The Fundy Coast
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Fundy Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Fundy Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
This incredible 206-square-km (80-square-mile) park---New Brunswick's first national park---is a microcosm of New Brunswick's inland and coastal climates, and has been designated a Dark Sky...
This incredible 206-square-km (80-square-mile) park---New Brunswick's first national park---is a microcosm of New Brunswick's inland and coastal climates, and has been designated a Dark Sky Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. The park has 100 km (60 miles) of hiking and mountain-biking trails, plus a playground, a heated saltwater pool, tennis courts, and a 9-hole golf course. Among the most scenic of the trails is Laverty Falls, a 2½-km (1½-mile) trail that ascends through hardwood forests to the beautiful Laverty waterfall. At Third Vault Falls, a 3.7-km (2.3-mile) trail from the Laverty Auto Trail Parking Lot, hikers can take a refreshing dip in the pool. On the way to the Coppermine Trail, visitors wind around a steep curve and through a bright-red covered bridge, a favorite spot for photographers. At a dozen scenic spots around the park, two or more red Adirondack chairs have been placed for visitors to sit and admire the view. Park naturalists offer daily programs, including beach walks and hikes that explore the forests (and even find and enjoy nature's edibles along the way). In the evening there are interactive programs in the amphitheater and campfires. Campsites range from full-service to wilderness, and yurts and "oTENTik" accommodations.
These famous "giant flowerpots" have been carved by the Bay of Fundy tides, and though a major rockfall in 2016 robbed the one they call...
These famous "giant flowerpots" have been carved by the Bay of Fundy tides, and though a major rockfall in 2016 robbed the one they call 'the elephant' of its distinctive profile, walking among them at low tide remains a remarkable experience. At high tide, all you see is the very top, crowned with vegetation and appearing as tiny islands. There are also trails, an interactive visitor center, a café-restaurant, a gift shop, and a children's play area. Guided tours are available. It's about a 15-minute walk from the visitor center to the rocks, but there's also a shuttle service (C$2 each way). The tide comes in very quickly, so check tide tables, keep an eye on your watch, and exit the beach with time to spare.
Horticulture and art combine in this spectacular public garden. Nearly 2,500 varieties of trees, shrubs, and plants cover the 27 acres, with woodland trails and...
Horticulture and art combine in this spectacular public garden. Nearly 2,500 varieties of trees, shrubs, and plants cover the 27 acres, with woodland trails and many theme gardens, including one specially designed for touch and smell, a rose garden, a bird and butterfly garden, and a gravel garden. A children's fantasy garden offers child-centered activities, and there are daily programs for kids under 12 (1:30 pm in July and August). One of the oldest and rarest trees in the world, a Wollemi pine, named Pericles, is a big attraction, as is the opportunity to participate in a ladybug release program every morning at 10:30. The Sculpture Garden features works by Don Pell, exhibits on loan from the Beaverbrook collection, and many other established and emerging artists, including winners of the annual Kingsbrae Garden Canadian Sculpture Competition. Kingsbrae also has an art gallery, an artists-in-residence series, a café (with live music on Wednesday evenings in July and August), and the superb Savour in the Garden restaurant.
A bizarre optical illusion has been attracting visitors since the days of horse-drawn wagons. If you park your car in neutral at the designated spot,...
A bizarre optical illusion has been attracting visitors since the days of horse-drawn wagons. If you park your car in neutral at the designated spot, you seem to be coasting uphill without power. Don't be tempted to turn the vehicle around; the effect is most pronounced when you are going backward. Get out and try it on foot and it seems harder to walk downhill than up. There are shops and a restaurant within the attached Wharf Village, designed to resemble a traditional coastal village ( www.magnetichillwharfvillage.ca).
In a bright modern building, this imaginative and highly engaging museum relates the history of Moncton from its earliest settlement, through its various ups and...
In a bright modern building, this imaginative and highly engaging museum relates the history of Moncton from its earliest settlement, through its various ups and downs (Resurgo, the city's motto, means "I rise again"), to the present day. Rather than just a collection of old stuff in glass cases, the museum seeks to conjure up a feeling of the age, and technology is used to involve visitors in their discoveries—in one of the Transportation Discovery Centre galleries, push-carts fitted with iPads connect with various points on the floor, allowing you to explore each subject on the screen before rolling along to the next. The museum also has a great area for kids, where learning through fun activities is taken to a new level to help develop their thought processes. The historic Free Meeting House, next door to the museum, can be visited by request at the museum's admissions desk. But before you leave the museum, ask if you can try the "Backward Brain Bicycle"---good luck!
The halls of the Aberdeen Cultural Centre ring with music and chatter. The converted schoolhouse is now home to theater and dance companies, a framing...
The halls of the Aberdeen Cultural Centre ring with music and chatter. The converted schoolhouse is now home to theater and dance companies, a framing shop, artists' ateliers, and several galleries, and concerts and artist talks are also hosted here. Galerie 12 represents leading contemporary Acadian artists. Galerie Sans Nom is an artist-run co-op supporting avant-garde artists from throughout Canada. The artist-run IMAGO Inc. is the only print-production shop in the province. Guided tours are available by appointment.
On the campus of the University of Moncton, this museum has one of the world's largest collection of Acadian artifacts reflecting 400 years of Acadian...
On the campus of the University of Moncton, this museum has one of the world's largest collection of Acadian artifacts reflecting 400 years of Acadian life in the Maritimes and covering culture and beliefs, domestic life, politics, and more. Additionally, a fine art gallery showcases contemporary works by local and national artists. The university is also home to several pieces of public art, so look out for these as you drive through
The small seaside village of Alma services Fundy National Park with restaurants that serve good lobster, a bakery that sells sublime sticky buns, and motels....
The small seaside village of Alma services Fundy National Park with restaurants that serve good lobster, a bakery that sells sublime sticky buns, and motels. There's plenty to do around here—from bird-watching and kayaking to horseback riding. Around Canada Day, events may include performances at the Alma Activity Centre and a (plastic) duck race on the Salmon River. In 2021 a new Connector Road opened, linking Alma directly with the Fundy Trail Parkway and reducing the driving time to get there by about an hour.
If the name of the cape isn't enough of a hint, the 140-year-old (still-working) lighthouse perched on the end of its rocky promontory says much...
If the name of the cape isn't enough of a hint, the 140-year-old (still-working) lighthouse perched on the end of its rocky promontory says much about the nature of the waters here. Add tides that rise as much as 16 vertical meters (53 feet) and this becomes a must-see. If the ziplining, rappelling, and rock-climbing opportunities represent too much excitement, you can walk the boardwalk to a viewing platform below the lighthouse, and from there head down to the long "wilderness" beach below (check tide times and leave at least two hours before high tide; staff can advise).
Active since 1840 and a National Historic Site since 1983, the courthouse is an exceptionally fine example of 19th-century Greek Revival architecture—one of the finest...
Active since 1840 and a National Historic Site since 1983, the courthouse is an exceptionally fine example of 19th-century Greek Revival architecture—one of the finest in Canada. The adjacent Old Gaol, on the other hand, is a grim reminder of the conditions that awaited local wrongdoers. The courthouse is also the home of Charlotte County Archives, whose volunteers offer free tours of the courthouse and the Old Gaol (June to September). Ask about their Ghost Walks, too.
The Ganong family has been making chocolates in St. Stephen since 1873 and their original candy factory now houses this museum. It explores the sweet...
The Ganong family has been making chocolates in St. Stephen since 1873 and their original candy factory now houses this museum. It explores the sweet history of candy making with hand-dipping videos, a collection of antique chocolate boxes, and hands-on exhibits. A Heritage Chocolate Walking Tour, available Monday to Saturday, July through mid-August, includes a guided tour of the museum and a stroll around town, where the guide points out buildings associated with the chocolate industry. There are occasional activities for children and a chocolate festival in early August. After all that chocolate talk and those tempting displays, there's a sweet finale: an on-site, year-round retail outlet selling the indulgent treats.
A walk through this small nature park is always pleasant, and a great way to pass the time while waiting for the ferry to Campobello...
A walk through this small nature park is always pleasant, and a great way to pass the time while waiting for the ferry to Campobello Island. Just a few feet offshore in the Western Passage, the Old Sow, the second-largest whirlpool in the world, is visible, but its intensity depends on the state of the tide–it is at its most dramatic three hours before high tide. The water is always highly active, though, and porpoises can often be seen.
The scenic Fundy Trail Parkway extends for 30 km (18.6 miles) along the cliff tops through previously inaccessible wilderness with stunning views, and you can...
The scenic Fundy Trail Parkway extends for 30 km (18.6 miles) along the cliff tops through previously inaccessible wilderness with stunning views, and you can stop along the way at a number of lookouts. These include the stunning Walton Glen Gorge, the "Grand Canyon of New Brunswick"–1,000 feet across, 525 feet deep, and 550 million years old. Once a difficult eight-hour round-trip hike, it is now an easy 2-km (1-mile) round-trip walk to an observation deck with spectacular views across the towering rock face cliffs. Also along the Parkway make a stop at the Interpretive Centre at Big Salmon River. Various Stonehammer Geopark activities are offered here, including walks with an interpreter. The road closely parallels the cycling/walking Fundy Trail along the shore. There are lots of places to park and many accessible scenic lookouts. The 49-km (30-mile) Fundy Footpath, for expert hikers, continues through to the national park. The parkway portion operates mid-May through mid-October. In 2020 a new road linked the parkway to Sussex, and in 2021 a new Connector Road to Alma opened, both improving access to this highly scenic area.
After a remark was made at an 1822 dinner party about the "poor" Presbyterians not having a church of their own, Captain Christopher Scott took...
After a remark was made at an 1822 dinner party about the "poor" Presbyterians not having a church of their own, Captain Christopher Scott took exception to the insult and spared no expense on this building. The church is decorated with a carving of a green oak tree in honor of Scott's birthplace, Greenock in Scotland.
This small but interesting aquarium, established in 1969, is at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, a private not-for-profit research and education institution. Marine exhibits include...
This small but interesting aquarium, established in 1969, is at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, a private not-for-profit research and education institution. Marine exhibits include a huge two-story tank with indicators showing the varying levels of the Fundy tides, teeming touch tanks that delight children (and adults), rare wolffish, sea horses, squid, salmon, and a pair of very entertaining harbor seals (fed at 11 and 4 daily), as well as free movies and slide shows. A trail leads to the beach on the Saint Croix River (depending on tides). Check the website for other feeding times, behind-the-scenes tours, and sleepover opportunities. Also consult the website or call for driving directions—it's not easy to find.
These beautiful falls within a park inside the Stonehammer Geopark tumble over ancient rocks and near a fossil of a rare tetrapod trackway. The park...
These beautiful falls within a park inside the Stonehammer Geopark tumble over ancient rocks and near a fossil of a rare tetrapod trackway. The park provides visitors with tantalizing views of the falls from the boardwalk in the wooded surroundings, where there are picnic tables and hiking trails. At the right time of year, you can pick wild strawberries here.
If you love antiques and would thrill at the notion of discovering an old barn or attic crammed with centuries-old furniture, household items, and miscellaneous...
If you love antiques and would thrill at the notion of discovering an old barn or attic crammed with centuries-old furniture, household items, and miscellaneous other artifacts, it's worth the short trip out here from downtown Moncton. Within a restored 1883 meetinghouse, there are authentic household, work-related, schoolroom, and even military items of the area's non-Acadian pioneer settlers, including the Lutz family, from as far back as 1766. Ignore your first impression—there's more than immediately meets the eye when you enter; more than 3,000 artifacts are crammed into the upper floor and basement areas as well as the main level, and guided tours tell fascinating stories behind the objects. The museum hosts a Canada Day Farmfest and occasional theater, tea, and supper events.
This is an excellent theme park, adjacent to Magnetic Hill. It includes the SplashZone water park with a huge wave pool, thrill-ride body slides, including...
This is an excellent theme park, adjacent to Magnetic Hill. It includes the SplashZone water park with a huge wave pool, thrill-ride body slides, including the 60 km/hour (37 mph) Kamikaze and three giant twister slides. The FunZone has plenty of thrill rides as well as rides for younger children, including battery-powered Bumper Boats with built-in squirters, while video games in the TekZone and four 9-hole golf courses round out the attractions.
This is the largest zoo in Atlantic Canada, covering 40 acres and housing 575 animals in more than 70 species, including a Big Cat exhibit...
This is the largest zoo in Atlantic Canada, covering 40 acres and housing 575 animals in more than 70 species, including a Big Cat exhibit housing endangered Amur tigers (which produced three cubs in 2018) and a leopard in a replication of a Siberian landscape (the New Brunswick climate is also similar to that of Siberia). In addition to imaginative viewing areas, the cats are fed from a zipline, which encourages them to chase and jump. There's no shortage of other exotic species, including lemurs, lions and other big cats, zebras, and ostriches, plus around 80 bird species are represented, both Indigenous and exotic. A tropical house has reptiles, amphibians, birds, and primates, and at Old MacDonald's Barnyard, children can pet domestic animals or ride a pony in summer. Check feeding times on the way in.
This huge island estate, once completely self-sufficient, was the summer home of Sir William Van Horne, chairman of the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1899 to...
This huge island estate, once completely self-sufficient, was the summer home of Sir William Van Horne, chairman of the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1899 to 1915. Tours of the property include Covenhoven, Sir William's 50-room summer home; a tidal swimming pool; a livestock barn; a cottage; an old windmill; and the 1790 Minister's House from which the island takes its name. To get to the island you drive, walk, or bike at low tide; be sure to leave the island before the tide comes in or you will be stuck for another six hours. The website gives details of accessible hours for each open day.
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