Attractions

The free Fredericton Visitor Guide, available at the information centers and many hotels around town, contains a well-written and informative walking tour of the downtown. It's worth tracking down before launching an exploration of the city.

City Hall, 397 Queen St., is an elaborate Victorian building with a prominent brick tower and 2.4m (8-ft.) clock dial. The second-floor City Council Chamber occupies what was the opera house until the 1940s. Small, folksy tapestries adorn the visitor's gallery and tell the town's history. Learn about these and the rest of the building during the free building tours, which are offered twice daily from mid-May to mid-October (both in English and French). In the off season, call tel. 506/460-2120 to schedule a tour.

Officers' Square, on Queen Street between Carleton and Regent, is now a handsome city park. In 1785, the park was the center of military activity and used for drills, first as part of the British garrison, and later (until 1914) by the Canadian Army. Today, the only soldiers are local actors who put on a show for the tourists. Look also for music and dramatic events staged at the square in the warmer months. The handsome colonnaded stone building facing the parade grounds is the former officer's quarters, now the York-Sunbury Historical Society Museum .

In the center of the square the prominent statue of the robed figure is Lord Beaverbrook. That's a name you'll hear a lot of in Fredericton: a street, a museum, and a hotel bear his name. Lord Beaverbrook was Max Aitken, a native of Newcastle, New Brunswick, who amassed a significant fortune as a press baron and through other business endeavors. Although he lived much of his life in Britain (he was made a lord in 1917, taking the name after a stream near Newcastle where he had fished as a young man), he maintained close ties to Canada. He donated an art collection and modern building to house it (the Beaverbrook Art Gallery), along with a modern playhouse, which now is home to Theatre New Brunswick. The playhouse was built in 1964, the same year Lord Beaverbrook died.

Two blocks upriver of Officers' Square are the Soldiers' Barracks, housed in a similarly grand stone building. Check your watch against the sundial high on the end of the barracks, a replica of the original timepiece. A small exhibit shows the life of the enlisted man in the 18th century. Along the ground floor, local craftspeople sell their wares from small shops carved out of former barracks.

Fredericton is well noted for its distinctive architecture, especially the fine Victorian and Queen Anne residential architecture. Particularly attractive is Waterloo Row, a group of privately owned historic homes -- some grand, some less so -- just downriver of downtown.

One entertaining and enlightening way to learn about the city's history is to sign up for a walking tour with the Calithumpians of Fredericton's Outdoor Summer Theatre. Costumed guides offer free tours daily in July and August, pointing out highlights with anecdotes and dramatic tales. Recommended is the evening "Haunted Hike" tour, which runs 5 nights each week. The evening tour is about 2 hours and costs about C$13 (US$11) for adults, C$8 (US$6.40) for children; call tel. 506/457-1975 for more information.

If you happen to be in town on a Saturday, a worthy detour is to the Boyce Farmers' Market (tel. 506/451-1815), located on George Street, behind the old jail at 668 Brunswick St. The market, which runs from about 6am until about 1pm, has existed here in one form or another since the late 18th century. The current building was constructed in 1951 and expanded in 1990. More than 200 vendors offer everything fresh, from seasonal vegetables to meats, baked goods, and crafts. The market is adjacent to Science East .