Canada’s Maine-bordering province hasn’t always enjoyed the attention of its neighbors Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island—and to me, that is part of the appeal. While dining solo at William & Water Restaurant & Bar in the sweet town of St. Andrews by-the-Sea, I met locals who were quick to quip about New Brunswick’s “fly-over” status. They also shared that the correct pronunciation of scallops in these parts is scollops and that the best place for ice cream in town is McGuire Chocolate Company. I easily became enamored by the province’s friendly residents, roughly 3,400 miles of coastline, and chill charms.
New Brunswick is especially magnetic in fall when St. Andrews gets a little sleepier, and the town’s haunted hotel seems moodier as the season changes. Plus, at the Clam Digger, the roadside seafood shack on Route 127 that draws long lines in summer, it’s easier to snag a table during shoulder season. And along the Wolastoq River in the province’s capital of Fredericton, cyclists admire the burnt-orange, mustard-yellow, and fire-red leaves of maples and oaks lining the Taproom Trail, a self-guided bike route linking several craft breweries and cideries.
Frankly, fall is New Brunswick at its finest.
Spend a haunted night in St. Andrews by-the-Sea
As St. Andrews’s premier hotel, the Algonquin Resort is a popular pick. If you check in and detect a weird creak or curtain swoosh in your room, wait for the nightly ghost tour to hear the explanation. You don’t have to stay at the historic property to sign up, but guests receive complimentary access to the tour. Lore has it that the hotel is home to several enduring spirits, including a bride said to wander the halls in her wedding gown, a former bellman still dutifully making his rounds, and a night watchman who never left the job.
It’s all in good fun, of course, but the stories have a way of sticking with you long after the tour ends, particularly once you close your eyes to sleep.
Pedal between pints in Fredericton
In the capital of New Brunswick, visitors can ride along a bike trail from brewery to brewery.
Courtesy of New Brunswick Tourism
Some beer trails amount to little more than a marketing map for a DIY pub crawl. But in New Brunswick’s capital, taprooms and breweries are linked by a cycling and walking network, offering a true trail-to-tap experience.
The Fredericton Taproom Trail pairs nearly 75 miles of riverside walking and cycling paths with more than a dozen breweries and cideries, making it easy to spend an afternoon sampling local pours in between some hard-earned pedals. Grab a hoppy pint at Trailway Brewing Co. before bellying up to the bar for a tasting at Picaroons Brewing Company, where you can also refuel with a burrito bowl before continuing your ride amid maple trees. Collect enough Fred Tap Trail passport stamps, and you could earn a prize like a T-shirt or a chance to win a getaway weekend.
Walk on the ocean floor in the Bay of Fundy
Humpback whales can be seen in the Bay of Fundy until October.
Photo by Jon Billings
Home to the world’s highest tides, the Bay of Fundy transforms dramatically twice a day as massive amounts of seawater rush in and out. At low tide, visitors can literally walk the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks among giant flowerpot rock formations; a few hours later, tides can rise as much as 54 feet, submerging the towering pillars.
If you miss the seafloor walk at low tide, catch views of the bay during high tide from one of 20 lookout spots along the scenic Fundy Trail Parkway. Early fall is also the prime season for spotting humpback whales.
Fall for Kings County’s covered bridges
Kings County (aka the Covered Bridge Capital of Atlantic Canada) is overflowing with “kissing bridges,” a cutesy name dating back to horse-and-buggy times. The horse and wagon may be gone, but the romance lingers. This is especially true in the fall, when the wooden structures are surrounded by amber, crimson, copper, and gold foliage.
Driving through covered bridges encourages a slower pace since many are narrow enough for one vehicle at a time. Others, including the Kennebecasis River No. 7.5 (Salmon Covered Bridge) and Darlings Island Covered Bridge, are reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. Before or after a morning of covered-bridge exploration, grab a latte from Picadilly Coffee Roasters in Sussex, which focuses on small-batch roasts.
Paddle the Wolastoq, then grab a bombolone
With more than 60 miles of mapped canoe and kayak routes, the Wolastoq Watershed Paddling Trails (officially launched in June 2026) are especially picturesque during the fall season, with maples, oaks, and aspens lining the shore. Named for the Wolastoq—an Indigenous name meaning “beautiful, bountiful river”—the paddling network winds through forests, wetlands, and small islands where wildlife, such as ospreys, bald eagles, great blue herons, and beavers (and their workshops), abounds.
Many launch spots are a stone’s throw from downtown Fredericton, but post-paddle, drive the 15 minutes or so to reach Boulangerie Seoul, an unassuming patisserie practically hidden within an inn. Every item is drool-worthy, but the bombolone, an Italian cream–filled doughnut dusted with a generous amount of powdered sugar, may be one of the all-time greatest pastries.
