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Moncton is the largest city in New Brunswick's southeast and a commercial and transportation hub for the Maritimes. It sits on a bend of the Petitcodiac River and has a strongly bilingual character, with a large Acadian population and a francophone university campus. Rail history shaped its growth, and today it is a practical, friendly base for exploring the Fundy and Northumberland coasts.
At Tidal Bore Park, people gather to watch the incoming tide push a wave up the Petitcodiac River, a spectacle whose size varies with tide and river conditions. Resurgo Place combines a city history museum with a hands-on science center. The restored Capitol Theatre hosts performances, and the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption Cathedral is a major Acadian landmark. The Moncton Acadian Museum, on the Université de Moncton campus, presents Acadian heritage. On the city's edge, Magnetic Hill creates an optical illusion in which cars seem to roll uphill, with the Magnetic Hill Zoo and a winery nearby.
Irishtown Nature Park offers forest trails and a reservoir within city limits. Moncton suits road-trippers who want comfortable lodging and easy access to Hopewell Rocks, Shediac's beaches and Fundy National Park. Summer is the main season, though the city stays active year round.
WiserMap travel guideMoncton New Brunswick Tidal Bores and Magnetic HillDiscover Moncton, New Brunswick: the Petitcodiac tidal bore, Magnetic Hill, Acadian culture and easy day trips to Hopewell Rocks, Fundy National Park and Shedia...Read the guide
A riverside park downtown where you can watch the Petitcodiac River tidal bore, a wave that rolls upriver as the Bay of Fundy tide comes in. Posted signs give the daily arrival times. Get there about 15 minutes early, as the wave is brief and its size depends on the tides that day.
Tall sandstone flowerpot rocks shaped by the Bay of Fundy tides, about 40 minutes south of Moncton. At low tide you walk on the ocean floor among them, and at high tide you can kayak around them. Check the tide tables and plan to see both, as the two views are very different.
Moncton's main museum, combining the Moncton Museum's local history galleries with the Transportation Discovery Centre, a hands-on area about trains, cars and planes that children enjoy. It also hosts traveling exhibits. Allow one to two hours and check for family activities on weekends.
The Musée acadien at the Université de Moncton holds one of the largest collections about Acadian history and daily life, from tools and textiles to religious objects. It shares the building with an art gallery. Check opening hours before going, as they are shorter outside summer.
A restored 1920s vaudeville and movie palace on Main Street with an ornate auditorium. Today it is the city's main venue for concerts, theater, dance and comedy. Even without a show, the lobby and facade are worth a look. Book ahead for popular performances, which often sell out.
A large Art Deco Catholic cathedral built in the 1940s as a monument to Acadian culture, with a tall tower and fine stained glass. It also houses an Acadian heritage centre. It stands on St. George Street near downtown. Visitors are welcome outside Mass times.
A Victorian family house built in the 1880s and kept with its original furniture and belongings, giving a picture of upper-middle-class life in old Moncton. In summer it is open for tours and has a small tearoom. It is a short walk from downtown on Highfield Street.
Moncton's famous gravity hill, where cars seem to roll uphill thanks to an optical illusion of the slope. You drive to the bottom, put the car in neutral and watch it drift backward. It is a short, quirky stop that charges a small fee per car, and it sits beside other family attractions.
One of the largest zoos in Atlantic Canada, with lions, tigers, primates, red pandas and a children's farm, set in wooded grounds next to Magnetic Hill. Most paths are easy walking. Plan two to three hours and bring snacks and water, as food options inside are limited.
A small family winery near Magnetic Hill making fruit and grape wines from local berries and apples, with a tasting room in a historic farmhouse. It is an easy addition to a day at the hill and zoo. Ask for a tasting flight, and check seasonal hours before you go.
One of the largest municipal parks in Canada, set around a reservoir on Moncton's northern edge, with forest trails, a lake for canoeing and kayaking, and good birdwatching. In winter some trails are used for snowshoeing and skiing. Bring bug spray in early summer.
A large city park in west Moncton with a sandy beach and swimming area, walking trails, playgrounds, tennis courts and picnic grounds. It is a favorite family spot in summer and has an outdoor skating area in winter. Parking is free and the park is easy to reach by car or city bus.
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Photo: James Mann from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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