Guaranteed Family Fun in Moncton New Brunswick!

• Also known as the HUB city due to its geographical location in Atlantic Canada.
• A population of 65,000 people or 126,000 including Dieppe and Riverview.
• International airport.
• Both French and English spoken.
• Family oriented.
• Accommodations-camping, hotel/motel, B&B's
• Guided tours available.
• City Type: Industrial/Agricultural/Government

I grew up on the outskirts of the city of Moncton New Brunswick so I have to say it is definitely one of my personal favorites, and the people are extremely friendly. With this many people, you can be sure there is no shortage of restaurants or shopping. One of the largest shopping malls in the Maritimes is located in Dieppe and it is called Champlain Place. It has over 160 stores and services to offer, where you are sure to find a treasure of some kind. Don't forget to visit the numerous specialty shops along Main Street and through out the city!

Moncton New Brunswick's major attractions:

• An indoor amusement Park for children, called Crystal Palace. This is a great rainy day activity. It is connected to the Ramada Crystal Palace Hotel and an Empire theatre. The Champlain Place Mall is right next-door.
• The Magnetic Hill Zoo, the largest accredited zoo in Atlantic Canada. You can even watch the animals being fed at a certain time each day.
• An 8-acre water theme park called Magic Mountain (check out the Kamikaze… but try not to get a wedgy).
• Magnetic Hill, is an optical illusion that will have you questioning your eyesight. What you do is drive up to this white post and coast back, with vehicle in neutral, what looks to be uphill. This gives the illusion of being pulled by a magnet when it is actually going down hill. It really does look like it is climbing the hill on its own. The cost per vehicle is $5.00. We had our tent trailer on the back of the truck the day we did it. We were told we could turn the vehicle around and come back frontward. There wasn't much room for turning around but we did it.

  The entrance to the Zoo, Water Park, and Magnetic Hill are all the same entrance. It is literally seconds from the 4-lane highway. Once you arrive in through the front gates there will be someone there to guide you.
  
  

• Numerous Museums displaying the history of Moncton New Brunswick and its people as far back as the Mi’kmaq.
• The Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada.
• TREEGO, an obstacle course high up in the trees of Centennial Park. I hope you are not afraid of heights.
• Beautiful golf courses in fact 6 in total right in Moncton and more on the outskirts of the city. Royal Oakes Estates and Golf Club is the first Canadian Signature course.
• Wharf Village is a neat little spot where you can shop for some local crafts and gifts, have a little snack, or go for a little train ride around the park. It is all set around a duck pond.
• Wineries - each of which have a unique twist and taste. I have toured the Bourgeois farms in Memramcook, just outside Moncton, and it was amazing to see the huge operation process that they have. It is so much more than just some liquid fermenting in a tank.

Some attractions near Moncton New Brunswick include:

• Olivier Soapery, in Bouctouche, where the demonstrations are as great as the soap itself. There are live demonstrations daily and they will have you in stitches before you are finished. I learned a lot about soap its effect on both males and females.
• The Hopewell Rocks, part of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape, where 100 billion tonnes of seawater fill and empty the bay twice a day. Stay for the day and see both high and low tides for the most dramatic effect. Check out the caves or kayak the highest tides in the world. The rocks still amaze me and I have been there several times myself. Be sure to read the interpretive pannels that explain the mystery of the Bay of Fundy and it's incredible tides.
• Cape Enrage, also named the best view in Canada by Frommers travel guide where you can rappel down the 150 ft cliffs and tour a working lighthouse. The day we were there it was really foggy and the lighthouse horn was blowing. I absolutely loved this neat little spot even though we did not get to see the view that they talk about. I plan on going back soon.
• Fundy National Park, nature at it’s best, all 80-square miles. I have been on some of the trails and they range in difficulty and lengths, some even have waterfalls. One of the trails is Devil’s Half Acre and it is very rough terrain, it really lives up to its name. Fundy also has a heated saltwater pool, a huge playground for kids, a large field where you can fly kites, and amphitheater, guided hikes in day time or night time, a covered bridge, a golf course, and lots of camping a hotel and cabins. When the tide is out you can beach comb for hours. It is really neat to watch the tide coming in because it is hard to imagine that much water moving. You could easily spend your whole vacation here. In fact, I have done just that.
• Le Pays de la Sagouine in Bouctouche where the famous author Antonine Maillet brings her story to life with some very colorful characters. There are English demonstrations daily. These people love to make others laugh and they are awesome at it. Be careful though, I found that some of the acting was so real I thought I was back in the small town I grew up in.
• The Irving Eco Centre /La dune de Bouctouche is 12 km of sand dunes with 2km of boardwalks to explore.
• Shediac Bay Cruises offer various packages with hands-on experience and lots of fun and great food. Go for the lobster, return for the laughter. It was worth every cent, I really enjoyed it, the lobster dinner was good too.
• Parlee Beach Provincial Park has the most popular beach in the province. It is located in Shediac, approximately 15 minutes outside of Moncton. The beach is beautiful and the water is warm. The Provincial Park is a full service campground so you never have to leave.
• Cape Jourimain Nature Center, offers a safe haven for various wildlife species and the best place to get a picture of the Confederation Bridge (the lookout tower) There are lots of nature trails to explore, a restaurant and a gift shop. This is where you would catch the shuttle service across to PEI if you are a biker since biking across the bridge is not permitted.
• Fort Beausejour, a star-shaped National Historic Site of Canada with significance to the expulsion of the Acadians by the British in 1755. It really is quite neat to see what they were trying to accomplish and experience for a moment their living arrangements.
• Prosser Brook, near Moncton New Brunswick is home to 34 windmills - New Brunswick’s first wind farm. These windmills are absolutely amazing to stand beside. We were there before they were hooked up into the grid and at a distance they look small but I felt absolutely teeny tiny standing beside one.

Return to Travel New Brunswick Canada Home Page From Moncton New Brunswick