Explore: Saint Andrews By the Sea

We loved our stay at Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, which is a beautiful small coastal community. It is a wonderful place to relax and feel the slow pace of life that we are loosing in our fast paced city life. We enjoyed the atmosphere, as we strolled along the streets of Saint Andrews and checked out the stores, restaurants, and attractions.

We stayed in a cozy room at Algonquin Resort and enjoyed the beautiful view of the sea. 

We loved sitting around the resort in their balcony area as well as in the veranda and around the fire pit. 

This castle like resort looked beautiful during the day as well as at night. We really enjoyed the convenience of having all the attractions within 5 to 10 minutes of the Algonquin Resort.

We enjoyed the indoor waterslide at the Resort, my children didn’t have the heart to leave as they enjoyed several hours in the pool and the slide. We also spent time in the fitness room adjacent to the pool. 

They have an outdoor swimming pool, a tennis court, and three restaurants to explore at the Resort.

Katy’s cove is a private beach close to the resort, which is a fun place for children to play. There is a park and changing stations there. 

While staying at the resort we visited the Fundy Discovery Aquarium. 

This aquarium is unique, as it has a large touch pool with starfish, crabs, clams, oysters, sting rays and more, as well as a walk out to the beach with a picturesque view. 

We had lots of fun exploring the different marine life and taking a closer look at them. We enjoyed watching the salmon and the seals being fed, and checking out the lobster, seahorse, and fish. Children enjoyed playing at the children’s area, and learning about the tides at the theater in the aquarium.

Another wonderful attraction at Saint Andrews is the 27 acre Kingsbrae garden that won Canada's Garden of the Year for 2013. 

Since we love gardens, we loved spending several hours at this well-maintained garden and enjoyed the beautiful landscape. 

Everyone in the family enjoyed exploring the themed gardens and taking pictures, munching a couple of fruits from the edible garden, finding the secret garden, going through the woodland trail through an old-growth Acadian forest, looking at the artistic sculptures in the sculpture garden, sitting by the lake, the big red chair, and at the café. 

My children loved spotting the Alpacas, other farm animals, peacocks, and playing in the children’s garden. 

They were occupied the whole time doing the scavenger hunt, which they can exchange for a frozen treat at the garden café. We were all able to relax, and absorb the beauty and the colours. 

My husband and I also started thinking about our landscaping plans for next spring, as the themed gardens were inspiring.

By visiting the St. Andrews Blockhouse National Historic Site built to military specification during the 1812 war, we can step back and see the canons and how the soldiers lived when New Brunswick’s border was in conflict with the United States.

You can’t leave New Brunswick without trying to spot whales and marine life by going whale watching. There are lots of different choices of whale watching in the area. 

We went on a children friendly whale watching tour in the Jolly Breeze tall ship where children can dress up as pirates before getting in, and get to do fun activities aboard while trying to spot marine life during the three hour cruise. 

Since both my children love pirates, tall ships, and whales they were excited to be in the ship. Getting to ask questions from the Marine Biologist, and see and touch a sea cucumber, sand dollar, sea urchins, lobster, starfish, and crab on board was lots of fun. 

Prior to exploring the green blue waters of the Passamaquoddy Bay, the crew familiarized us about the ship, introduced the crew, and gave a safety briefing. 

Children enjoyed getting their hand and face painted. Getting a chance to haul up the sail and take the helm, then getting a certificate and pirate loot from the captain is a memorable experience for children. 

We enjoyed a morning tour with the friendly crew and the jolly captain as we went below the deck of the ship and helped ourselves to bagels, fruits, and warm beverages. If you go on the afternoon or evening tour then you will be served homemade soup.

It is really cold when going to sea, compared to land so dress up in layers and take your jackets. There are blankets in the ship that we can borrow and stay warm. If you don’t spot whales, you can go again on the tour anytime within the season. Although, we didn’t spot whales we were happy that we saw porpoises that were elegantly swimming together, and lots of seals, jellyfish, and birds. The experience of going to sea is a wonderful adventure.

Going to all these places in Saint Andrews was convenient as we got on and off the Toyota Sienna that we drove on our road trip. By travelling in the Toyota Sienna we were able to have a more relaxing drive, because I didn't have to choose what to take on the trip. We had everything we needed from loads of snacks to beach gear, extra clothes shoes and more because of its cargo space. 

The best thing for me about the Sienna during long trips is the spacious cargo. We all know that when trying to make everyone in the family feel comfortable there are lots of things to bring on road trips! Having the comfortable legroom, and comfy seats for every passenger is so important when going to see different sites. My children really enjoyed sitting in the captain seats without any complaints, as I didn't hear them say, "Are we there yet?" throughout the trip because of their excitement and comfort. When you visit New Brunswick, don't forget to check out this small community at Saint Andrews!

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