Montreal native Pauline Saint-Arnaud is an accomplished watercolourist whose oeuvre is dominated by the placid forest, farmland, and seacoast scenery found all over the Gaspé Peninsula — little wonder, then, that "The Sea and the Coastlines" (La Mer et les bords côtiers) is the title she chose for the permanent solo exhibition displayed at the farmhouse-turned-gallery in L'Anse-au-Griffon, where she spends her summers. Website in French only.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
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.
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.
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.
Le Centaure offers a diversity of equestrian experiences whose durations, intensities, and skill requirements vary widely — from one-hour sessions on the grounds of their spacious ranch in Cap-aux-Os that are perfect for beginners, to longer expeditions to Sandy Beach (2 hours) and Forillon National Park (5 hours), to multi-day expeditions to further-flung destinations like Gaspésie National Park. Website in French only.
Miniature golf course in Cap-aux-Os with attached snack bar.
Salle de quilles Cartier
A small bowling alley in Rivière-au-Renard with six lanes.