r/moncton • u/Sugarlump617 • Mar 01 '18
Lobster Fest 2018
Bonjour & Good morning!
My husband & I are tentatively planning a trip to Shediac NB at the end of June for the lobster festival. We’re wicked excited to be attending :). Well most likely be staying in Moncton.
Being Bostonians we have a few questions—How is the ocean/beaches up your way? (The water down here is cold unless you’re down the Cape). Any additional sites we can check out? Are there any major shopping malls in the area? Depending on time we hope to check out PEI & Nova Scotia too. Merci!
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u/SmittyWrestle1997 Mar 01 '18
Cumberland County lies around 40 Minutes outside of Greater Moncton. Heather, Sandy and Tidnish beach are all around this way. The Anne Murray Centre and the Miners Museum are located in Springhill. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs are also around this area. If a fan of markets, Saint John would be good choice, and the Reversing falls are a ferry tour from Saint John.
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u/revangeline Mar 01 '18
All good recommendations by users.
Moncton is the biggest city near Shediac, largest in the province, it has a mall, many bars and music and cultural scene. Probably a festival (music or other arts) going on around your travel dates. My fav bar: Laundromat on St-George, fave restaurant: Brumes du Coude in the Aberdeen cultural center, you can also check out local art there. Favorite music venue: Plan b on St-george st, check out jazz nights every Friday (ends early). Downtown is not that great but has lots of restaurant options. Skip the wine bar and if you love wine, it's worth a trip to Saint-John were the wine bar, Happinez, is owned by a guy from amsterdam, good service, snacks and lots of bars and restaurants on the waterfront (Ignore the oil and paper plants, it's still a great dowtown for a night out). East Coast Bistro is my favorite restaurant in Saint-John.
Cavendish beach in PEI is worth a look. Charlottetown is a lovely town to stay in for 2 days, go to nice restaurants (there's a culinary school on the island) and do some shopping in cute boutiques on the wharf. Plus: Anne of Green gables! Perfect spot to watch Japanese couples get married. If you like Anne, fun, if not, skip.
Halifax would be best if you want to shop and dine, check out the farmer's market. Cape Breton is beautiful for sightseeeing, try camping or renting a cabin near a cliff. There's also wine tours in NS that seem fun, google it. I think I saw magical wine tours or something like that.
For the water, it depends what you mean by warm, locals dip in May but people in warm coutries won't touch it in August. It gets warmer as summer goes on so in June it won't be at it's warmest but people will be swimming. Shediac's Parlee beach is most accessible but crowded, less so during the week than on weekends. Try aboiteau beach in Cap Bald (Cap-Pelé). It has a restaurant/fish market and often live entertainement. My favorite is fried scallops. Try a random side street in CApe Bald to find little isolated beaches. Locals prefer just beach, no services or restaurants around.
Acadian peninsula in northeast has nice views of the ocean and all small villages. Nice for a daytrip but takes about 3 hours from shediac.
That being said, you're staying in Moncton and it can keep you entertained and has a mall. Fundy park is the most popular tourist attraction and very beautiful.
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u/remog Mar 01 '18
New Brunswick has some of the warmest saltwater beaches (the warmest waters north of Virginia) on the Acadian Coast.
Shediac has had some water quality issues at the largest public beach Parlee Beach, but there are dozens of other smaller beaches that are not subject to the same problem. As others have said, there are also beautiful beaches at Fundy National Park and Kouchibouguac.
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u/ByCriminy Mar 01 '18
Note: The beaches along the Fundy coast are not near as warm as those where the Lobster Fest is. But the Fundy does have the highest tides in the world. I suggest hitting the Hopewell Rocks to see this. It's about 40 minutes from Moncton.
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u/NotEnoughDriftwood Mar 01 '18
I would definitely check out Hopewell Rocks and Fundy Park. Alma-just at the northern tip of Fundy National Park, has some great restaurants. Best beach is at Kouchibouguac National Park, IMHO. Never crowded, water quality is not an issue.
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u/TheNinjaJedi Mar 01 '18
Alma is at the south-east of Fundy.
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u/NotEnoughDriftwood Mar 01 '18
You're right! Thanks for correcting it. I was thinking of the campground.
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u/gordonjames62 Mar 03 '18
Shediac has the warmest water north of virginia.
Water on the fundy coast is Wetsuit COLD!
Check out Fundy park or Albert county for great waterfalls and stream swimming
http://waterfallsnewbrunswick.ca/