TRAVEL LIKE A LOCAL | Top 10,000 Places to Visit in Canada
The page created by Graeme Kennedy | University of New Brunswick | Photo by Knoxfordguy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Located in the middle of New Brunswick’s capital city, Odell Park is one of the country’s best-preserved old-growth forests.
Spanning over 300 acres, the park features 16km of wooded trails open year-round, disc golf, botanic gardens, a playground, pond, and a covered picnic pavilion. In the winter months, there is skating, sledding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Photo: Google Street View
September
Fredericton’s annual Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival takes over downtown for six days every September, bringing in world-class performers such as Mavis Staples, Sturgill Simpson, Robert Plant, and Lucinda Williams to perform alongside local favourites.
The main shows are staged in large tents, with a select number of theatre performances and a number of outdoor attractions: a children’s stage, a local stage, street performers and a plethora of food vendors.
The festival brought in 100,000 attendees in its 29th season, proving to be a staple of Atlantic Canada’s vibrant music culture.
Photo: facebook.com/theharvestmusicfestival
Wolastoq Wharf is one of Fredericton’s culinary gems. The restaurant, located in St. Mary’s First Nation reserve, offers an impressive variety of dishes from brunch to dinner but is well known for its seafood and bannock bread.
It is an annual recipient of the “Where to Eat in Canada” recommendation and a local favourite. Try the seafood risotto.
Photo: facebook.com/WolastoqWharf
The Cap is a music-lover’s dream: an all-in-one brewery, record store and live-music venue located in the heart of downtown Fredericton.
Though it has served for many years as the city’s primary stop for national touring acts, The Cap has expanded to house a record store with a fully-serviced bar (to enhance your shopping experience) and a nano-brewery where a variety of in-house beers are kegged and canned for the bar, and take-home purchase. The expansive patios, craft beer, and famous craft cocktails make The Cap a regular meeting spot for casual drinks.
At night, the venue is home to the best live entertainment in the city: rock and roll, roots, soul, hip-hop, metal, punk, country, live comedy, bingo, drag shows, and more. On top of it all, The Cap prides itself on being a safe space for all to visit, cementing its place as a year-round local favourite at any time of day.
Photo: facebook.com/thecaplive
The Beaverbrook Art gallery is New Brunswick’s provincial gallery. It holds a permanent collection of works by Henri Matisse, Joshua Reynolds, Salvador Dali, Emily Carr, members of the group of seven, and many more.
The recently renovated gallery includes a café, gift shop, and sculpture garden. It is worth the stop just to see Gerald Beaulieu’s stunning outdoor sculpture installation, Where the Rubber Meets the Road, consisting of two crows, both around 5 metres long, made from used car tires.
Photo: facebook.com/BeaverbrookArtGallery
The Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge is a converted railway bridge that offers pedestrian passage over the Wolastoq River (also known as the Saint John river), connecting the North and South sides of the city. The bridge is a part of both the Trans Canada Trail and the Sentier NB Trail, and at 607 metres across, it is one of the longest walking bridges in the world. It is happily shared by commuters, families, dogs, cyclists, and runners, enjoying the magnificent view of the 25-foot rise over the broad river. The bridge provides the opportunity for exercise, car-free travel, and natural beauty through all seasons. On the north side, you’ll find the Picaroons Roundhouse, a brewery and restaurant with a large patio, and Carleton Park, a green space perfect for a picnic overlooking the river and the downtown skyline.
Southside Access: Queen St. and Brunswick St. | Northside Access: Union St.
Photo: Larry Dickinson, CC-BY-SA-4.0
Matt Stairs won the Major League Baseball World Championship in 2008 as part of the Philadelphia Phillies. Stairs also hold the MLB record for most home runs by a pinch-hitter (23) and is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Many Canadians will remember him as a 2007-2008 Toronto Blue Jays member.
Stairs started playing Beaver League ball in Fredericton, eventually playing for the local Marysville Royals and the Fredericton Schooners.
The home field of the Fredericton Royals, Royals Field, was designated as one of Canada’s Historic Places in 2010. The field has been in operation for more than a century.
Photo: Keith Allison on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0; historicplaces.ca
June
Flourish Festival is an annual springtime multi-disciplinary arts festival occurring in downtown Fredericton. The eclectic festival brings in performers in various musical genres from all across the country while also presenting visual art exhibitions, theatre performances, public art, educational workshops, and more.
In the four years since its inception, Flourish Festival’s exciting and unpredictable approach to programming and its inclusive ideals of the community have made it a much anticipated week in New Brunswick’s cultural calendar.
Photo: facebook.com/flourishfredericton
St. Anne’s Chapel is a small Anglican chapel built in 1847 using stone. The interior is relatively simplistic if one simply glances at it.
However, at a closer look, you can see many intricate details hidden in the altar, benches, and on walls. The interior’s yellow walls help create the appearance of more light than there actually is.
