Dominic Ste-Marie, sales and marketing coordinator for Wendake Tourism, pauses on the wooden bridge spanning the Akiawenrahk River, his voice hushed as he recounts his family story.

“It was right here,” he says, pointing to a smooth rock by the water’s edge. “My grandfather knelt down and told my grandmother he wanted to share every sunrise and every story with her for the rest of their lives. He promised a lifetime of love.”

It’s easy to imagine the scene on this serene shoreline in the Huron Wendat Community of Wendake in Quebec. It’s a place where stories from the past seem not so far away, thanks to the preservation and celebration of a culture that has thrived for centuries.

Where is Wendake?

A short 20 kilometres northwest of Quebec City, Wendake is the home of the Huron Wendat Nation. The urban reserve has a thriving economy based on tourism and dozens of manufacturing businesses, including Bastien Industries, makers of authentic moccasins in Wendake since 1972. Wendake Tourism creates, manages and promotes a comprehensive visitor experience that includes accommodation, activities, restaurants and events.

Checking into luxury

Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations reflects the longhouse architecture of the Huron-Wendat, with the hotel, museum, restaurant, bar and boutique under one impressive roof. The spaces are a seamless blend of modern luxury and cultural authenticity, with work by local artisans decorating hallways and rooms. Views take in the surrounding forest and the Akiawenrahk River, and there’s always a fire burning in the lobby space.

History on display

Located in the lower level of the hotel complex, the Huron-Wendat Museum offers an immersive journey through the history of the Wendat people. Exhibits showcase traditional tools and clothing, including unique headdresses constructed of twisted turkey feathers. There’s plenty of genealogical information on display that helps tell their long history.

Outside, a reconstructed longhouse helps visitors imagine life centuries ago, with fire pits down the centre and sleeping lofts above. Visitors can live the authentic experience with an overnight stay at the Ekionkiestha’ National Longhouse. Available year-round, it includes a sleeping bag and pillow, plus a fire warden to keep the flames alive throughout the night. The experience includes the Myths and Legends storytelling experience and breakfast. And for those who can’t quite make it through the night, a room inside the hotel is also included.

A host of workshops offered through the museum give visitors a chance to learn about the meaning behind the artifacts on display, including making a talking stick.

A culinary tour

Sagamité is known beyond Wendake as one of Canada’s first and most successful Indigenous restaurants. Named for the nourishing Three Sisters soup (corn, beans, squash) enriched with meat, the showstopper on the menu is the Yatista, where a theatrical tower of skewered meats and vegetables is flambéed tableside, filling the air with the aroma of sage, cedar and of course, barbecued meat. For a lighter plate, opt for the walleye with cranberry chutney, corn, tomatoes and ginger, topped with toasted almonds. There’s deer, elk, bison, wild turkey, duck, salmon and trout on the menu, too. And always leave room for their not-too-sweet sugar pie.

Souvenirs with a story

Jewellery, drums, moccasins, clothing, snowshoes, leather, art, fur and sacred herbs stock the shelves of Wendake’s gift shops. Raquettes et artisanat Gros-Louis is a sprawling shop with everything from snowshoes and suede vests to beaded medallions and ceremonial drums. You may even spot an artisan working to create beautiful pieces right in the shop. Wendake’s most famous moccasins, made locally by Bastien Industries, are also stocked here.

A night of wonder: Ohwà Lumina

A walk through the woods like no other, Ohwà Lumina, is an outdoor light and sound show that celebrates the Huron-Wendat connection to nature and the spiritual world. The trail winds through a nearby forest, accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Projections of animals, constellations and ancestral figures dance across the trees, sky and ground, telling stories of creation and renewal, and it’s not to be missed.

• The author was the guest of Wendake Tourism which did not view or approve this article before publication.