Nothing’s sweeter than Canada’s Chocolate Town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, located just a stone’s throw across Maine’s border. This is home to a Willy Wonka-like factory where the country’s oldest chocolate manufacturer, Ganong Chocolatier, resides.

The aroma of cocoa fills the air as thick slabs of the goopy Ganong confections are worked by chocolatiers toiling away at The Chocolate Museum.

The Saint Stephen Lighthouse on the wharf in Saint Stephen, New Brunswick

The family-owned and operated chocolate company’s foray into the confectionary arts began in 1873 when most Bostonians celebrated the centenary of the Boston Tea Party. But for those known as Loyalists, the green rolling hillsides — with their bumbling brooks of southern New Brunswick’s Charlotte and Kings Counties and the sweet smells of chocolate — became home.

New Brunswick is also home to a host of superlatives, like supplying dulse seaweed — a superfood packed with nutrients — to much of the world. It’s also home to the world’s highest tides in the Bay of Fundy, whose dramatic tidal pools offer a delicious rite of passage for seafood lovers.

All around Saint John, the only city on the Bay of Fundy, there are coveted spots for sweets, seafood, and seaweed — and all within an hour’s drive.

Let the indulgence begin.

Sturgeon safari

Buoys bob in the Saint John River. The sun begins to rise, and Cornel Ceapa is dipping his hands into the churning black tempest to showcase Atlantic Sturgeon. Originally from Romania, the bona fide marine biologist, who moved to New Brunswick in 2003, sings the praises of the world’s last wild sturgeon stock.

On his boat, the Sturgeon Queen, Ceapa grips the sharp tail of the prehistoric fish. “You can’t see this anywhere in the world,” declares the self-proclaimed King of Caviar during his six-hour Sturgeon Safari tour.

Atlantic Sturgeon

Caviar connoisseurs arrive at Carter’s Point in the Loyalist hotbed of Kings County, which is home to the Ceapa’s Ocean Wise Life-certified Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar Inc. Once there, they’ll find caviar connoisseur who roll their tongues and coddle tiny mother-of-pearl spoonfuls of wild and farmed Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon caviar, only some of the luxurious products sold by Ceapa’s company.

Back on land, guests gather for a multi-course lunch of all things sturgeon. Pull up a chair to find cartilage and bone marrow chips (“It’s full of health benefits,” says Ceapa), sturgeon skewers, sturgeon ceviche, Wild Atlantic sturgeon sashimi, sturgeon steaks, and your choice of caviar.

Gobs of glossy black fish eggs, nestled in a traditional tin, are passed around the table in a communal way. “Caviar is a delicacy meant to be shared. We say it is a special item, not a luxury,” says Ceapa. At over 250 million years old, the sturgeon is finally gaining a superstar status among the sustainable fold.

Atlantic Canada is the only place in the world where selectively sourced wild sturgeon are fished. “It’s the only wild caviar in the world right now,” he laments over the global shortage.

Savour the Sea Caves

Away from the well known Hopewell Rocks, which are a hotbed of tidal action, the splendor of St. Martins rocky red caves remains an undiscovered spot where guests are invited to dine on the ocean floor in tidal sea caves.

During low tide is when the tides are pulled back and the tables come out, giving seafood lovers the chance for an out-of-this-world seaside sunset dinner. The meal happens inside St. Martins Sea Caves between two UNESCO World Heritage Sites — the Fundy Biosphere Reserve and the Stonehammer UNESCO Global Geopark.

Sea caves in Saint Martin, New Brunswick, Canada. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world

During this memorable experience, Red Rock Adventure guides showcase the scenery and provide insightful interpretation of the region’s geological and cultural history in an excursion called Savour the Sea Caves. “There is nowhere else in the world where you can dine on the ocean floor with the most extreme tides in the world, except the Bay of Fundy,” says Mike Carpenter, a welly-wearing guide shrugging the barnacles off his boot during an impromptu seashore stop. Earlier in the day the water levels exceeded 27 feet, turning the caves into an ocean playground for paddlers.

The Kilted Chef Alain Bosse, Atlantic Canada’s culinary ambassador, masterfully orchestrates a five-course dinner by the St. Martins Sea Caves. Eagles swoop above the idyllic remote-like setting (it’s only a 30-minute drive from the city of Saint John) while the fins of porpoises slice through the dark sea as water levels begin their slow creep.

But for now, Red Rock Adventure guests sit in splendor between ancient rock formations carved by the sea to enjoy Bay of Fundy’s lobster, salmon, and scallops before indulging in sweet s’mores oozing with melted chocolate.

The tasty treats of Shadow Lawn Inn

Day-trippers should be sure to make a detour in Rothesay, New Brunswick to dine at this landmark inn’s The Robertson Restaurant, an establishment with a heritage chic aesthetic.

Executive Chef Markian Shafransky, who previously worked at The Rossmount Inn in St. Andrews (now revered among Canada’s top 100 Best restaurants), perks up over fish talk. “Fish is my favorite to cook. The secret to perfection is twenty seconds,” he laughs, considering the time it takes to create the finest fish dish or see it go south.

Grilled halibut with spinach, leeks, and pine Nuts

The Montreal expat digs into the garden for seasonal herbs to accompany his seafood fare, including the Bay of Fundy Halibut, a consistent best seller. “I have a fisherman friend and that’s all he looks for,” he remarks on the sustainably sourced fish. Another favorite: the “Trust the Chef Menu,” a five-course blind tasting menu. On any given day, fifty percent of the menu can switch.

Seaweed has become one of Shafransky’s trusty go-tos. “I have received more interest in the past few years for this,” he notes, explaining the specially harvested dulse seaweed from the world’s biggest producer is ‘down the road’ on Grand Manan Island. Chef Shafransky is a big fan of dulse, which he uses in his chowder as an element of umami, or rich savoriness.

More squeaky seaweed

But it’s back in Saint John, at the oldest farmer’s market in Canada, where you find a line-up of diners at Slocum and Ferris. These are the hungry loyalists who are anticipating a taste of a popular dulse-infused specialty sandwich at lunchtime: the “DLT,” or dulse, lettuce, and tomato.

A server holds a tray of dulse seaweed

“When we grill the dulse, it has the added feature of getting very crispy, so much so that we often refer to it as sea-bacon,” says Dave Forestell, proprietor of Slocum and Ferris, where dulse-binging diners have a field day sampling his caesar salad topped with crispy dulse and his creamy Friday Fish Chowder, doused in flakes of dried dulse.

“We really enjoy coaxing our visitors into having a taste; it’s a unique experience!”

In New Brunswick it’s easy to savor sweet delicacies, whether this bounty is from the swirling sea or from the swirling actions of a chocolatier. Isn’t it time for you to find those sweet spots?