About 55km (34 miles) southeast of Fredericton is the untroubled, unassuming village of Gagetown. (The village can be visited via a scenic driving detour en route to or from Saint John.) It's been largely unchanged over the years -- backed by farm fields on one side and a placid inlet off the St. John River known as Gagetown Creek. The peaceable surroundings and simple vernacular country architecture have attracted the attention of craftspeople and artists, who have settled here and slowly made it a quiet arts colony -- quaint and creative, but not annoyingly so. Look for a handful of low-key enterprises, including art galleries, a cafe, a decoy carver, a bookstore, a cider press, a crafts cooperative, and several potters.
Things to do, besides wander around: You can bird-watch and explore -- the region is noted for its avian life, with a wide range of birds enjoying the mixed terrain that includes marsh grass, forest, and field. Some 144 species have been reliably identified in and around Gagetown. Gagetown Island is just offshore (easily accessible by kayak or canoe, which inn guests may borrow; see below). The island is 400 hectare (1,000 acres) and features a glacial deposit that rises some 23m (75 ft.), the ruins of a stone house that dates from the early 19th century, and an osprey-viewing platform.
You can visit the Queens County Museum (no phone), birthplace of Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, one of the fathers of confederation. (The 1786 home is located across from the Steamers Stop Inn, and is open to the public in summer.)
