5 Best Sights in Saint John, New Brunswick

Imaginative and engaging in its approach, the provincial museum has fascinating displays covering the history, geology, and culture of New Brunswick and a large and outstanding collection of art in the galleries. The popular whale exhibit includes Delilah, a full-size young right whale skeleton, suspended from the ceiling. You can also watch the phenomenal Bay of Fundy tides rise and fall in a glass tidal tube connected to the harbor and find out why the nearby Stonehammer Geopark has global importance. The Family Discovery Gallery has fun and educational games for all ages. Admission is free on certain holidays and notable dates.

The four-level tower, a great place from which to survey the harbor and Partridge Island, was built during the War of 1812 as a precaution against an American attack. Guides portray the spartan life of a soldier living in the stone fort, and an audiovisual presentation in the visitor center outlines the tower's role in the defense of Saint John during World War II. The Sunday afternoon "Saint John Privateers" program in July and August, included in admission fee and available in English and French, brings the era to life for families with children ages 6 to 11 (call to reserve space).

Big cats and other exotic species are highlights of this charming 35-acre zoo, run as a nonprofit organization by its dedicated team. There are pleasant woodland trails, a waterfowl habitat with a boardwalk and floating gazebo, and an Aboriginal Medicine Wheel and Garden. The Discovery Center has touchable displays to engage and educate children. The zoo also has a monkey house, a miniature golf course, and the Vanished Kingdom Park, a display that focuses on extinct animals.

The marine ecosystems of the southern New Brunswick coast are preserved in this lovely 600-acre park on a peninsula close to downtown, where a salt-marsh boardwalk, eight walking trails, a seal observation deck, and a lookout tower make bird- and nature-watching easy. Many shorebirds breed here, and it's a staging site on the flight path of shorebirds migrating between the Arctic and South America—a wildlife tracking system here feeds data to Bird Studies Canada as part of an important research and conservation project. The Children's Forest has a playground and there are picnic sites and gas barbecues. Various educational programs, guided walks, and activities are offered. Motor vehicles are excluded on Saturday before noon.

Encompassing 2,200 acres, this is one of the largest urban parks in Canada and is also one of the dozen or so highlighted elements of the Stonehammer Geopark, designated as such by UNESCO for its global geological importance. There are more than 55 hiking trails and paths through the forest, 13 lakes, several sandy beaches, a campground, and a golf course with an aquatic driving range. There are art and yoga sessions and many summer and winter activities available. Equipment rentals are at the Inside Out Nature Centre, and the Interpretation Centre organizes guided nature walks; it also has trail maps and information on events, which include open-air movie screenings and concerts.