Fredericton in the Summertime: Fredericton City Guide Highlights!

The first time I visited Fredericton, I was only there for 1 day. I was doing a road trip around the East Coast and because I only had about a week out there (not enough time, I soon learned!) my visit was limited to walking around the downtown and not much else. Nevertheless, Fredericton did leave a good impression on me all those years ago, so I was happy to return for a longer visit this summer.

Since Sam’s parents live there, we had a nice place to stay in the downtown area, and they also gave us lots of cool tips on places to visit and activities to check out. Here’s a look at a few of the highlights from our summer visit:

Fredericton in the Summertime: Fredericton City Guide Highlights!

Kayaking on the St. John River

Kayaking was one of the funnest things I did in Fredericton. The St. John River which runs through the city is quite calm, so I felt very confident going out on the water without a guide. Sam and I headed down to Second Nature Outdoors at the Small Craft Aquatic Center and met with Andrew who got us all geared up and ready to go. He recommended some cool areas where we could go kayaking, so we followed his tips and decided to head up a little side stream shaded by trees. Nature at its finest!

If you’re passing through Fredericton in the summertime, I highly recommend you try it. It’s such a relaxing way to soak in nature, plus the kayak rentals are really affordable at $12/hr! If you’re not a kayaker, there are all sorts of other activities you can try out on the water like canoeing and stand up paddleboarding.

Biking the Nashwaak Trail

Sam’s dad is really into biking, so one morning he and Sam invited me to come out for a bike ride on the Nashwaak Trail. What I failed to ask was how long we’d be gone… Two and a half hours later my knees were burning as we made our way back home. I may not have been able to walk for the rest of the day, but I did get to see all kinds of wildlife – a great blue heron, a beaver, and even a cute chipmunk – and even though my fitness levels were tested to the limit, I have to admit that I really enjoyed biking across farmlands, over bridges, and through thick forests.

 

Attending the Highland Games

It was soon after arriving in Fredericton that someone mentioned the New Brunswick Highland Games would be taking place over the weekend. Highland dancing, bagpipes, kilts? I was in!

Things kicked off with a Kilted Run (a 5 kilometre run in kilts!), but the most impressive part was watching the Heavy Events take place. Some of the events included the caber toss, the ancient stone throw, and the weight toss for height. Some serious showmanship took place.

Aside from the heavy events there were all kinds of workshops happening over the weekend. I decided to sit in during the 1 hour intro to Gaelic, which I now believe is the hardest language I’ve ever attempted studying – yes, even harder than German! Some words appeared to have silent letters, others had letters that made sounds completely different from those found in the English language – it just made no sense to me! I do remember Fàilte = welcome, Sláinte = cheers, and is mise Audrey = my name is Audrey. But that’s it. Let’s just say I wont’ be speaking Gaelic anytime soon.

King's Landing - a historical settlement in New Brunswick.

King’s Landing

First let me start off by saying that this place has nothing to do with Game of Thrones! I had people commenting about GOT characters as I was posting photos on Instagram, and I was so confused…apparently I’m out of the loop when it comes to popular television.

King’s Landing is a small historical settlement located about a 45 minute drive from Fredericton, and it’s a cool way to travel back through time and see what life was like in New Brunswick during the 1800s. I really enjoyed it because you’re not just walking through historical buildings, but you’re also meeting people who are playing characters from that time period.

My favourite part of the visit was attending a temperance meeting. The Canada Temperance Act was a hot topic back in 1878 and it allowed certain municipalities to opt in to a prohibitionary scheme – basically, no booze! At King’s Landing they reenacted a temperance rally, and we were invited to drink lemonade and sign petitions against the “Demon Rum”. We also sang songs, which went something along the lines of “lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine!” (You’ll be able to see a clip of it in the video located at the end of this post.)

Going on a Haunted Walk after dark

If you find yourself in Fredericton during the summer months and are looking for a unique look at the city’s history, I would suggest going on a Haunted Hike of the town. The tour is run by a theatre troupe known as the Calithumpians and they put on such a good show! We set out just after 9 p.m. as it was starting to get dark out, and met various ghostly characters along the way. We even stopped at the Old Burial Ground which dates back to 1787! It was a fun way to spend the evening, and a few families even came with their young children, so you know it’s not that spooky.

And lastly, here’s a little video that Sam and I filmed during our visit to Fredericton:

 

Have you been to Fredericton or somewhere in the Maritimes?
What was it like?

Join the Conversation

17 Comments

  1. says: Justine

    Honestly, I’d never heard of Fredericton before now. But it sounds like a wonderful place. Biking the trails sounds really fun to me. As do the Highland Games!

    1. says: Audrey

      They were a lot of fun! After having attended these, I’d love to experience the Highland Games in Scotland which are done on an even bigger scale.

  2. says: Kendra (the Escapologist)

    The Highland Games look like so much fun! Also, I love haunted walks. I really don’t know why because I don’t believe in ghosts or anything…they are always filled with fascinating tales from the city’s history.

  3. says: cdnsk12

    I visited Fredericton in July 2014. I only had 2 days there; so I didn’t get the full Monte. It was a pleasant town. I wonder how autos get up & down the big hill (past the university) on the Hwy out of town? Fredericton was a famous ship building area in the mid 1800’s.

  4. We haven’t spent nearly enough time in New Brunswick! We have been to Moncton, Hopewell Rocks and St. Andrews by the Sea but that’s it. My younger daughter would love King’s Landing – visiting historical settlements like that is one of her favourite things to do!

    1. says: Audrey

      The Hopewell Rocks are a great spot! I got to visit a few years ago, and I went just after sunrise so the whole place was deserted. I’d love to make it out there again!

  5. says: Leigh

    I missed Fredericton last summer while in NB but I always here great things about this city. Love the sound of kayaking the river.

  6. says: Renuka

    Fantastic things to do! I am particularly intrigued by haunted walks! The place looks so balmy and beautiful – a perfect escape for a chilled out time.

  7. says: romeo

    wow i lived in canada for a long time, id never heard of Fredricton lol

    those are some awesome pictures you got – looks super nice there right now especially that its summer!

    Thanks and pura vida!

    Romeo

  8. says: Mary @ Green Global Travel

    Looks like a ton of fun in Fredericton! I love the second set of pictures. It looks very homey and quaint there. Thanks for sharing your time there!

  9. says: James

    Did my undergrad here, and I’m back here now to establish a home base (or explore it at least, but so far, so good!). With 10 microbreweries and counting, tons of cultural attractions, a historic downtown, a nightlife boosted by a young student population, and shady elms that make this city pleasant in the summer and fall, it’s an awesome place to be!

    Also, with a tech scene that is growing fast, great place to make contacts if you work on the net like we do!

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