Charlevoix’s historical and cultural heritage also lives on through its mills, witnesses to the region’s deep agricultural roots. In the past, each seigneury had a flour mill that tenant farmers could use in exchange for a fee known as the droit de banalité, which gave rise to the term moulin banal.

A legacy of that era, the Moulin Seigneurial des Éboulements was built in 1790 at the top of a 30-metre waterfall and has preserved its original appearance and mechanisms. It offers a fascinating immersion into the region’s past.

Nearby, a free ferry service leads to the Moulins de l’Isle-aux-Coudres, an economuseum dedicated to milling. Unique in North America, the site includes a watermill built in 1825 in response to the famine affecting the island at the time, a windmill added in 1836, and the miller’s house. Visitors can watch the artisan miller at work and discover the ancestral art of grinding grain on stone millstones.

Together, these sites add another layer to the Charlevoix Flavour Trail, where food, landscapes, heritage and craftsmanship come together in a way that feels deeply rooted in place.

Agricultural tours