Without New Brunswick, Hollywood may never have had Donald Sutherland and movie classics such as The Dirty Dozen, The Eagle Has Landed and Invasion of the Body Snatchers wouldn’t have been nearly as good. Canada’s only (constitutionally) bilingual province is much more than just the birthplace of acting talent, however. It’s also a destination with amazing natural beauty and a fascinating cultural heritage.
There’s nothing fishy about New Brunswick, despite it being one of the country’s three Maritime provinces. Indeed, this is a place with few pretenses and one where the residents are as friendly and pleasant mannered as you’d hope to find anywhere in the world. The relaxed atmosphere in the provincial towns and cities draws new and repeat visitors in their thousands every year.
Fredericton, the provincial capital, is a city with not a great deal going on, but that’s part of the appeal. You can take a relaxing stroll around the Historic Garrison district and enjoy the wonderful old colonial architecture as well as the sights of the soldier’s barracks and the guard house, the latter offering the traditional Changing of the Guard ceremony.
The York Sunbury Museum in Fredericton is the place to head if you are at all interested in the rich heritage and cultural diversity of the province’s central region. With some 30,000 artifacts on display across 4,000 square feet of exhibition space, this is the premier facility of its kind in New Brunswick.
Soaking up the beauty of the surrounding Bay of Fundy in the south of New Brunswick is Saint John, the largest city in the province both in terms of area and population. You could be forgiven for thinking that bangers ‘n’ mash or cabbage ‘n’ bacon might be the favorite local nosh in Saint John, as this is a city with a population comprised almost entirely of Irish and British descendents.
Saint John is a popular tourist city seeing cruise liners and no shortage of independent visitors. The harbor is the highlight of the city, boasting the highest tides of any shoreline on the planet. Such is the power of the tide that the phenomenon known as the ‘Reversing Falls’, in which the flow of the Saint John River is actually reversed, occurs twice every day.
Sightseers and culture buffs visiting Saint John can enjoy attractions such as Fort Howe, City Market, New Brunswick Museum, Carleton Martello Tower and King Square. Nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts can get their fix of aesthetic beauty and physical activity at the Irving Nature Park on the west side of the city and the Rockwood Park at the north end.
Cetaceans aplenty are to be found in the Bay of Fundy, so if you have a penchant for these especially magnificent specimens of nature then be sure to pick up a tour from Deer, Campobello Island or St Andrews. More than 15 different whale species can be found in the waters of the bay, among which are the rare baleen whales, or right whales as they are better known.
Should bird watching be more your cup of tea then head for Kouchibouguac National Park where more than 223 different species are resident including North America’s second biggest colony of terns. With packed lunch and binoculars in hand, a day at this park is sure to have any keen ornithologist slavering.