Introducing St Stephen
Right on the US border across the river from Calais, Maine, St Stephen is a busy entry point with small town charm and one tasty attraction. It is home to Ganong, a family-run chocolate business operating since 1873, whose products are known around eastern Canada. The five-cent chocolate nut bar was invented by the Ganong brothers in 1910, and they are also credited with developing the heart-shaped box of chocolates seen every- where on Valentine’s Day.
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The tourist office (506-466-7390; cnr Milltown Blvd & King St; 10am-6pm Jun & Sep, 8am-9pm Jul & Aug) is in the former train station. The old choc- olate factory on the town’s main street is now the Chocolate Museum (506-466-7848; www.chocolatemuseum.ca; 73 Milltown Blvd; adult/child/family $5/3/15; 9:30am-6:30pm Mon-Sat, 11am-3pm Sun Jul-early Sep, 10am-5pm Mon-Fri Mar-Jun, 10am-4pm Mon-Fri Sep-Nov), with tasteful (and tasty) interactive displays of everything from antique chocolate boxes to manufacturing equipment. The adjacent shop (open daily year-round) sells boxes of Ganong hand-dipped chocolates and is free to visit; it also has Pal O’Mine, a very sweet little bar. The museum also offers a guided heritage walking tour of St Stephen from mid-May through to mid-October (adult/child/family $10/6/25). Once a year, during Chocolate Fest (506-465-5616; www.chocolate-fest.ca; 1st week Aug), the town celebrates all things chocolate with a parade, tours of the factory with unlimited sampling of the goods, and games for the kids.
Last updated: Jul 22, 2009
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