Page 75 - 2022-2023 Travel Guide to Canada

NB
73
Launched last year, Viva Shediac walking
tours gives out-of-towners the opportunity
to experience the self-proclaimed “Lobster
Capital of the World” from a local’s perspec-
tive (www.experienceshediac.ca).
NB Power’s eCharge Network now has 67
level 2 standard charging stations and 26
level 3 fast charging stations, allowing
drivers of electric vehicles to travel with
confidence (www.echargenetwork.com).
CITY LIGHTS
Fredericton is rightly called “Atlantic
Canada’s Riverfront Capital.” The British
made it the seat of government 235 years
ago due to the easy access the St. John
River provided, and most civic sites still
line its banks. Chief among them are the
two-block Garrison District, where red-
coated troops were once quartered; the
copper-domed Legislature; the neo-Gothic
Christ Church Cathedral; and the top-notch
Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Overlooking them
all is the University of New Brunswick’s
historic hilltop campus (www.tourism
fredericton.ca).
Saint John, a vibrant commercial and
cruise port, has been defined by its harbour
KOUCHIBOUGUAC NATIONAL PARK •
PARKS CANADA/CHRIS REARDON
CULTURAL CONTRASTS
The cultural landscape is equally diverse—
and equally worth exploring—because
Canada’s only officially bilingual province
has a split personality, linguistically
speaking. The English and French popula-
tions put a unique spin on everything from
architecture to cuisine. As a result, British-
influenced Loyalist locales such as Saint John
(Canada’s oldest incorporated city) are visibly
different from their Acadian cousins:
communities where francophone residents
proudly fly their own tricolour flag and have
an abiding passion for a potato dish called
poutine râpée. When a deeper understanding
is desired, New Brunswick Tourism can help
you navigate the nuances since many of the
unique products and programs it promotes
include a cultural component.
SEASONAL SENSATIONS
The seasons, too, deserve to be savoured, as
each is distinct. Summer, when the weather
is warmest and the festival calendar is
fullest, is prime time for tourists. Neverthe-
less, Mother Nature has her own timetable.
In early spring, sap runs in the maples and
syrup producers open their sugar camps to
visitors, whereas autumn promises brilliant
fall foliage and delectable harvest feasts.
Happily, a rapidly-growing number of
restaurants spotlight fresh, locally-sourced
ingredients. Come winter, frozen ponds
and lakes provide an ideal setting for
cutting figure eights or playing pick-up
hockey. Snow also falls—as much as 400 cm
(157 in.) annually in northern New
Brunswick—covering ski hills and more
than 8,000 km (4,971 mi.) of groomed
snowmobile trails.
In a place that has this much to offer,
there’s no need to rush. So take your cue
from the mighty St. John River and simply go
with the flow.
WHAT’S NEW
Campers at Kouchibouguac National Park
can now book into the Instagram-worthy
Ôasis: a teardrop-shaped tent/cabin hybrid
that accommodates a family of four
(www.parkscanada.gc.ca/kouchibouguac).
Moncton’s culinary renaissance continues
with the opening of Black Rabbit, where the
seasonal menus earn rave reviews. Little
sister, White Rabbit, is a pop-up food venue
that offers yummy dishes at its Street Food
Project (www.baroloandco.com).
You can hike through history on the newly-
finished Nepisiguit Mi’gmaq Trail, which
follows an ancient path from Bathurst’s Daly
Point Nature Reserve to Mount Carleton
Provincial Park (www.migmaqtrail.ca).
Opened this past spring, Place Fort La Tour—
the recreation of a 17th century trading post
complete with bastion, blacksmith forge,
and outdoor amphitheatre—makes Saint
John’s waterfront even more appealing
(www.fortlatour.com).