New Brunswick is a province in Eastern Canada that has an estimated population of 776,827 as of 2019. It is bordered by Quebec to the north, the Bay of Fundy to the South, the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the east and the State of Maine to the west. It is also connected to Nova Scotia by a small southeast portion of land.

New Brunswick is the largest out of the three maritime provinces which include New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. However, New Brunswick is the third smallest province in Canada only taking up 72,908 square kilometers of the nationals total area of 9,984,670 square kilometers.

New Brunswick was one of the original 4 provinces to join the Dominion of Canada back in 1867 alongside Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. New Brunswick is also the only province in Canada that is bilingual, speaking both English and French, since 1969 when the Official Languages Act was passed. In 2016 it was reported that over 30% of the population spoke French as their first language in New Brunswick while over 40% of people have french knowledge.

Most of the main drivers in New Brunswick’s economy are resource-based industries such as forestry, mining and fishing. The largest resource is by far forestry as approximately 80% of the province is covered by forest land and forest products are one of the main components of the province’s economy. Forest products include solid wood products, wood pulp, paper and paper products and they accounted for over $1.9 billion worth of exports in 2017 and provided over 20,000 jobs both directly and indirectly.

Aside from manufacturing, there are many jobs in the service and tourism industries but in comparison to other parts of Canada, the province has a slower job market. Due to the limited employment opportunities available in New Brunswick, it is one of the least expensive provinces in Canada to purchase a home with an average home price of about $183,000 in 2020 when compared to the Canadian average of $488,000.

There are a total of 8 major cities in New Brunswick including Bathurst, Campbellton, Dieppe, Edmundston, Fredericton, Miramichi, Moncton and Saint John. Additionally, there are 26 towns, 61 villages, 8 rural communities and 1 regional municipality. Continue reading to learn more about the major cities and fun things to do in New Brunswick, Canada.

Fredericton, New Brunswick

Fredericton is the capital city of New Brunswick and has a population of over 58,000 making it the third-largest city in New Brunswick after Moncton and Saint John.

The city is located in the south-central section of the province and has the Saint John River running through the middle. The Saint John River is the longest river in Eastern Canada totaling a length of 673km. It stretches from the State of Maine, up through northern New Brunswick and all the way south to the river’s mouth located on the Bay of Fundy. Fredericton sits 135km away from where the river mouth meets the Bay of Fundy.

The Saint John river offers tons of beauty and recreational activities for the residents and visitors of Fredericton including paddle boarding, jet skis, dinner cruises and even sculling which is a unique form of rowing that is popular on the river.

On the riverside, you can find kilometers worth of picturesque walking and cycling trails such as Valley Trail, South and North Riverfront Trail, Salamanca Trail, Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge and many more.

Fredericton is also home to Boyce’s Farmers Market, a local tradition that has been in operation since 1951 and now has over 200 local vendors that sell produce, meats, seafood, baked goods and other handcrafted items.

Fredericton is not only a great place to visit and explore, but it’s a great place to live and get an education with two universities located within the city. The University of New Brunswick was established in 1785 and is the second oldest English language university in Canada (second to Laval) and offers over 75 undergraduate and graduate programs. St. Thomas University was founded in 1910 and is a small liberal arts university that prides itself in small class sizes offering more individual learning opportunities, they have more than 30 academic programs to offer students.

Fredericton is a town of endless activities, entertainment and learning opportunities thanks to the city’s rich history.

Moncton, New Brunswick

Moncton is located in the southeastern part of the province and sits on the Petitcodiac River, it is the most populated city in New Brunswick with a population of over 85,000.

Right in the heart of Moncton, you’ll find Centennial Park, a beautiful year-round park with over 232 acres of thriving forest and open recreational spaces. Here you can enjoy walking and cycling trails, swimming and splash pads, cross country skiing, skating, tobogganing and more. If you would ever be in a Car Accident and you get injured make sure to contact aMoncton Personal Injury Lawyer.

Downtown Moncton also offers the Resurgo Place which is home to Moncton Museum, the Transportation Discovery Centre and also oversees the heritage landmarks in Moncton. Here residents and visitors can enjoy interactive and unique exhibits about science, transportation and history.

Meanwhile on the outskirts of Moncton lies the historic property and famous mystery of Magnetic Hill. Magnetic Hill is a unique optical illusion caused by the grade of the road and the fact the horizon line is hidden by terrain and trees, it causes the cars to appear as if they are moving uphill against the laws of gravity.

While in the area, pop into the largest zoo in Atlantic Canada and the 5th top-rated zoo in Canada, Magnetic Hill Zoo. This zoo spans over 40 acres and is home to over 400 animals made up of over 90 species.

Magnetic Hill in Moncton is truly a tourist hotspot as it is also home to the largest man-made tourist attraction in Atlantic Canada, Magic Mountain Splash Zone, which is a water park that has over 11 water slides, 3 pools, a wave pool, an arcade, mini-golf and more.

Moncton is the perfect place to visit on the east coast and offers plenty of fun for both residents and visitors.

Saint John, New Brunswick

Saint John is the second-largest city in New Brunswick by population with over 67,000 residents. It was incorporated on May 18, 1785, making it Canada’s oldest incorporated city.

It is the only city located on the shore of the Bay of Fundy and is considered to be the 5th major port in Canada, handling an average of 28 million metric tons of cargo every year.

Whether you are a resident or just visiting Saint John, the New Brunswick Museum located in the heart of uptown, is the perfect place to learn more about the city, the province and its rich history. Here you will see a full-size model of a whale, art, history, nature and take part in interactive activities revolving around the province’s roots.

To continue on the historic side of Saint John, it is also home to the Carleton Martello Tower which is an over 200-year-old fort that was built for defence purposes during the Napoleonic Wars. Here you can enjoy the view over the entire city and the Bay of Fundy while looking at historical information.

There are plenty of things to do in Saint John but one factor that ties all of these beautiful cities in the province together is the Bay of Fundy and its phenomenal effects on the area.

The Bay of Fundy, Moncton New Brunswick, Canada

The Bay of Fundy or Fundy Bay is one of the seven natural wonders of North America located on the east coast of Canada in between the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, it is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean.

It covers over 9,300 square km and is home to the highest tides on earth, reaching over 50 feet tall. High tides and low tides happen approximately every 6 hours in the bay is the difference of over 100 billion tonnes of water in the bay.

This effect is visible in multiple places throughout New Brunswick such as Hopewell Cape, Cape Enrage, St Andrews, Petitcodiac River and more.

These effects can either be shown as vertical or horizontal tide effects along with other phenomenons. Some of the most popular places to visit that highlight the incredible powers of the Bay of Fundy are listed below.

  1. Reversing Falls (Saint John River, Saint John, New Brunswick)

The Reversing Falls is one of the top tourist attractions in New Brunswick.

Twice daily a series of rapids located on the Saint John River experience a tidal cycle that causes the river to flow backward.

The best place to see the incredible force that is caused by the Bay of Fundy is at the head of the harbor at the Reversing Falls Bridge where you can see the waterfall that is forced to flow upstream and the intense whirlpools that are created.

While in the area you can also appreciate the phenomenon by visiting the Skywalk Saint John or Fallsview Park where you can enjoy beautiful views and get an even closer look during a boat ride or zipline adventure.

  1. Moncton Tidal Bore (Bore Park, 10 Bendview Court, Moncton, New Brunswick

Similar to the reversing falls, the Moncton tidal bore is a result of the intense tides coming in from the Bay of Fundy and making their way up the Petitcodiac River.

As the most famous of the tidal bores you can see that twice-daily It causes an incoming rush of water that overpowers the natural direction of the river and reaches heights of over 3 feet.

You can find the approximate times of the Moncton Tidal Bore at Resurgo Place.

  1. Hopewell Rocks Park

Hopewell Rocks are one of the most popular tourist attractions in New Brunswick and are recommended that you visit at both high tide and low tide to see the truly astonishing impact that the Bay of Fundy can have on the water levels in the area.

Here at low tide, you get the chance to see the beautiful formations of flowerpot rocks (caused by tidal erosion) that stand up to 70 feet tall and walk the ocean floor for over 2 km.

At high tide approximately 6 hours and 50 ft of water later you can explore the same areas but perhaps by boat, kayak or the observation points as they are now filled with water, making the flowerpot rocks appear as islands.

There are plenty of educational and interactive learning opportunities located at Hopewell Rock as well so it is fun for the whole family.