe pits and a pétanque terrain, an extensive network of hiking trails, laundry facilities, and a community lounge with a small kitchen area and indoor activities available for rainy days. Shower and toilet facilities are handicapped-accessible.
Open Jun-Sep. This 60-site campground is part of the gargantuan La Seigneurie Outdoor Centre (Centre de plein air La Seigneurie), so campers here are not wanting for things to do: go-karting, frisbee golf, rock climbing, miniature golf, hiking, and mountain biking are just a few of the activities offered at La Seigneurie, and there's a 1.5-km-long (1 mile long) beach for those with something a bit more relaxing in mind. As for the campground itself, both serviced and unserviced sites are offered at a variety of rates, free WiFi is available all over the property, and the community room contains a TV, microwave, and laundry and shower facilities. Website in French only.
By plane
The nearest airport with scheduled passenger service is Bonaventure Airport (Aéroport de Bonaventure) (YVB), about an hour down the road in Bonaventure, with service to (Îles de la Madeleine,…
By bus
By boat
Chandler is a port of call for the M/V CTMA Vacancier, a cruise ship that plies the St.
Car rental
By bus
RéGÎM is the public transit service for the Gaspé Peninsula, with a network that spreads over most parts of the region. There are two lines that serve Chandler:
By taxi
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