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Located a short distance west of L'Anse-à-Valleau, the photogenic Pointe-à-la-Renommée Lighthouse was built in 1907 to replace a smaller, wood-frame light dating to 1880, and guided ships along their path for nearly 70 years before it was decommissioned and "exiled" (as the locals put it) to the Old Port of Quebec City, where it stood for another three decades in front of the Coast Guard headquarters there. The lighthouse was moved back to its original site in 1998 thanks to a grassroots community effort, and today the striking red tower — along with its reconstructed keepers' quarters and other outbuildings — serves as a museum that contains two permanent exhibitions: "Pointe-à-la-Renommée: The Space of a Lifetime" (L'Espace d'une vie à Pointe-à-la-Renommée) relates the history of the lighthouse itself, the Ascah family who tended it during its operational life, and the small, tight-knit fishing community that surrounded it, while "Marconi and the Story of Radio Communications" (Marconi, histoire des communications et radio) deals with Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of wireless radio who in 1904 established one of North America's first marine radiotelegraph stations at Pointe-à-la-Renommée. Guided tours include both exhibits and end at the top of the tower, with stunning views over the mouth of the St. Lawrence Estuary.
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Galerie d'Art Marie-Josée Gagnon
Working only with a spatula, Marie-Josée Gagnon creates dazzlingly colourful scenes from around her native Gaspé: landscapes, seascapes, and lovely flower paintings where the interplay of colours, light, and shadow are of foremost importance (or, to use her words: "it is the essence of a landscape that I wish to render, rather than a mere imitation of what I see"). In the small gallery in Pointe-Jaune that bears Gagnon's name is displayed not only her work, but also the evocative portraiture of Stella Joncas-Veillet and the abstract-expressionist paintings and sculpted figurines of Estelle Francoeur.
Moulin des Plourde
This is the only remaining steam-powered sawmill building on the Gaspé Peninsula, and was one of the last remaining ones in operation when it closed its doors in 1986 after eight decades of manufacturing shingles for local builders. Nowadays it functions as one of Quebec's famous "econo-museums" (économusées), where you can check out the original equipment still in place and learn the history of the Gaspesian forestry industry as well as that of the Plourde family, who owned the mill.
Centre d'interprétation des pêches
Rivière-au-Renard once had one of the busiest fishing harbours in the region, and this interpretive centre traces its history from the glory days of the Gaspesian cod fishery to the cutting-edge, technology-driven industry of today. You can even sample freshly-caught local seafood onsite!
Salle de quilles Cartier
A small bowling alley in Rivière-au-Renard with six lanes.
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.
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.