Tour Shediac NB, the Lobster and Cottage Seaside Living Capital of Southern New Brunswick

Any tour of Shediac, NB, starts at the Big Lobster, where tens of thousands of visitors have posed themselves with the rich seafood delicacy icon that is mounted on a pedestal on the Scoudouc River, at the edge of Downtown Shediac.

Want to get to the beach information, and then click on Parlee Beach Information or Shediac Cottage Rental Information for direct links to these popular information pages. Still not sure, Shediac is your vacation destination, then click on the Shediac Events Calendar and see all the things there are to do and see here in Shediac. For a complete list of seasonal attractions, click on Shediac Entertainment and follow the links from there.

Getting To Know Shediac Like A Local

From the starting point of the Big Lobster you can see the Bay stretching out in all directions and crossing over the Main Street Bridge takes you by the first of many places to buy the tasty lobster treat, cooked or uncooked, your choice at the Shediac lobster pound

Shediac earns its title as the Lobster Capital of the World honestly with lobster and fish processing plants dotting the cost line towards nearby Cap Pele to the south on Highway 134, or driving north to Cocagne and Bouctouche.  For a real lobster treat right on the wharf, purchase lobster at Captain Terry’s Fish Market, located right on the Pointe du Chene Wharf, which is located just east of Downtown Shediac.

The Point Du Chene Wharf has become a popular attraction day and night since the local community took it over and working with the local Pointe du Chene Marina, the Wharf Authority has upgraded and saved the large wharf staging area once reserved for fishing boat chandlers ad supplies as well as cargo freight and turned it into one of southern New Brunswick’s must see and do attractions, both by day and by night.

You can dine at Boomerangs by the Sea, for a more relaxed restaurant feel, or go topside and look over Shediac Bay and the Marina while eating on the open deck area of Captain Dan’s.  By day a sunny way to pass the time and enjoy an unique dockside experience, or come in the evening without the children and get your music groove on under the stars and the constant tinkling of the mast rigging from the marina next door.

There is the Sandbar at the far waterside end of the wharf and you have a water and ocean to horizon view from almost every side. The Sandbar has that back yard patio feel if a couple thousand feet of waterside view is your backyard. The menu is varied and drinks cool, seating is limited and standing is unlimited as is the view. There is not another restaurant dining experience like it in the southeast. Go early and go often.

Filling in between Captain Terry’s Fish Market, which has every kind of fish you could want, as you enter the wharf, and the Sandbar Grill is a collection of boutique seasonal stores, ice cream stands and tour boat operators including the now famous Shediac Bay Lobster Tales Cruise Boat that is an educational trip around the harbor to see how the Lobster delicacy is found and fished in southern New Brunswick waters. Click here for the current NB Lobster fishing season dates for those that like getting the succulent delicacy in season.

A word about the Point du Chene Wharf.

It is the pride of the southern coastline and represents a community victory of immense proportion as it fell into disrepair and neglect as the Federal Government departments began to move away from inshore fishery and port maintenance. The community purchase the wharf and have brought it back to life and one of the ways that you can insure that this jewel of the Northumberland Strait remains a tourist delight and visitor Mecca when visiting southern New Brunswick is to pay the voluntary toll.

There is a daily Toonie charge for anything you arrive in that is motorized, but if walking or riding a pedal powered bicycle, well then you can access the wharf for free.  The toll runs from mid June to September and is a major source of revenue for keeping this unique community park open and the breakwater secure around the wharf. The new iconic three-story lighthouse anchoring the wharf is the main office for the Community Harbor Authority.

If you wonder about global warming, ask to see the high water mark on the fish plant wall to the side of the building where Captain Dan’s is located and then you understand why the wharf requires maintenance when storm swells from the coast cover the wharf in serious storms with significant levels of seawater wash.

Every summer night at the wharf is like a car and motorcycle show mixed with the occasional tourist RV coming to see what all the fuss is about.
There is lots of life Downtown Shediac too.

Every Sunday afternoon the Park on Main Street fills up with a wide range of vendors and hundreds of people show up and yet another great Sunday in Shediac is underway. Click here for a list of vendors you will see at the Shediac Sunday Market.

Did you know that there is a Farmer’s Market in Bouctouche every week, click on Bouctouche Events Calendar for the time and place description. Also, Dieppe Farmers Market is available now on Friday and Saturday and of course the Moncton Farmer’s Market is the must go on Saturday morning for stranded city dwellers and visitors.

But back to what makes Shediac a great place to visit and live when it comes to finding everything from pasta to poutine done the old fashioned Acadian traditional way. 

For fine dining street side nothing beats the Garden House Restaurant, the Bogart’s by the Sea, and the Lobster Restaurant, all stretching along Shediac’s Downtown area. Click on any of these for some of Shediac’s better dining restaurants.

There are more restaurants listed in the Shediac Restaurant directory, that covers the traditional Shediac restaurant offering, or for ordering out and eating outside, there are the fast food outlets and as always the seasonal take outs.

For those seeking restaurants with seasoned chefs preparing gourmet meals, then the fine dining guide for Shediac will list them all from Bouctouche to Cap Pele, because, in fact from Bouctouche further north on the coast and down to Cap Pele along the Northumberland Strait and the mouth of the mighty Shediac Bay, there are every kind of restaurant and dining experience you could want to have. Browse the full list here. 

If you are simply trying to find some entertainment, and a licensed bar or club for the Shediac area, then please click on Shediac Bars and Clubs, for a complete and comprehensive listing.

For Shediac Campgrounds, Know Shediac has a Shediac and area campgrounds directory.

For those wanting to hit a few golf balls, then here is a list of golf courses near Shediac and for a complete list of golf courses, then please click on Greater Moncton Golf Courses.

To know what is happening in Shediac and surrounding communities, please click on Shediac Events Calendar.