We’ve already talked about a location recently but we couldn’t resist sneaking in this little article on New Brunswick because we are personally excited to be visiting this Canadian province soon! There are plenty of great reasons to visit New Brunswick anytime of year but members of the Amintro team will be there for a few days in October; exploring, sightseeing and meeting new people. While we’re there, we’ll also be taking part in a conference on aging well but that’s not our main focus today. Nope – today is all about falls that go backwards, rocks that give Hope and the Bay of Fundy plus a whole lot more! If you’ve ever thought about visiting the Atlantic provinces, whether just one or all four of them, as you head east – it’s New Brunswick you’ll arrive in first.
Let’s start with what’s in a name? New Brunswick became a province in 1748 and at that time, King George III was the King of England (reigning over Canada too.) The name New Brunswick is attributed to the fact the King also held the Duchy of Brunswick, in Germany. In a further nod to the King, the capital city of Fredericton is named after the King’s brother Prince Frederick. Perhaps that’s why the folks in New Brunswick treat visitors like royalty! Speaking of visitors, New Brunswick sure has a lot of them. With so many things to see and do, the province attracts about 2.5 to 3 million visitors annually. There’s a pretty good chance that if you speak either English OR French, you’ll find someone to share a story with as the province’s population identifies as roughly two-thirds Anglophone and one-third Francophone. In addition to all the other interesting things we’ll talk about below – here’s a fun fact you might not have heard before: New Brunswick is home to the largest lobster in the world located in Shediac. Known as “The Lobster Capital of the World,” the town features, at its entrance, a 90-tonne sculpture of a Lobster that tops the charts at approx 35 feet long. It also has some of the warmest saltwater swimming north of Virginia Beach.
Likely the most famous tourist destination of all, however, has to be the Bay of Fundy and Hopewell Rocks. The Bay of Fundy is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and has the highest tides on earth. These tides measure in excess of 50 feet but the changing of the tides is a gradual thing, (not a 50 ft. wall of water!) taking upwards of about 6 hours. Visitors who time it correctly can walk on the exposed seafloor, touch and feel Hopewell Rocks and also see everything disappear underwater, all in the same day. It is truly something to be seen to appreciate. The Tidal Bore, which some folks occasionally mistake as the same as Bay of Fundy, is in fact the pressure of the tides forcing rivers to flow back upstream as the tide comes in. There are several great places to view this phenomenon including Moncton, New Brunswick on the Petticodiac River. Another great place to see is the Reversing Falls Rapids. This is also related to the tides and happens where the Bay of Fundy and St. John River meet. These are locations you really should try to see during your visit to the province because they are truly unique to New Brunswick.
New Brunswick is also a fabulous place for whale watching and, if birds are your thing, there are four islands that comprise the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve where you can take a boat to view Puffins, one of the few viewing opportunities for this species. Whale watching season is typically June through October with your best chance of sighting them taking place in August each year. If you’re planning a trip to this wildly beautiful province, be sure that spending time on the water is on your list of things to do. An adventure like this is one that should be savoured with family or maybe even a friend or two!
You might also want to explore some of the other exciting locations the province has to offer including Cape Enrage (the name alone should intrigue you!) and Acadie, the Acadian coast, home to an over 400 year history of the Acadian people. The Miramichi River is famous for salmon fishing if that’s your thing and the fall season will provide a spectacular scenic backdrop to your adventure as the colours of the leaves change throughout the season.
We can’t wait for our epic adventure to begin. Book a road trip and maybe even plan a stop in the province of Quebec (a province we featured a few months ago) along the way. After all, these are the “Golden Years,” a term we don’t really use here at Amintro but Fall seems like the perfect excuse to do so. Plan a road trip with a friend this fall and watch the leaves turn gold – New Brunswick, here we come!
Written by Sheralyn Roman
