Shediac, New Brunswick – It’s not hard for Lobster lovers to tell that they are one the right road into this town, they just have to watch for kids crawling all over an 11-metre (36-foot) cast-iron crustacean. Shediac, on New Brunswick’s eastern seashore, has dubbed itself ‘The Lobster Capital of the World’, not just because of its lobster fishing and processing plants but because it’s been throwing its annual, internationally-known Lobster Festival since 1949. The five-day event held in early July now draws about 50,000 people, with family-friendly festivities including a mid-way and a nightly lobster-eating competition (the winner is the fasted to eat three). When not indulging in the succulent seafood, visitors take advantage of the warmest salt waters north of Virginia, on some of the province’s best beaches.

Where: Shediac is on New Brunswick’s spectacular eastern seashore. Nearby Parlee Beach Provincial Park offers seaside camping with 190 sites and family activities from sand sculpture competitions to swimming and volleyball.