At the beginning of June, my fiancé and I packed up the car and headed east to Matane, Quebec, for the Gaspesian Metal Fest. Since it’s about a 14-hour drive from home, we decided to turn the trip into a full cemetery road trip adventure!

Our first stop was Gatineau, where we stayed with an old friend for the night. While we were there, he took us to a very cool spot in Ottawa called Pub Italia. The place had such an interesting vibe. The decor was full of vintage church pieces and religious items, most of them apparently thrifted over the years. It honestly felt like wandering through an old church basement, mixed with a pub. They also have something called the Beer Bible, which was a massive menu packed with beer choices from all over the place. It was fun flipping through and seeing the huge variety they offered. They don’t serve flights, but they were happy to offer samples so you could try a few different beers before deciding.

The following morning, we hit the road again and made the long drive the rest of the way to Matane. After spending so many hours in the car, we were more than happy to stretch our legs once we arrived. Matane sits right beside the St. Lawrence River where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, so the entire town has beautiful seaside views.

The tide was out when we stopped along the shore, so we wandered out across the rocks and walked the beach for a little bit. Chris found a piece of sea glass, and I found a couple of empty crab shells that absolutely came home with me. I can’t resist bringing home little nature treasures from road trips.

After checking into our hotel, we headed downtown to visit the local craft brewery and grab supper. We ordered deep fried pickles that we both agreed were some of the best we’ve ever had. We also had a couple of beer flights so we could sample different brews.

The next morning was dedicated to cemetery exploring.

Saint Ulric Cemetery, Saint-Ulric-de-Matane QC ©2026

The first cemeteries we visited were right along the coast, and the ocean views were beautiful. Some of them had large statues, mixed in with smaller obelisks and older gravestones. I also started noticing similarities in the cemetery gates as we visited more places. A couple of them had “R.I.P.” worked directly into the gate designs, which I thought was an interesting detail.

Petit-Matane Cemetery, Matane QC ©2026

One thing I noticed on my last Quebec cemetery road trip was that many cemeteries seem to simply take the name of the town they are located in instead of having distinct names like Woodland Cemetery or Parklawn Cemetery. That seemed to be true in eastern Quebec as well. Most of the cemeteries didn’t have signs at the entrances. Instead, I found a few stones deeper inside the cemeteries that had the cemetery names carved into them.

Cimetière Saint-Adelme, Saint-Adelme QC ©2026

Between cemetery stops, we visited the Matane Lighthouse and Maritime Museum. This ended up being one of the highlights of the trip for me. Built in 1907, the lighthouse still overlooks the shoreline and has become one of Matane’s best-known landmarks. We practically had the whole place to ourselves, so we wandered through the exhibits before climbing to the top of the lighthouse.

The audio tour was well done, and part of the experience included carrying a large keyring filled with old skeleton keys to the lighthouse tower itself. Since the tower stays locked, you need the key to make your way up the spiral staircase, which honestly made it feel like we were lighthouse keepers heading up to check on the light.

The tour ended with a local folktale about mermaids that claimed sea glass was actually mermaid tears. That felt especially fitting since Chris had found a piece of sea glass the day before. Folklore can be such a fun part of travelling because every area seems to have its own stories and legends.

Matane Lighthouse and Maritime Museum, Matane QC ©2026

After the lighthouse, we visited a few nearby villages and stopped at a couple more cemeteries before grabbing lunch. The last cemetery we visited was right across the street from a Dixie Lee, so it felt like a natural place to stop and grab something to eat after exploring. We ended up learning it was actually a chain restaurant, but it hit the spot after a busy morning on the road.

Matane is pretty well known for its shrimp and seafood. We had been hoping to try shrimp poutine and lobster rolls while we were there, but unfortunately we were a little too early in the season. I still managed to get some popcorn shrimp at Dixie Lee though, so at least I got a small taste of the local seafood.

Later that afternoon, we freshened up and headed to the Gaspesian Metal Fest. The venue is right on the waterfront, so it was easy to settle in on the patio with a drink, listen to the bands, and watch the waves roll in at the same time.

That night, we had supper with the guys from Sandveiss, who we had travelled specifically to see. They were super cool, and we had some good conversations throughout the evening. Their set was fantastic and completely worth the drive.

Sandveiss, Gaspesian Metal Fest QC ©2026

Before leaving, we grabbed some band merch and said goodbye to everyone. The only disappointing part was missing out on the festival t-shirt because they had completely sold out by the time we got there. The design featured a shrimp throwing the horns, which honestly sounds perfect for a metal festival in Matane.

The next day was spent driving the 14 hours back home. Since the trip back was so long, we didn’t stop at any cemeteries along the way, though I definitely took screenshots on Google Maps for future trips.

By the time we finally got home, we were both exhausted, sore, and very ready to sleep. Still, it was such a fun trip, and I am really glad we turned a concert weekend into a full cemetery road trip adventure.

Thanks for reading!