by boat, by car, by foot � get to >> >>St. Andrew's, New Brunswick

By Fran Folsom

2007-09-18

Drive time
4 hrs., 30 minutes/244 miles
Take the highway all the way to Bangor, then use Exit 182A toward ME-9/Brewer. Merge onto Rte 1A via Exit 6A toward Bar Harbor. You’ll turn left onto Kidder Hill Rd. then right onto Main Rd./ME-9 for 76 miles. Look for a right onto Houlton Rd. and a left on South Main St., crossing into Canada. South Main becomes Provincial Rte 1. Go right onto Milltown Blvd., then left onto King St. At the roundabout, take the first exit onto Provincial Rte. 1E for 68 miles. Take Exit 122 toward St. John Centre.

Touring tips

• In St. Stephen, tour the Chocolate Museum of
Ganog Chocolates, Canada’s oldest family-owned
chocolate factory. Free samples for noshing are
located throughout the museum (www.chocolatemuseum.ca).

• Indulge New Brunswick runs from Oct. 19-21. It’s
a weekend dedicated to great food, art gallery tours
and musical performances in St. Andrews
(www.indulgenb.com).

St. Andrews has to be one of New Brunswick’s most British cities. Everything here is neat and orderly — you might say royal — from the hotels, inns, restaurants, shops and gardens, right down to the streets.

Kingsbrae Garden (www.kingsbraegarden.com), with 27 acres of flora and fauna (and nasty peacocks), is a short walk from St. Andrews’ premier hotel, the Fairmont Algonquin. Learn about and get up close and personal with marine life at the Huntsman Marine Science Center Aquarium and the Atlantic Salmon Interpretive Center.

The town’s ideal location overlooking beautiful Passamaquoddy Bay allows for sea kayaking with Eastern Outdoors (www.easternoutdoors.com) and whale watching in a Zodiac with Fundy Tide Runners (www.fundytiderunners.com).

Play a round of golf at the Algonquin or take a tour of Minister’s Island (506-529-5081). At low tide you can walk, bike or drive across the ocean floor to the island where you will be met by guides and given a tour of Covenhaven. Built in 1890, it was the summer home of Sir William Van Horne, president of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Hike the trails, picnic or bird watch, but make sure to keep an eye on the time or you’ll be stranded by high tide.

Settled in 1783 by American Loyalists, St. Andrews has several historic buildings open for tours. The Ross Memorial Museum is an 1820 Federal style brick house filled with arts and antiques. Built in 1820, the Sheriff Andrews House is a Provincial Historical Site (costumed docents give tours of the interior). Or step inside to the peacefulness of the Greenock Presbyterian Church. Built in 1824 this gem combines American church format with British architectural styling.

Shops and art galleries are lined up cheek-by-jowl on Water Street. The charming gardens of the Crocker Hill Store will catch your eye and draw you in to admire artist Steven Smith’s delicate bird prints.

You can rest your head in one of the Fairmont Algonquin’s (www.fairmont.com/algonquin) beautiful guestrooms, or at a bed and breakfast. The Rossmount Inn (www.rossmountinn.com) offers 18 antique-filled rooms and a fine dining restaurant with an innovative menu. The Inn on Frederick (www.innonfrederick.ca) is in the heart of town, while the Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping (877-393-7070) has sites overlooking the bay.

When hunger strikes there’s a plethora of restaurants to choose from. The Sweet Harvest Market serves up homemade salmon mousse and country pate, the Gables is a 20-year food institution in St. Andrews, or sample German delicacies at the Europa Inn & Restaurant (www.europainn.com).