If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to walk through an enchanted forest at night, the kind you read about in fairy tales, you must visit a lighted forest.

At the end of our trip to Newfoundland, we stayed in the charming village of Bouctouche, New Brunswick so we could attend Akadi Lumina, an intriguing immersive exhibit in the woods featuring lights, visual effects and sound chronicling the story of the deportation of the Acadians and their culture, which is alive and well in this region today.

As we drove down the manicured laneway, five deer, a buck, doe and three fawns grazed in the grass, the last of the sun’s rays glinting off their backs. It was a peaceful, bucolic scene that set the mood for the wondrous experience before us.

A talented local French Canadian artist was playing the guitar and singing when we arrived. It was a cool evening, so we were grateful to warm our hands around the large bonfire as we waited for our admission time.

At 8:15 pm, we entered the forest. A map that looked like a punched tin lantern showed us the various features we would experience along the 1.5 kms of walking trails. We began by writing our names on a wall, indicating our lineage, an Acadian tradition.

We wandered in awe along the windy paths lined with grapevine lanterns, marvelling at the lights and sounds and the magic of the forest lit up at night. Looking above me, the trees looked like a towering blue canopy. The trees came to life, looming above us, beckoning us and changing with the light and rain. They were ethereal in their splendour.

Each installation was more beautiful than the next. In one spot, the lights and sounds mimicked a thunderstorm, representing the power of the elements that the Acadians had to face in their early days as settlers. In another location, blue floodlights projected onto a rock and a small stream symbolizing the ocean, at times calm, at times rolling and turbulent. I was mesmerized.

In a natural amphitheatre set amongst the trees, they used 3D hologram-like projection technology to show what Acadian life was like through the ages. Further down the pathway, we walked into a grove of trees with tiny white lights sprinkled along the forest floor. Floodlights lit up the trees in blue, purple, white and green taking you on a mystical journey. It was breathtaking.

The trees themselves and the different features of the forest became a centrepiece of each story. A light shining on the ridged bark of a majestic maple tree became a beacon of hope. A gnarled tree branch became a mysterious creature of the night. A hollowed log became a hiding place for persecuted souls.

We wandered across a footbridge, admiring the view of the lights sparkling on the water of the quaint village across the lake, and imagining what village life would have been like hundreds of years ago when the Acadian peoples lived on this land. It was a wonderful way to end our enchanted journey through Akadi Lumina.

This week’s #HappyAct is to visit an enchanted forest. All the enchanted forest walks in Canada I could find are in Eastern Canada:

• Akadi lumina, Bouctouche, New Brunswick
• Forest Lumina, Coaticook, Quebec
• Tonga Lumina in Mont Tremblant

If you happen to be visiting Scotland, there is also an enchanted forest in Pitlochry.