6 Best Sights in Saint John, New Brunswick

The strong Fundy tides rise higher than the water level of the river, so twice daily, at the Reversing Falls Rapids, the tidewater pushes the river water some 90 km (56 miles) back upstream and the rapids appear to reverse themselves. When the tide ebbs, the river once again flows downstream over the rock ledges and on into the bay. You can see the rapids from Fallsview Park, or get an overhead view from the cliff top on Bridge Road. Here, you can also venture out onto the Skywalk, featuring five glass panels for a straight-down view. An excellent introductory film details the fascinating geology and uniqueness of the phenomenon, and docents are on hand to answer questions and offer further insights. It takes time to fully appreciate the Reversing Falls Rapids; you need to visit at high, slack, and low tides—the website, or any visitor information office, has tide times—and to allow for this, Skywalk tickets are valid for the whole day.

Now serving as a fascinating museum, this authentic and picturesque 19th-century country shop sits in a prominent location in the heart of the city, near the site where Barbour's factory once stood. It contains some 2,000 artifacts that would have been sold here in its 1860s heyday. The store also doubles as a retail outlet for modern local merchandise, some of which make good souvenirs, and there's a tearoom, a visitor information center, and a tour desk, where you can book various city tours and harbor cruises. The amusing figures on the walkway outside make for a popular photo op.

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.

Established soon after the United Empire Loyalists arrived in 1783, the cemetery features a magnificent beaver-pond fountain, created to depict the hard work and tenacious spirit of the city's founders and those who followed them. Brick and granite walkways lead from the memorial gates through the restored gravestones—the oldest is that of Coonradt Hendricks, dated 1784—and crypts amid shady trees and flowers. Closed in 1848, the cemetery was sadly neglected until 1995, when the Irving family restored it as a gift to the people of Saint John.

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.

The present church dates from 1880, when it was rebuilt after the Great Fire. Inside, over the west door, is a coat of arms—a symbol of the monarchy—rescued from the council chamber in Boston by a British colonel during the American Revolution. It was deemed a worthy refugee and given a place of honor in the church. Guided tours are available during July and August, and there's a self-guided tour at other times.