Continued from Day 3 ...
The next day was another gorgeous sun-baked day, and we started bright and early for Saint John, NB. This is New Brunswick's major port and industrial center, and lots of cruise ships dock here.
This city is spelled Saint John in full (no "s" at the end) to distinguish it from St. Johns in Newfoundland and Labrador. Saint John is about an hour and half away from Moncton, so makes for a perfect day trip.
New Brunswick Museum
Our first stop was the New Brunswick Museum. We were lucky - it was National Acadian Day - so entrance was free!
New Brunswick's 19th-century golden age of shipbuilding and sailing is beautifully represented, with artifacts and informative displays that give a sense of shipboard life and the places New Brunswick ships traveled.
There always has to be a mammoth - and this was in the great Changing Earth display, a hit with the kids.
What was the highlight was the Great Hall of Whales. It is pretty cool to walk under a full size whale and see how large the beast is!
They also had something I had never seen anywhere else before - a baleen. This is how whales filter their food.
Live Acadian Music as part of celebrations for
National Acadian Day
The Hall of Birds had models of all birds found
in and around New Brunswick
What I loved about the museum was that the emphasis is on interpreting and understanding rather than just looking at collections, so there was lots of hands on things to do, especially for kids.
Fort Howe National Historic Site
If you have a National Park Discovery Pass, it allows you entrance to all National Historic Sites free of cost as well. Although there was no entrance fee here, Fort Howe sits on a hill that allows a great view of the city and the harbour.
At one time it is surreal to image that this was a British fort built in Saint John during the American Revolution. It was erected shortly after the American siege in 1777 to protect the city from further American raids. And today it's a free tourist gathering spot.
You drive up the hill, park, take a few pictures, enjoy the view on a glorious day, and that's it.
Reversing Falls
Saint John stands on a rocky point where the Saint John River enters the Bay of Fundy, and one of its most interesting features is that twice each day, that process reverses, and the bay seems to empty into the river.
The combination of the Bay of Fundy's unusually high tides and a narrow gorge at the end of the estuary gives the city its famous Reversing Falls, one of New Brunswick's top tourist attractions.
There is a small trail that leads down to the base of the bridge from the parking lot, and you can see the famous whirlpool effect as the river "empties" into the bay on low tide (which is when you should visit - the whirlpools and the "emptying" effect is something to see).
Fundy National Park
On the way back, we drove through Fundy National Park. It was a detour, but hey - we had the pass! :-)
The Park showcases a rugged coastline which rises up to the Canadian Highlands, the highest tides in the world and more than 25 waterfalls. It really deserves its own full day(s) if you are into hiking and camping.
When one looks across the Bay, one can see the northern Nova Scotia coast. What was nice was to stop at one of the lookout points and see the Bay (and the Hopewell Cape).
Our final point, past the small town of Alma (best lobster ever), was to make a quick stop at Cape Enrage Lighthouse.
This was our two full days of exploring the Bay of Fundy and New Brunswick. Tomorrow - Prince Edward Island.
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