New Brunswick is a Canadian province with land shaped by awesome tidal forces and a culture molded by unique colonial history. Visit the Bay of Fundy coast, with the world’s highest tides. Drive up the Atlantic coast to the Acadian Peninsula to explore the province’s delightful fishing villages inhabited by proud French-speaking people.
Most of the region’s main attractions are on the coast. Tour Saint John, New Brunswick’s largest city, on the Bay of Fundy. The city’s redbrick wharf district centered on Market Square is one of New Brunswick’s finest early ports. Visit the Loyalist House to learn about Saint John’s exciting origin: It was settled by British Loyalists escaping the newly independent United States in the late 18th century.
Saint John is one of the best places to witness the power of the Bay of Fundy. This Atlantic bay features the world’s highest tides. The water line rises up to 50 feet (15 meters) in some areas. In Saint John, this causes the Reversing Rapids, where the Saint John River reverses its course at high tide. Farther east along the coast, the Bay of Fundy’s tides have sculpted the Hopewell Rocks into strange shapes including arches and top-heavy “flowerpots.” At low tide, walk along 1 mile (2 kilometers) of exposed ocean floor among odd sandstone formations.
Drive north along New Brunswick’s Atlantic coast. Tiny fishing villages line the coastal cliffs and lighthouses tower over them. Head out along the Acadian Peninsula, where descendants of a French immigrant group that first settled the area live on. Notice the Acadian flag flying in small port towns of Shippagan and Lamèque. The flag features the French red, white and blue plus a gold star. Drive out to the point of the peninsula on Miscou Island, which is crowned by a red-and-white lighthouse.
Fly into Moncton in the southeast of the province to start exploring New Brunswick or take a ferry from the U.S. or a neighboring province to either of New Brunswick’s gorgeous coasts.
