What’s New

2015New Brunswick

Grand Manan Island – The Jewel of the Fundy IslesNestled in the magnificent Bay of Fundy, where you will find the highest tides in the world. This remote island in the Bay of Fundy is a pleasant blend of solitary beaches, hiking trails, birdwatching, whale-watching, kayaking, bicycling, lighthouses, rugged cliffs, museums, and scenic fishing villages. Off the coast of Grand Manan, there are more whales than anywhere else in New Brunswick, where you will commonly see Finbacks and Humpback whales and the endangered North Atlantic Right whale. www.grandmanannb.com

Two Must Do’s on Grand Manan Island:Clowns of the Ocean – The Atlantic Puffin Grand Manan Island is the only place on the Atlantic coast where you can step ashore on a protected puffin breeding sanctuary to observe 1300 pairs of nesting Atlantic puffins up close and personal. The island observation blinds are limited to 15 people and occur only on certain days with Sea Watch Tours. www.seawatchtours.com

Whales Galore! Over 12 migrating species of whales can be viewed just offshore. Highlights include sightings of the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale and Humpbacks. Check out this video of 12 finbacks gliding past Whales n Sails Adventures in August. www.whales-n-sails.com

Two Nation VacationA visit to Canada and the United States allows you to explore the history and culture shared by these two regions while experiencing the breathtaking scenery, distinctive seafood and unique culinary fusions, and the warm hospitality of these two neighbouring countries during one fun-filled trip. From the breathtaking beauty of Maine and New Brunswick’s wildlife, the plethora of outdoor adventures, to the excit-ing festivals and rich arts and culture found in the elegant cities and charming harbour towns—see what a Two Nation Vacation is all about! www.two-nation-vacation.com

FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Comes to Moncton in 2015Football fans unite! Moncton will be hosting six Group Stage matches, and one Group of 16 match as part of Canada hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2015 from 6 June – 5 July. The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ will be the biggest to date with a record 129 competing nations, and the Canada 2015 competition will be the first to feature 24 finalists and 52 matches. It is also the first time a 24-team finals has been played over 30 days, making it the second-longest competition behind the men’s FIFA World Cup™. For the host nation, it marks the first time a competition has been played simultaneously from coast to coast across the country in six host cities. With tickets sales off to a good start through FIFA.com, organisers are confident that the competition will attract a record-crowd of 1.5-million specta-tors to the 52 matches. www.fifa.com/womensworldcup

Newfoundland and Labrador

Signature ExperiencesDine alfresco at a 100-year-old lighthouse and watch for whales. That’s what you’ll find at Lighthouse Picnics in Ferryland, where the food is delicious.

The Vikings were in North America 500 years before Columbus. They built a sod hut village at L’Anse aux Meadows, both a National Historic Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Take a 10-day road trip to meet the people. CapeRace Cultural Adven-tures’ self-guided tour will take you from St. John’s to fishing outports.

It’s 10,000 years old, weighs a million kilos and is mainly hidden below the waterline. It’s an iceberg and you can get close to this force of nature with Twillingate Island Boat Tours.

Or join Iceberg Quest in Twillingate or St. John’s on your personal quest to the icebergs. Keep an eye out for whales and seabirds, too.

If you really want to get really close to whales, Ocean Quest offers snorkeling with whales at Petty Harbour near St. John’s.

In far north Labrador, join the Inuit for a trek on their ancestral land from Torngat Mountains National Park Base Camp.

Go to sea with Stan Cook Sea Kayaking and explore the rugged shore near Cape Broyle that’s dotted with pebble beaches, shallow caves and seabird colonies.

Visit 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the Same TripThere are 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada, and Newfound-land and Labrador has three of them—Gros Morne National Park, L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site and Red Bay National Historic Site.

Gros Morne National Park is renowned for its geological wonders and scenery. It’s a magical place that will make you want explore hiking trails, fjords, go on boat rides, and attend events.

Just a few hours’ drive north of the park is L’Anse aux Meadows where 11th-century Vikings built a sod hut village. See the lifestyles of the first Europeans to settle in North America.

Red Bay National Historic Site is in southern Labrador. Here, Basques built a whaling factory in the sixteenth century. Red Bay is a lesson in the harsh reality of making a living from a dangerous sea far from home.

It’s easy to visit all three on the same trip. But don’t rush. There are other attractions, both natural and historical, to explore along the way, including major aboriginal sites, sand dunes, rare plants, French culture, whales and, if you come at the right time, icebergs.

Is St. John’s the World’s Next Food Travel Destination?A few years ago, anyone even thinking that aloud would be considered a candidate for a long holiday from reality. Today the suggestion is coming from food experts like Derek Damman, chef at Maison Publique in Montreal. In a recent interview in the Globe and Mail, he singled out chefs Jeremy Charles of Raymonds and Todd Perrin of Mallard Cottage as the two most responsible for the city’s rise in the gastronomic galaxy. In the same article, chef Jessie Vergen of Saint John Ale House in New Brunswick describes Charles as “easily Canada’s most important chef at this point.” Raymonds has already won best-in-Canada accolades, and Mallard Cottage has been nominated this year.

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

Newfoundland and Labrador

Prince Edward Island

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What sets these top eateries apart, aside from the chefs’ great talents, is the access to local raw ingredients like grouse, moose, cod, hares, and mushrooms, historical sea-sonal staples of a diet based on necessity, some of which they forage for themselves, while others are provided by hunters and trappers. This gives the dishes a unique local character, topped off by imagination and attention to detail.

Nova Scotia

Halifax Welcomes New WestJet Flight from Glasgow!On October 3, WestJet announced Glasgow, United Kingdom, as its newest European destination. Daily non-stop flights from Halifax begin May 29, 2015, with direct (same-aircraft) service from Toronto, operated on one of the airline’s Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 series aircraft. Highlights of the new service include:

• New daily non-stop seasonal flights between Halifax and Glasgow from May 29, 2015 to Oct. 23, 2015.

• Daily connections between Glasgow via Halifax or Toronto to Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and 16 other cities in WestJet’s Canadian network.

The Scotland-bound flight, WS 30, was numbered in honour of St. Andrew’s Day, which falls on Nov. 30. WestJet’s second transatlantic route is a five-hour 15-minute journey. www.westjet.com

Cycling Enthusiasts Get Some Direction in Nova Scotia!Who says road trips require a car? With a landscape that includes mountain highlands, river valleys, rugged seacoasts, low-lying farmlands and historic towns, cycling is an invigorating way to get up close and personal with Nova Scotia. On your own or with a guided tour, Nova Scotia is a natural cycling destination for both novice and expert. Find your ideal ride with a new map series and website launched by Bicycle Nova Scotia de-tailing five of our top cycling routes. The maps and GPS downloads are available from www.cyclenovascotia.ca

New Experience Developments in Nova ScotiaThe Drink That Sugar Made: Rum Tasting After almost 300 years, rum is once again being stored behind the massive stone walls of the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. Authentic Seacoast Distilling Company Ltd., Parks Canada and Fortress Louisbourg Association are collaborating on a multi-year project to enhance the visitor experience at the Fortress through an authentic interpretation of the historical rum trade of 18th century New France. In the 18th century, Louisbourg was one of North America’s busiest seaports and France’s centre of trade and military strength in the New World. Exchanged for Nova Scotia fish and lumber, Caribbean rum was a major trading good of the times. www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/ns/louisbourg/index.aspx

The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is closing this fall, but when it re-opens in spring 2015, visitors will experience new interactive and immersive exhibits and transformed exhibition spaces which will have nearly doubled in size. In addition to a refreshed Pier 21 Story, the new Canadian Immigration Story exhibition expands on this narrative, covering broad themes of journey, arrival, belonging and impact extend-ing over four hundred years of nation building. The stories woven throughout each of the galleries will encourage visitors of all ages to consider what it means to leave home and settle in a new country, what it means to belong and an examination of Canada’s cultural identity. www.pier21.ca

Prince Edward Island

Culinary Abundant harvests from land and sea make the Island a natural place to explore culinary delights. The pristine salt waters around the province bear flavour-filled fish and shellfish—including mussels, oysters and lobster. These ingredients have helped create a vibrant restaurant scene with local chefs showcasing the rich flavours of the Island. But you can also select your own choices for the perfect Island meal by visiting the local wharf or market.

The Culinary Trail Guide to PEI Flavours is your guide to some of the Island’s most unique and exciting culinary attractions. We invite you to explore the Culinary Trail. Experience and celebrate our food culture on PEI. www.tourismpei.com/pei-culinary-trail

For a food experience you’ll never forget, sign up for one of the Culinary Institute’s Boot Camps: half or full-day courses where you’ll work with an experienced chef in a state-of-the-art kitchen (culinarybootcamps.com). Or drop anchor 8 km off our coastline to explore a deserted island. Dig for giant clams, haul lobster, rockcrab, and mussel lines. Swim, snorkel, sunbathe, beachcomb, and handle sea life. Steer a real lobster boat, breathe our salt air. If your visit to PEI is in the fall, September is Culinary Month. The International Shellfish Festival is just one of 75 culinary events at the annual Fall Flavours. www.fallflavours.ca

Prince Edward Island Parks The network of Provincial Parks has 10 camping parks and 14 day use parks, which offer spectacular beaches, beautiful scenery, nature trails and lots of outdoor recreation and in-terpretive programs. One of the most popular of these parks is Basin Head Provincial Park. Located 93 kilometres east of Charlottetown, this park has been recently named Canada’s #1 beach. Why, you ask? For reasons scientists are still trying to figure out, this beach makes a strange swishing sound whenever the wind swirls or when a visitor walks on it. www.tourismpei.com/pei-singing-sands-beach

The PEI National Park extends along 40 kilometres of the Island’s north shore. Perhaps the foremost reason to visit lies in its beauty—an area filled with sand dunes, barrier islands, sandstone cliffs, wetlands and woodland featuring remnants of Acadian forest. Enjoy the park by walking on one of its white-sand beaches, build a sandcastle with artist Maurice Bernard, grab a seafood lunch at Covehead Harbour, cycle the seaside Gulf Shore Way, rent a sea kayak in North Rustico, explore the Greenwich Dunes Trail or watch for birds like the spectacular bald eagle or the endangered piping plover. The park also encompasses national historic site Dalvay-by-the-Sea, an elegant Queen Anne Revival style home, and Green Gables Heritage Place, inspiration for the setting of L.M. Montgomery’s famous novel Anne of Green Gables. www.tourismpei.com/pei-national-park

Coastal DrivesTouring Prince Edward Island’s three scenic coastal drives is a perfect way to explore the Island off the beaten track. Visit colourful fishing villages, lighthouses and antique shops. Stop for lunch at one of the many restaurants serving the freshest of Island cuisine. Enjoy the scenery of the Island’s spectacular coastline—sandstone cliffs, beaches and rolling countryside. There are coastal drives that tour eastern, western and central parts of the province. Since they range from 250 to 475 kilometres each, you’ll likely want to do just a section so you have plenty of time to explore. www.tourismpei.com/pei-scenic-drives

North Cape Coastal Drive is brimming with Mi’kmaq culture, Acadian music and theatre, and museums devoted to potatoes, silver foxes and shipbuilding. The Central Coastal Drive includes fun-filled Cavendish, and much more. Enjoy spectacular views along Route 20, classic fishing ports and lobster suppers, shopping at Gateway Village, and a leisurely stroll around quaint Victoria-by-the-Sea. Points East Coastal Drive fea-tures the unforgettable dune system at Greenwich in PEI National Park and the bayside community of St. Peters, as well as stunning beaches, lively ceilidhs, and the meeting of the tides at East Point. Watch for eagles and seals, and try not to miss scenic Mon-tague, rustic Orwell Corner and the historic Railway Museum in Elmira.

2015

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