The Fundy Coast Drive
The route is Highway 2 from Aulac, through
Moncton and south to Sussex. The rest of the route,
from Sussex to Sty. Stephen, is Highway 1. Highway
2 runs inland, but many side roads lead to the
water's edge, to several small towns including St.
Martins, and to Fundy National Park.
Along the Way
Aulac
Close to the Nova Scotia border, Aulac is part
of the province that bears the legacy of the
Acadians. Halfway between Aulac and Moncton.
Acadian Odyssey National Historic Site (in
St.-Joseph de Memramcook) offers a look into the
lives of the Acadians, as well as providing an
experience in the salt marshlands which have been
reclaimed from the ocean by a system of dykes. In
Aulac, Fort Beauséjour National Historic
Site preserves the scene of a battle for Acadia
between the French and British.
Sackville
Sackville is set in more marshland, and the
Waterfowl Park offers birders a prime chance
to see migratory birds, particularly during the
Atlantic Waterfowl Celebration, held each
August.
Moncton
This city operates in both English and French,
and the bicultural ambiance adds greatly to a
visit. Restaurants, museums, and festivals reflect
the Acadian history of the area and the present-day
residents. This is where most people watch the
tidal bore, where -- twice each day -- the highest
tides in the world come up the Bay of Fundy
and the Petitcodiac River. The bore is up to
two feet high through the downtown area.
Magnetic Hill has been drawing tourists
since the middle of the 19th Century. An optical
illusion, the hill gives people in cars the
sensation of going uphill -- backwards, as if
pulled by a magnet. There's a busy restaurant and
gift shop at the site, located along Highway 2,
northwest of Moncton.
Fundy National Park
Located on the Bay of Fundy, about 20 miles
southeast of Highway 2, this park offers camping,
hiking, and seaside attractions. Take Route 114 to
reach the northern entrance. The park's trails are
both easy and challenging. Other features include a
beautiful golf course, and a heated saltwater pool.
This is a fine place to cook your own lobster. At
the south end of the park is Alma, a small
town where you can obtain that lobster, and where
you can watch the tidal bore -- as tall as a
four-story building. Route 114 provides an
excellent circle tour -- through the park and
returning northwest to Moncton, past Hopewell Cape,
along the shore of Shepody Bay and beside
the Petitcodiac River.
Sussex
The town of Sussex is in the middle of King's
County, where you'll see more covered bridges than
anywhere in the country. Directional signs are seen
along the highways and side roads. A good drive to
take off the main highway is the Discovery
Byway. Leave the highway at Sussex and head
along Route 890 toward Petitcodiac, or Route 2
towards Youngs Cove. In a two-to-three-hour drive,
you'll see eight covered bridges. The byway passes
through forests, past lakes and rivers, and offers
stops at a rose garden in Cornhill, and the
Miramichi Atlantic Salmon Museum.
Saint John
The famous Reversing Falls is another
phenomenon caused by the huge tides. A hundred
billion gallons of water -- as much as the flow of
all the rivers in the world -- passes Saint John,
reversing the flow of the St. John River. Visitors
gather at a cliff-side pavilion, from a suspension
bridge over the falls, and from a riverside park.
In some spots, the difference between high and low
tide is 48 feet. Rockwood Park and Irving Nature
Park are both good places to visit, especially
Irving Nature Park, which is home to 240 species of
birds, and harbour seals. Saint John's waterfront
is a prime attraction, as are the many Victorian
buildings in the downtown area. This is an historic
fishing center, where many fast sailing ships
(including the Marco Polo) were built. The city's
farmer's market was constructed by
shipbuilders.
St. George & Black's Harbour
St George, on Highway 1, lies beside
Passamaquoddy Bay. Black's Harbour sits at the end
of a nearby peninsula, and is the terminus for the
ferry to Grand Manan Island.
St. Andrews By-the-Sea
The Algonquin Hotel is the famous summer
resort hotel in this charming little town, located
on the point where Passamoquody Bay meets the Bay
of Fundy. In addition to the hotel, the town has
golfing, swimming, historic sites to visit, and
whale watching. Carriage rides are available, and
knowledgeable shoppers come here for the English
tweeds, fine china, art, and crafts.
St. Stephens
In 1910, the chocolate bar was invented by the
Ganong family in their factory in St. Stephen (the
first lollipops were made here in 1895). The Ganong
factory is still in operation, with many varieties
of chocolates to buy at the Chocolatier Shop
on Milltown Blvd. Calais, Maine, is just
across the U.S. border.
Campobello Island
This small island is a particularly strong
attraction for Americans, who take the ferry ride
from Eastport, Maine to visit the summer home of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The name of the
island may be familiar from the title of the play
about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, "Sunrise at
Campobello."
Grand Manan Island
The largest of the south Bay of Fundy islands,
Grand Manan is reached by taking a ferry from the
town of Black's Harbour. This is a quiet, relaxing
island, isolated enough from the mainland that it
has retained its rural, 19th-Century character. But
there are more than 20 places to stay including bed
and breakfast homes, five inns (The Compass Rose,
Manan Island Spa, Marathon Inn, Shorecrest Lodge
Country Inn, and Whale Cove Cottage Inn), and at
least nine cottage operations. These places to stay
are located in the communities of Grand Harbour,
Castalia, Woodward's Cove, North Head, Seal Cove,
and White Head. White Head Island is a ferry ride
east from Grand Manan, with the ferry landing near
the community of Grand Harbour.
Fraser Bridges
More Online Information:
New
Brunswick Provincial Tourism Site
Moncton
City Information
New
Brunswick - National Parks
National
Historic Sites
Provincial
Parks
Campobello
Island and the Quaddy Loop
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