At the time of this trip, my kids were ages 4 and 8 years old. This itinerary was easy for us to manage, and these are all the kid-approved activities that we did. We booked through Air Canada using the multi-city option and it was easy to pick up a rental car at our arrival airport and drop it off at our departure.

Day 1:

Arrive in Saint John at noon. Pick up a rental car at Enterprise’s airport location.

After arriving in Saint John, we went right away to the  Saint John City Market to pick up some delicious goodies. Everyone was hungry after travelling, and the market was a great stop to explore and get food to take back with us to the room.  After our visit to the market, we checked into our hotel, Saint John Hilton. I loved that we could access the mall with the Museum from the hotel.  It didn’t rain while we were there, but this would be a great comfort on a rainy or snowy day, especially if you are travelling with kids like we were.

After checking in to the room and enjoying the delicious dinner we had picked up at the market, we visited the New Brunswick Museum, where we saw the Great Hall of Whales and learned more about Stonehammer Geopark.  We ALL had a great time at the museum.  Though we arranged the tour to be geared more for the kids, I had many questions and was fascinated by whale facts.  I didn’t know how giant whales are in real life because I had never seen one or a replica up close before this trip.

This is a picture of my hubby standing underneath the jawbones of a whale.  THE    JAW BONE! My hubby is 6’3.  Needless to say, I was like a kid in a candy store at this museum.  

The kids also had a great time. The highlight for our 8-year-old daughter was dressing up in lab coats and putting together the skeleton of a porpoise.  The highlight for our 4-year-old son was touching the baleen and listening to the sounds whales make.  After the tour, we checked out the rest of the museum and then went up to the children’s area to make some whale crafts, and the kids had some free time to play on their own.

Day 2

After breakfast, check out the Saint John City Market ( do a self-guided walking tour of Uptown Saint John; go over to Fallsview Park (100 Fallsview Avenue) to see the phenomenon of the Reversing Rapids.

Full disclosure – yes, I think it’s worth going to see if you can catch the reversing rapids. We tried on two different trips and didn’t see it due to timing but if you get there at the right time, I hear it’s quite a sight. Good luck!

You’ll want to get as much time in St. Andrews as possible, which is one hour from Saint John, especially if it’s a nice day.  Drop your bag at the hotel and head for Kingsbrae Garden – take some time to tour around the site: visit the children’s garden, the rose garden, and the sculpture garden, among many and learn about their kids summer programming! 

Most of our time was spent in the edible garden & the children’s garden and they LOVED playing in and around the miniature houses.   The Kingsbrae Garden offers a great variety of things to do, outside of walking through the garden.  The little zoo was also excellent.  They also have a great café if you want to stop for a bite. The cafe is more along the lines of wellness food so check the menu to see if it’s something your kids will eat before making a reservation. 

Enjoy the rest of the day exploring the streets, shops and history of downtown St. Andrews or check-in and enjoy the amenities at Algonquin Resort.  The Algonguin is one of the most happily situated places I’ve ever seen.  Sitting at the top of a hill, overlooking the sea, and surrounded by beauty.  It was hard not to immediately fall in love with the breathtaking beauty of The Algonquin.

While I was entranced by the beauty of the place, both inside and out, my kids were in love with the water slide and pool.  We all spent a lot of time in the water.  The outdoor pool was beautiful to look at, but we didn’t venture in.  There was one day when it was very hot, and we could have stayed outside, but the kids really wanted to be indoors so they could use the water slide.

This is an absolutely lovely and luxurious property with everything you need for the whole family, including a spa while at the same time being kid friendly. 

184 Adolphus Street, St. Andrews by-the-Sea, 506-529-8823, algonquinresort.com, www.facebook.com/AlgonquinResort, Twitter: @AlgonquinResort . 

Day 3

I recommend checking out Jolly Breeze Tall Ship Whale Watching, a 3.5 hours whale watching excursion where the adults and the kids were entertained the entire time.  The crew had some great kids’ activities;  face painting, pirate costumes, boat steering, learning about sea animals and more. At the end the kids received a certificate and pirate coin.   We did get to see two whales, seals, and tons of jellyfish. Jolly Breeze is a great option for young kids because the activities will keep them entertained even if the sea creatures don’t come out to play on your visit.

I highly recommend that you dress warm and in layers (e.g. pants, a sweater/fleece and jacket) as the Bay can be much cooler than on land.  The boat also has blankets and jackets on board, but plan ahead if you are wearier of sharing items. It’s always easier to take a layer off if you are too warm than to warm up. This could be a huge factor in your children’s enjoyment of the activity.   

For the afternoon there are many things you could do, like explore the town and check out some of the many activities that the resort provides or just chill out. For this trip after a few days of go go go, I opted to chill with the 4-year-old at the pool while hubby and the 8-year-old went for a bike ride around town. The hotel provides bikes that you can borrow during your stay. 

If you are eager to explore more and take in everything you can check out the Huntsman Marine Science Centre. This is another great spot to walk on the ocean’s floor and also visit the many exhibits and touch tanks.

Day 4. 

You will need a whole day to take in the fundy trail. Pack a lunch or stop at the new cafe that was recently built.    There are so many highlights but one of the newest is Walton Glen Gorge, which is described as New Brunswick’s Grand Canyon. It’s 1,000 feet across, 600 feet down and there’s a waterfall coming down the cliff face. With the completion of the fundy trail this is now accessible from a short 3? kilometre walk v.s. an hour 8 hike which is how hikers would get to this gem before. Now you can access it easily.   We have been on the Fundy trail on clear days and days when it called for rain, both were lovely.  

The Fundy trail needed it’s own post and you can read more about it here.

When in St. Martins at low tide you must explore the sea caves because they are accessible by foot! Tip: Bring Watershoes or rainboots if it’s easy to do so. 

Depart for Alma (1 hour 30 mins)

For the night, Parkland Village Inn, is a great spot with both wonderful staff and it’s right on the bay of fundy. 

Day 5

Cape Enrage

Spend time at Cape Enrage – options include visiting the historic lighthouse, ziplining, rappelling or enjoying some delicious lunch at the Cape House Restaurant. Note there is a weight requirement for a lot of the activities here. If you have very young children, I would skip this activity. My daughter 8 was able to do the zipline with us but the 4-year-old couldn’t. This was a daddy & daughter activity. The younger one & I walked around and explored the lighthouse. Another great activity that’s great for the whole family is the fossil tour. 

Travel to Hopewell Rocks (40 mins)

Walk on the ocean floor at the Hopewell Rocks, which is a hit with everyone in our family. If you have rain boots I highly recommend bringing them for this activity because walking on the ocean floor can be muddy. There are paths you can take to avoid the mud but if you really want to explore some of the flowerpots and caves you’ll get muddy. BTW, this is never an issue for the kids – they love it, I on the other hand find it’s a lot easier to clean up and get back in the car if our shoes aren’t all covered with mud. 

There is a cafe with really good food and you can sit by the window or on the patio for some great views of the ocean and watch the tide going in and out. 

Make your way to  Marriott Residence Inn in Moncton, I love this hotel because it has everything you need, and for the end of our trip we wanted something where we could cook dinner and their fully equipped kitchen made that easy. They also offer a continental breakfast.