New Brunswick Museum: Canada’s Oldest Continuing MuseumNew Brunswick Museum is located in Saint John New Brunswick at Market Square. The facility consists of three floors and 60,000 square feet of permanent and temporary exhibition space for many programs and events. The history of the New Bunswick museum can be dated back to Dr. Abraham Gesner and 1842, when he became the first provincial geoligist in Canada. A geologist whose love of natural history and a collection of specimens and “curiosities” continued to grow long after the province decided to fund it. Eventually, long after his collection passed to his creditors, they were taken over by the Natural History Society of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Museum was established. The New Brunswick Museum currently is owned and funded by the province and it continues to collect, preserve, and research and interpret our natural and cultural heritage. But not only does it house a remarkable collection of natural sciences artifacts from New Brunswick, the museum also has a wide range of collections of artifacts from all over the world too. Since some of the highest tides in the world are part of the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, it’s no surprise that this same water is home to a wide variety of sea life as well. Some of these marine mammals are rare and have recently become a protected species. Make sure to see the three-story tidal tower that fills and empties of water as the tides on the Bay of Fundy rise and fall. The Hall of Great Whales, in the New Brunswick Museum, takes you into the lives of the local marine mammals and provides a glimpse of their greatness and why it is important to protect their natural habitat. Although the museum focuses mostly on the larger whales and Mammals it also displays many of the smaller marine animals also. Several full-size models of Minke Whale, Sei Whale, Humpback Whale, Sperm Whale, Pygmy sperm Whale, and Beluga are on display and are a popular hit with the kids. Along with a life-size model of a Right Whale, the gallery has the best eastern Canadian collection of whale skeletons. The Right Whale is 13 meters long! Learn Delilah’s story, Canada’s best-known Right Whale, who died following an encounter with a ship on the Bay of Fundy. Her babies however, survived the ordeal, which has been described as a miracle. The Discovery Gallery offers something for the entire family to explore. My kids were quite little when we visited last time and this gallery was their favorite one. There are 3D puzzles to put together, slides to go down, books to read, a mini ship to explore and run around. New Brunswick in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s is another gallery display at the New Brunswick Museum. See how lumbering, farming, fishing, woodworking and the railroad all played significant parts in contributing to the success of the people in New Brunswick in the early years. Shipbuilding was a major part of the history of New Brunswick and there is an entire gallery dedicated to it also. Check out the many types of wood that were used in the construction of a great vessel to make it the best it could be. View the large model of the New Brunswick famous Marco Polo. The New Brunswick Museum has the largest collection of bird specimens in the Maritimes including skins, skeletons, eggs, and nests. The bird research collection is at Douglas Avenue in Saint John and is available by appointment only. The Museum has dedicated a permanent gallery to the province’s art history with works by painters and sculptors who have made a significant impact to the artistic heritage of the province. There approximately 400 works dating from the early 1800s to the present from landscape and portraiture to still life and abstraction. Connected with the “Inside Connection” part of the shopping experience where you never have to leave the mall. Other nearby attractions includes the NB Aquatic Center, The City Market, and the Reversing Falls.
Return To Saint John New Brunswick From New Brunswick Museum
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