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Once the favored stomping grounds of millionaires and celebrities who journeyed here for silver, salmon-filled rivers and rustic lodges deep in primeval forests, New Brunswick's beauty and abundance has slipped off most bucket lists in recent decades. Living in the shadows of its more fashionable neighbors, Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Nova Scotia, New Brunswick is regularly referred to as the 'forgotten' or 'drive-through' province. Those who do explore its majestic, brown-sugar beaches, culturally rich Acadian villages, quaint coastal islands and vast tracks of forests brimming with wildlife are richly rewarded. Whether you're kayaking through the world's highest tides, wandering through world-class museums, or bibbing up for a lobster feast, it'll often just be you and the locals. Visit before the secret gets out.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout New Brunswick.
Nature Reserve
Stretching east from St Martins for 30 glorious kilometers, this magnificent parkway provides big ocean views and access to a large network of trails and footpaths along the Bay of Fundy coast. The 30km-long parkway offers numerous viewpoints, picnic areas and beach access points while trails lead to waterfalls, suspension bridges and more sandy beaches. There are hopes to extend the parkway to Fundy National Park by 2021.
Natural Feature
The Hopewell Rocks are bizarre sandstone erosion formations known as 'flowerpots,' rising from the ocean floor. They resemble giant arches, stone mushrooms and animals. Many come to marvel at their Dr Seussian look, making the rocks New Brunswick's top attraction and certainly one of its most crowded. You can only walk amid the rocks at low tide; at high tide, the rock towers are still visible from the well-trafficked trails that wind through the woods above, or you can join a kayaking tour to bob around them.
Historic Site
A visit to Kings Landing, 36km west of Fredericton, is a somewhat surreal step back in time. The majority of the early-19th-century buildings are original, moved here and beautifully restored to create a Loyalist village with homes, churches, a schoolhouse, general store, sawmill and print shop. Staff role-play actual people who lived and worked here and are busy with everyday 19-century life, chatting about the village's goings on. Don't be shy – ask lots of questions to learn and experience the most.
Park
Just 9km northeast of Bouctouche, Irving Eco Centre makes accessible 'La Dune de Bouctouche,' a gorgeous, powder-soft sandspit jutting into the strait. The interpretive center has worthwhile displays, but the highlight is the 800m boardwalk that weaves above the sea grass along the dunes. The peninsula itself is 12km long, taking more than four hours to hike over the loose sand and back. If you're short on time, walk the boardwalk and return along the beautiful beach, taking a dip along the way.
Museum
This excellent gallery was a gift to the town from Lord Beaverbrook. The exceptional collection includes works by international heavyweights and is well worth an hour or so. Among others you will see Dalí, Freud, Gainsborough and Turner, Canadian artists Tom Thompson, Emily Carr and Cornelius Krieghoff, as well as changing contemporary exhibits of Atlantic art.
Park
Southernmost Campobello Island is home to this 1133-hectare park. Its star attraction is Roosevelt Cottage, the 34-room lodge where Franklin D Roosevelt came with his family between 1905 and 1921 and visited periodically throughout his US presidency (1933–45). The surprisingly rustic structure is furnished with original Roosevelt furniture and artifacts; well-versed tour guides give insight into the Roosevelts' personal lives. Adjacent Hubbard House, built in 1891 and home to an insurance broker and concert pianist, is far more glamorous.
Natural Feature
The Bay of Fundy's phenomenal tides are a defining characteristic along this coast. Here, where the Saint John River nears this tidal bay, one of the province's best-known sights occurs. Known as the Reversing Rapids, the real action is happening underwater, where a 61m waterfall drops into a plunge pool. What you see from above is the high tides of the Bay of Fundy colliding with the strong river current, causing rapids, standing waves and the water to flow upstream.
Historic Site
Sitting atop a hill overlooking green fields rolling down to the Bay of Fundy and across to Nova Scotia, this historical site is well worth a visit. Built in 1751 to hold back the British and later reinforced by the British invaders, it was used as a stronghold during the American Revolution and War of 1812. The fort's unique star-shaped design, with angles and corners, made it trickier to hit. Exploring underground barracks and casement rooms makes for an atmospheric adventure.
Island
This picturesque tidal island was once used as a retreat by William Cornelius Van Horne, builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway and one of Canada's wealthiest men. As well as touring the island on foot along 20km of marked trails, you can visit Covenhoven, his splendid 50-room Edwardian cottage, plus the towerlike stone bathhouse, tidal swimming pool and stunning, château-like barn (the largest freestanding wooden structure in Canada).