Free in New Brunswick: What to Do With Young Kids
This road trip was our first family vacation. Cue the mental images of a station wagon full of kids asking if we’re there yet. We piled high a mountain of strollers and car seats and off we went.
We didn’t think we’d ever travel again if we started with a 40+ hour road trip with a threenager and an 18 month old, so we took a shortcut. First, we flew out to Fredericton and rented a car there. We kept costs down by researching what to do for free in New Brunswick. Here, we’ll share it with you.
When we landed in Fredericton we drove straight to Saint John, New Brunswick.
Saint John, NB
- Irving Nature Park
Our first stop was a playground. After a plane ride and a long drive, we were all ready to stretch our legs at the Children’s Forest and playground at Irving Nature Park. We walked through one of the two cedar hedge mazes, taking a lot of spiderwebs to the face before holding a stick out in front of us as we walked.
We hopped back in the car and drove further into the park. It’s almost like an island of dense forest surrounded by marsh and the Bay of Fundy. There are hiking trails that are very popular but you can also drive a dirt road loop through the park for views of rocky beaches along the Bay of Fundy.
There are a few scenic stops on the way, including one where I’d heard there was a good chance of seeing seals, but we struck out. Solen loved taking pictures (usually of the ground) and Auden was really into walking up and down the wooden steps at the seal lookout.
- Saint John City Market
We walked around downtown Saint John, heading first to the market where Daood bought a bag of dulse – dried seaweed. It was extremely salty with a pungent smell that stunk up the trunk of our car for the rest of the week.
- Rainbow Splash Pad
Next was a stop at Rainbow Splash Pad, which was perfect on a really hot afternoon just before we headed to our hotel for naptime.
Quispamsis
To save a bit of money, we decided to stay just outside of Saint John in Quispamsis. It’s about a 15-20 minute drive with very little traffic. It initially looked like a tiny truck stop along the highway but it turns out Quispamsis had a few hidden treasures.
- QPlex
Qplex is a huge outdoor pool and waterpark a few kilometres from the highway. Check the schedule ahead of time – they have free swim times. It was fun for small, medium, and large kids (i.e., Daood and I).
- Gondola Point Ferry
There is also a really small, free ferry that crosses over the Kennebecasis River to the island. We took the ferry for fun and then drove around a little bit and came back. I wouldn’t recommend doing that at rush-hour because there’s a little bit of a lineup. There are also other ferries on the island if you wanted to do a loop. Bonus: There is also a park (Arts and Culture Park) with live music and movies during the summer but we didn’t make it out after the boys’ bedtime.
St. Martins
- Lighthouse Visitor Information Centre – climb up the lighthouse for free and grab some maps and brochures. I *think* there was also a public washroom.
- Vaughan Creek Covered Bridge – all in all, it’s an old bridge (built in 1935 to be exact). But if you’ve got a pair of bridge and tunnel enthusiasts like we do, a covered bridge is a good time.
- St. Martins Sea Caves – This stop was a highlight for our rock-throwing boys. We arrived at low tide and walked on the rocky floor of the Bay of Fundy, complete with stinky seaweed. The caves were impressive and it was a beautiful place to walk around. Before you go, check online when the tides are out to be able to walk, or when they are in if you plan to kayak – they change quickly.
The boys loved playing in the caves and throwing rocks into the water. The area is very rocky and you do have to walk through some shallow streams to get to the caves. We did it with our little kids and they were fine, although I carried them over some sections.
The water was freezing cold even in the summer. Having some quick dry sandals or water shoes might be nice. The whole area is covered in large round river rocks and the boys loved looking at the different kinds of rocks and throwing them into the water. There is a casual restaurant on site. It was simple, family friendly food with good fish and chips. Most importantly, it stopped us from getting hangry.
Hopewell Rocks
Disclaimer: This activity was not free.
- We drove through Fundy National Park, glad that we decided against camping because the rain was relentless. By the time we reached Hopewell Rocks it was windy with a constant wet mist. Not the greatest conditions, but we wanted to see the famous Canadian Landmark in person. We paid admission and warmed up in the educational centre before walking the trail through the forest. We took a couple of very windy pictures, walked on the floor of the Bay of Fundy while the tide was out, and headed back to the car. I’m glad we did it once, but I wouldn’t do it again.
Moncton
Moncton was a possible stopping point on our journey toward Prince Edward Island (PEI) but the kids were asleep so we kept driving. Here are two of the free activities I had planned in case we needed a break:
Inspire Festival – Street Art Hunt https://moncton.streetartcities.com/
Centennial Park – https://www.moncton.ca/things-do-parks/centennial-park (The playground looks great!)
Shediac
- Shediac, the Lobster Capital of the World, is the home of the World’s Largest Lobster (take pictures for free) and the Shediac Lobster Festival (not free) which happens annually in early July. Unfortunately, we were in town about 5 hours ahead of the festival opening and couldn’t justify waiting around. We saw this big guy though:
Shediac was our last stop in New Brunswick before heading over Canada’s longest bridge – Confederation Bridge – on our way to Prince Edward Island.
Want to hear about our visit to red sand beaches, Green Gables, and Cow’s Ice Cream? Keep reading!
Traveling as a family of 4 is more expensive than it was when we were a couple, but overall, our visit to the province was very affordable and we found lots to do for free in New Brunswick. Sometimes researching free attractions takes us a little further off the beaten path. We’ll be posting more stories like this, so come along with us!
