Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/1520274
NB 68 The Market Square in Saint John is undergoing a revitalization that includes upgrading restaurant spaces by installing glass panels to create multi-season patios (marketsquaresj.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 since the Loyalists sailed in. Evidence is found in its 18 th century waterside sites and the grand edifices erected by later seafarers during the "Golden Age of Sail." The harbour's significance is further apparent in Market Square, a museum and entertainment complex fashioned from waterfront warehouses, and the City Market which was built by shipwrights. Even the Harbour Passage Trail is named in its honour (www.discoversaintjohn.com). Straddling the muddy Petitcodiac River, Greater Moncton has surpassed Saint John to become the province's most populous urban centre. Originally nicknamed the "Hub City" by virtue of its central location, it now doubles as a hub of tourist activity because Greater Moncton is home to attractions like the Magic Mountain Water Park, Casino New Brunswick and Magnetic Hill which, in addition to the eponymous hill, boasts a popular zoo, winery and concert site (www.moncton.ca). THE GREAT OUTDOORS New Brunswick is blessed with superlative natural attractions: the world's highest tides, some of the oldest mountains and second biggest whirlpool. The maritime province is 85 per cent forested and surrounded by the ocean and lakes and rivers. These sites are, quite literally, phenomenal. Yet what makes the outdoors truly "great" is that it has something for everyone. Fundy Trail Provin- cial Park—known for its precipitous cliffs, aromatic evergreens and sublime views—is a case in point (www.parcsnbparks.info/en/ parks/35/fundy-trail-provincial-park). Ultra-fit hikers can spend days traversing this part of the Trans Canada Trail. But, thanks to an adjacent parkway, key portions are accessible to children and the physically challenged, too. Equally important is the fact that nature in New Brunswick is always close at hand, even in urban areas. Visitors to Saint John can splash out in Rockwood Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the country, or go wild by the seaside in the Irving Nature Park without leaving the city limits. Fresh air aficionados in Fredericton, similarly, can stroll, bike and rollerblade on a riverfront path dubbed "The Green" or get out on the water by boat. Moncton, meanwhile, puts sand connoisseurs in reach of both the delicate Bouctouche dunes and bustling Parlee Beach. HERITAGE AND CULTURE Occupied by Indigenous Peoples for more than 3,000 years, New Brunswick has 15 Indigenous communities and the province inherited two other cultures from its early French and English settlers. Indoor/outdoor venues such as Metepenagiag Heritage Park, Village Historique Acadien and Kings Landing Historical Settlement—celebrating Mi'kmaq, Acadians and Loyalists, respec- tively—help establish the historical context, as does the engaging New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. Local culture here, Special Events https://tourismnewbrunswick.ca/ festivals-events JANUARY – FEBRUARY • FROSTIVAL, FREDERICTON MARCH • MAPLE, THE FIRST TASTE OF SPRING, KINGS LANDING, PRINCE WILLIAM MAY • MIRAMICHI STRIPER CUP JUNE • ST. MARY'S (SITANSISK) FIRST NATION POWWOW, FREDERICTON JUNE – JULY • CAMPBELLTON SALMON FESTIVAL JULY • CANADA'S IRISH FESTIVAL, MIRAMICHI • EXPLORE NB OPEN, FREDERICTON • LAMÈQUE INTERNATIONAL BAROQUE MUSIC FESTIVAL • NEW BRUNSWICK HIGHLAND GAMES FESTIVAL, FREDERICTON • SHEDIAC LOBSTER FESTIVAL AUGUST • ADRENALINE MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL, CAMPBELLTON • AREA 506 FESTIVAL, SAINT JOHN • CHOCOLATE FEST, ST. STEPHEN • FESTIVAL ACADIEN DE CARAQUET • FUNDY SEA SHANTY FESTIVAL, ST. MARTINS • MIRAMICHI FOLKSONG FESTIVAL • TASTE OF ATLANTIC CANADA FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER • ATLANTIC BALLOON FIESTA, SUSSEX • HARVEST MUSIC FESTIVAL OCTOBER • INDULGE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL, SAINT ANDREWS LES DIGUES, FRUITS AND VEGETABLES • NEW BRUNSWICK TOURISM