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What to see & Do in Fredericton

Culture & History across Fredericton 

Spend an afternoon exploring the city centre and the Historic Garrison District. Set on the shores of the Saint John River, the Garrison is a heritage centre and in many ways, the beating heart of the city. Here, visitors will find The Fredericton Region Museum, cobblestone streets, artisanal offerings and free live concerts throughout the summer. The museum houses 12 historic exhibits, from folklore to military history, to stories of people who called this city home. 

The Fredericton Region Museum | Map link
571 Queen St, Fredericton, NB E3B 5C8
Admission: Adults $6, students $3, children under 6 free. 

The recently renovated Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a cultural highlight of Fredericton. The gallery was Lord Beaverbrook’s gift to New Brunswick’s residents and is one of Canada’s best museums. The recent expansion of the Harrison McCain Pavilion added 9000 ft2 to the Gallery. This bright open space has a lovely cafe and the Gallery gift shop. In the many rooms of this beautiful space, visitors will find pieces showcasing visual art from the Atlantic region and well beyond. Between the Renaissance and Victorian art, you will also find contemporary works by Canadian Indigenous artists and the Grandfather Akwiten canoe, believed to be the oldest birch bark canoe in the world. 

One of the gallery’s prized possessions is Santiago El Grande, Salvador Dalí’s. The painting is one of his biggest pieces and was originally meant to hang in a chapel. The gallery offers tours hosted by one of its security guards and docents, Gerry Rymes, whose deep art and Beaverbrook Gallery knowledge make this visit a truly unique experience. This tour can be booked with the art gallery directly by email.

Beaverbrook Art Gallery | Map link
703 Queen St, Fredericton, NB E3B 1C4
Admission: Adults $20, seniors and sudents $14, youth $8.50, children under 6 free. 
education@beaverbrookartgallery.org

The best way to see Salvador Dalí’s Santiago El Grande (image on the right), is by lying down on the floor against the wall. According to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s guide, Gerry Rymes (centre image), it is how you would’ve seen the painting in its intended place in a chapel. Images by Kateryna Topol.

Tours & Experiences 

The Fredericton Capital Region is situated within the Wolastoqey traditional territory, along the Saint John River, locally better known as Wolastoq. Many of the city’s nature experiences are facilitated by the members of the Wolastoqey Nation. The city’s Odell Park contains one of the few old-growth forests left in Canada, with 500-year-old hemlock trees towering above the paths.

The best way to experience this forest is by joining a Medicine Walk operated by cultural interpreter Cecelia Brooks and her son Anthony, from Wabanaki Tree Spirit Tours. Cecelia will guide you through the forest, speaking to its natural wonders and the medicinal properties of various flora and fauna found in the woods. The tour concludes in the garden with teas service and cookies made with acorn flour.

Wabanaki Tree Spirit Tours 
Book by sending an email to wabanakitreespirit@gmail.com or texting 506-461-6806.

For a more active adventure, head to Wolastoq Adventures, who operate canoe tours and rentals, including Canada’s first illuminated kayaking and paddleboarding tours.

Medicine walk led by Cecelia Brooks from Wabanaki Tree Spirit Tours, Fredericton. The cookies pictured above are made with acorn flour.
Images by Kateryna Topol.

Festivals & Special events

An event that brings people from all over the world to Fredericton annually is the New Brunswick Spirits Festival. Taking place in November, this is Canada’s biggest and oldest whisky festival. Producers and spirits fans from across Canada and the world flock to Fredericton to gather for nearly a week of special meals and unique workshops.

In June, Sitansisk (St. Mary’s First Nation, part of the Wolastoqey Nation) holds the annual Powwow. This is a two-day celebration of arts, language, and culture. Events include community breakfast, grand entry parade, drumming, and dance competitions. St. Mary’s Powwow kicks off the Powwow Trail with nine more Powwows across the province. The 2026 Powwow is scheduled for June 19th to 21st.

Among other festivals are the New Brunswick Highland Games, Frediculous Comedy Festival, Queen Street Crawl, Flourish Festival, Nashwaak Music Festival, Summer Music Festival, Future Forest, and many various food events. See the complete list of festivals on frederictoncapitalregion.ca. 

Images from a New Brunswick Spirits Festival event at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton. Images by Kateryna Topol.

Where to eat & Drink in Fredericton

The city’s tagline is “Life well crafted,” so naturally, there are quite a few breweries and distilleries in the area. In the Fredericton region, you will find Gahan House Riverside, King West Brewing and RustiCo., Grimross Brewing Company, Maybee Brewery, Graystone Brewing, The CAP, Picaroons Roundhouse, and TrailWay Brewing Co.. If craft breweries are your fancy, a fun way to see them all is by following the #FredTapTrail. 

First Light Distillery and Scout’s Original Sandwich Shop, located in the same space, are a great stop for lunch or dinner. First Light are best known for their vodka and sell plenty of it ready-to-drink on tap. The Distillery offers tours, mixology classes, and occasionally hosts bingo nights. Scout’s sandwich shop, set on the left side of the taproom, serves made-to-order, delicious sandwiches and locally famous desserts, among other things.

Jenna’s Nut Free Dessertery, located a little bit out of the city, on your way from the airport, is a destination lunch spot. Indigenous-owned and operated by Jenna White, the cafe serves a selection of traditional dishes and Jenna’s take on brunch items, like breakfast sandwiches on bannock. Jenna also operates pop-up cafes at local events and hosts special events throughout the year. 

Wolastoq Wharf Seafood Restaurant is another local favourite. The restaurant serves fresh seafood largely sourced from St. Mary’s First Nation community members, representing its people and locality. On the menu, you will find shareable starters, hearty grilled mains, pastas, and signature desserts. Every meal starts with bannock served with butter and molasses – a Wolastoq Wharf signature. The restaurant is fairly small, so reservations are strongly recommended. 

The Lunar Rogue Pub is a must for whisky drinkers and all people who enjoy a good pub. Opened in 1989, the pub is a part of the city’s fabric and has one of the biggest whisky collections in the country. The collection, in fact, is so deep you need to download an app to see the complete list. Food and other beverages are, of course, also available. 

If you are in the city on Saturday, don’t miss the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market. With over 200 vendors, including farmers and artisans, the market is one of the best in Canada. 

Eggs Benedict on bannock and a bannock breakfast sandwich at Jenna’s Nut Free Dessertery, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Image by Kateryna Topol.

Dinner at the Wolastoq Wharf Seafood Restaurant, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Image by Kateryna Topol.

Where to stay in Fredericton

Delta Fredericton is perhaps the best hotel in the city. Recently renovated, the hotel has spacious rooms with a beautiful view of the river and a spectacular bar with a large centrepiece on the ground floor. Among the other coveted amenities are the indoor pool, outdoor barrel saunas, and the seasonal Drift Pool + Patio – a destination for locals as much as it is for visitors. The hotel is not quite in the Downtown, but you can ask the hotel for a taxi or use ridesharing apps like Kari and Uride if a walk is not in the cards.

Crowne Plaza Fredericton-Lord Beaverbrook would be a great Downtown alternative. The hotel has a restaurant and an on-site pub as well as an indoor pool and a fitness centre. For a more local stay, take a look at the Quartermain House Bed & Breakfast, a five-star heritage landmark B&B with ensuite baths, heated floors, and plush robes. 

Delta Fredericton by Marriott
225 Woodstock Rd, Fredericton, NB E3B 2H8
Rooms starting at $269 CAD for King
Book directly on marriott.com or compare with your favourite booking site: Expedia | Booking.com | TripAdvisor 

Crowne Plaza Fredericton-Lord Beaverbrook
659 Queen St, Fredericton, NB E3B 1C4
Rooms starting at $184 CAD for Queen
Book directly on ihg.com or compare with your favourite booking site: Expedia | Booking.com | TripAdvisor 

Quartermain House Bed & Breakfast
92 Waterloo Row, Fredericton, NB E3B 1Y9
Rooms starting from $150 CAD, a two-night minimum applies in high season. 
Book directly on quartermainhouse.com. Find past guest reviews on TripAdvisor 

The post Fredericton city guide: From Dalí to drams with a side of bannock appeared first on Paths to Travel.

New Brunswick Distillery is located in the small town of Bathurst, New Brunswick. The business is a passion project of Katherine Lanteigne and her husband, Michael (Mihai) Petrovici, fueled by a generational history in spirit making. With just over a year in production, the distillery has already received a Silver award for Best Distillery in NB by Excellence NB, People’s Choice Award (2025), and the Vodka Lemonade received the “Foodie’s Choice Award” by Food & Beverage Atlantic (2025).

Kateryna Topol: When did New Brunswick Distillery open? 

Katherine Lanteigne: We opened in July 2024. We are still very, very new, and as you could see at the NB Spirits Festival, we only had two gins because when we registered a few months ago, we only had those two products at the liquor store [the festival requires pre-approval of all showcased spirits]. But now we have more, including vodka, rum, and ready-to-drink beverages (RTD), so we are slowly but surely making our way into the market. 

It was an honour to be at the Spirits Festival, because there were only two companies from New Brunswick – First Light Distillery and us – and it is a whisky-focused festival, so making the cut was an honour. A few of our RTD products have put us on the map because they have been performing well in stores, which helped us catch the attention of the ANBL (The New Brunswick Liquor Corporation).

KT: Which is great support, I’m sure. As far as the concept for the distillery, your website mentions generations of spirit-making history, tell me about that

KL: My husband, Michael Petrovici, is from Eastern Europe, from Romania, and making spirits is deeply rooted in their traditions. It is still legal in Romania to make your own alcohol, so it’s very common for people to have a still in their garage or backyard. The earth in Romania is so fertile, it is insane. You walk on the streets, and there are apricot trees, blackberries growing in ditches, and hops climbing fences along the road. Here we are working hard to grow hops, and there they are basically a weed. So they have access to all this fruit so many of them make brandy. 

Michael’s parents have an orchard and since he was little, he was making alcohol with his father, grandfather, and uncles. And that’s still the case now, every time we go there, it’s like “batch 2025” there, it’s called Țuică, it’s plum brandy, a national alcoholic beverage of Romania, but you can make it with any fruit. This year, his family made apple brandy. 

We met here, our distillery is on Main Street, and we do have a few other businesses here: Kaffeine Espresso Bar and Au Bootlegger Pub, just beside the distillery. Michael was always saying it would be nice to create something, some products and spirits. Which was also very tactical for our pub. Working with a distiller, Chris Bartkow, we started with what most distilleries start with: vodka, followed by gin, because those two don’t need ageing. We now have two gins, including a London Dry gin called Leap Day London Dry, which we tested on Leap Day before we opened; it was a very special day. That was followed by vodka and the Lemon Lavender Gin, which we had at the Spirits Festival.

Left: Distiller Chris Bartkow; image by La Cave Media. Katherine Lanteigne at the Food & Beverage Atlantic awards.

KT: And those two go hand-in-hand because you need vodka to make the gin, right?

KL: Yes, exactly! And then we started making the RTD products, which I think is what gained us all the attention. Our Vodka Lemonade launched in April, and in the summer, it surpassed Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Smirnoff Iced in sales, which is when ANBL noticed us.

KT: Very cool! I don’t see them on your website, though …

KL: No, because we aren’t selling them online, we are having a hard time keeping up with the demand. 

KT: So it’s kind of like you closed a loop between your properties by opening a distillery, and you make beer as well? 

KL: We do make beer, but it’s mostly for our bar. There is so much competition in beer, so spirits are the main focus. We actually just launched Vodka Carbanerry, made with local cranberries, and it’s been very popular. 

KT: So you use a lot of local ingredients?

KL: We try to source as locally as possible, but things like lemons, you can’t get those here. We recently launched a new gin, called Arboré Gin, which uses all local ingredients. I go into the Acadian Forest with my family to forage throughout the year. It’s a very local gin which uses things like spruce tips, cedar bark, winter greens, and so on. Our first batch was only 69 bottles, which we sold in a week and a half. For this gin, it takes us a full year to gather all the ingredients because they are not available year-round. We’re in the middle of bottling the latest batch now, should be about 500 bottles this time.

KT: Very cool! What are some of your other sustainability initiatives?

KL: We have a few. Right now, all of the leftover stillage from production we send to local farmers, for example. We are also looking at creative ways to use the leftover botanicals from the gin, aiming to produce as little waste as possible.

All branding for the distillery is done by a local designer, Zoé Arseneau from Miette Design. Images by La Cave Media.

KT: Being located in the heart of Bathurst, you probably don’t have a lot of room to grow, how big is your production?

KL: We have one still, and to be honest, we are already feeling like we’re running out of space. It’s a three-story building, but everything happens on the main floor. There is also a tasting room there, so not a lot of room for production. For example, if we’re shipping 13 pallets of RTDs, we don’t actually have floorspace to store them, so we have to get creative. 

KT: So no immediate plans for expansion?

KL: Not right now, we don’t want to grow too fast, we need to look at trends and think through it all strategically to avoid being a one-hit-wonder.

KT: Totally makes sense. And people can visit the distillery?

KL: Yes, we have a tasting room, we do tours, and the space is available for event rentals as well. We are looking at hosting bigger tour groups in Bathurst, so working on fine-tuning those in the next few months. We will also soon have workshops, like a workshop on making your own gin – we have a six-station area upstairs, called the gin school, it’s already gathering quite a bit of attention because of the setup. 

Images by La Cave Media.

The post On the makings of a distillery with Katherine Lanteigne from the New Brunswick Distillery appeared first on Paths to Travel.

This trip can take a weekend if you move fast, or a couple of weeks if you sit back to enjoy the views and brews. But no matter the duration below are a few key spots you should visit during the trip. A few spots I would like to visit when the borders open and the world heals.

This article might contain affiliate links. Read the disclaimer about affiliate links & PR gifting here. 
Cover image: Fundy Parkway by Nick Hawkins for New Brunswick tourism.

Come face-to-face with ancient nature at Hopewell Rocks

This provincial park is considered to be New Brunswick’s top tourist attraction and is factually home to the world’s highest tides which advance at 13 ft per hour straight up! You can see the magnitude of the tides changing in this fun video where park attendants get absorbed by the rising water up to their necks in a mere 25 minutes – it really is amazing. During the low tide, you can walk the ocean floor. At high tide, you could kayak around the ancient rocks that you were looking up at half an hour ago. These rocks, referred to as “flower pots,” have been carved by the tides over thousands of years. Some of them look like faces, some like animals, and some really do look like flower pots. All are very, very old.  

The park pass offers 2-day access to the area, which means you can experience the tide variance firsthand. Exploring the ocean floor is just one of the many activities available to visitors in the park. Travellers can also hike through various trails, sit back on the quiet beachside, spot the resident falcons (rumour has it their family is growing), shop for locally made gifts, learn at the interpretive centre, and take a break at the on-site restaurant. 

When to go: The best time of year to visit is between May and October.

If you go: Check the tide tables before you go. Be prepared to get dirty – shoes have been lost in the wet sand. The park is not accessible by public transit, but there are organised tours that can take you there.

Be one of the first to hike the Fundy Trail

Fundy Trail Parkway is a 6,300-acre park located on the Southern coast of New Brunswick. It is already home to two UNESCO sites and, with new developments, is set to become the best new scenic drive in Canada – watch out, Sea-to-Sky highway! New roads are being built connecting this last remaining coastal wilderness area from Florida to the town of Sussex, between St John and nearby mountains. These new roads are not only opening up new hiking trails but setting the ground for new itineraries, making it easier to explore the Bay of Fundy.

Now back to the Fundy Trail: Located roughly 2 hours from Saint John, the park is very remote and operates sustainably, focusing on preserving the unspoiled nature and wildlife of the coast. Depending on the fitness level and available time, visitors can spend a day hiking or multiple days camping on the designated hike sites. 

If you go: There is an easy visitors guide based on your available time here. And if you are camping the recommended visit duration for avid hikers is 3-5 days. 

What’s there to see?

Naturally, there is also an interpreter’s center, snack bar, exhibit center, and gift shop. Not too far from the visitor facilities is a 275-foot suspension bridge crossing the river where the Fundy footpath begins. The foot trail spans over 60km of wilderness from Fundy Trail Parkway to Fundy National Park. Throughout the park, hikers will also find four unique waterfalls, some of which are a part of the longer hike, and some, like the Fuller Falls, are easier to access. A huge point of interest for summer visitors is the many beaches accessible from the trails and from the road. Some beaches are small and rocky, while others are long and sandy. One of the bigger beaches in Long Beach, and from here you can witness the famous horizontal tides while basking in the sun.  

Wine, dine, and drink cocktails in Saint John

Saint John is Canada’s oldest incorporated city and the only city on Fundy Bay. All around the city, there are beautiful sandy beaches and access to natural landscapes but the city itself is promising to be an urban oasis. Here you will find a range of historic B&Bs, craft cocktails, and nearly 80 restaurants sprinkled across 16 city blocks. The local specialties are seafood, smoked salmon, cheese, dulse (seaweed spice), blueberries, and of course maple syrup.

For a cocktail break (see recipe below) we virtually met up with Jen Silliphant, from Envision Saint John, and Gillian Nadeau, from Uncorked Tours. The ladies passionately spoke about their favourite restaurants, dishes prepared by award-winning chefs, local farmer’s markets, as well as wine and beer experiences. Saint John is also a culturally beautiful location showcasing works by notable street artists, turn-of-the-century architecture, and famous Carleton’s Martello tower, and within a short drive, you can visit St. Martins, the Irving Nature Park, and New River Beach. 

Where to stay: Complete list of accommodations, from hotels to outdoor stays can be found here. From a quick search, these spots look very promising are:

• Homeport Historic B&B Inn
• Earle of Leinster “Inn Style” Bed & Breakfast
• Château Saint John Hotel & Suites in Saint John
• Vista Ridge Cottages
• Broadleaf Ranch, for glamping and so on

The vastness of Canada can be hard to wrap your head around sometimes, even one province at a time because there is so much to see. But we can narrow in one region at a time. The Bay of Fundy is one of those uniquely stunning regions that you could spend your entire vacation exploring. Whether touring fast or unwinding through slow travel there is a lot to see and do. Here “nature inspires” (the county’s slogan), flavours will make you salivate, the scenery might make you cry, and the maritime hospitality will make it feel like home.

Cocktail recipe:
Gillian Nadeau’s Slocum’s Maple Smash

1.5 oz Vodka or neutral moonshine
1 oz Lemon juice (juice from a whole lemon)
0.75 oz Maple syrup
Mix together (no shaking) and pour over a single layer of ice in your glass
Top with soda water if desired

The post Planning a trip through New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy region appeared first on Paths to Travel.