Page 69 - 2024-25 Travel Guide to Canada

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
The City of Fredericton, which celebrated its
175th anniversary last year, continues
celebrating the city in other ways
(www.tourismfredericton.ca).
In Saint John, walk “the plank” at the
Reversing Falls from a 33.5 m (110 ft.)
observation plank. Look over the sides to see
1.2 billion-year-old Precambrian age marble
that collided with 515 million-year-old
igneous rock. And check out the rooftop
theatre (www.theplank.ca).
Immerse yourself in Acadian culture at the
new 1.5 km (1 mi.) Lumina Night Walk. Le
Pays de la Sagouine opens in August in the
Acadian village of Bouctouche
(www.sagouline.com/en/lumina).
The Taste of Atlantic Canada Festival, August
18-26 in Fredericton, is an Indigenous
culinary event highlighting Indigenous
culture across the Atlantic Provinces. It
features Indigenous chefs with foods from
their communities as well as Indigenous
artists, music, workshops, artisans and
storytellers (www.tasteoftheatlantic.com).
The Saint John waterfront opened a funky
Waterfront Container Village using more
than 60 shipping containers. This new
collection of retail shops, food trucks, public
art and pop-up activities includes a large
performance stage (www.area506.ca/
village).
The Beaverbrook Art Gallery, in Fredericton,
opened the Harrison McCain Pavilion. The
new space includes additional exhibit
rooms, a café, gift shop and large outdoor
terrace (www.beaverbrookartgallery.org).
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ACADIAN HISTORICAL VILLAGE, CARAQUET • NEW BRUNSWICK TOURISM