St. Stephen in Passamaquoddy Bay

Directly across the river from Calais, Maine, St. Stephen is the gateway to Canada for many travelers arriving from the United States. The two towns have a symbiotic relationship—it’s a local call across the international border from one town to the other, fire engines from one country will respond to fires in the other, and during an annual summer parade, bands and floats have sometimes marched right through Customs. In fact, in 1812 the people of St. Stephen loaned Calais enough gunpowder to celebrate the 4th of July, even though the United States and what was then a British colony were technically at war.

Though downtown St. Stephen is hardly a destination itself, it is a handy pit stop—and the smell of chocolate from a major local factory does sneakily attempt to entice many visitors into a longer stay.

A second border crossing located just outside the town of Calais and St. Stephen avoids passing through either town. If you are in a hurry, this crossing is a better choice, steering you directly onto a multilane highway heading east toward Saint John. However, you’ll miss the charm of the border towns.

Exploring St. Stephen

While the lumber industry and wood trades built this town and are responsible for those handsome brick-and-stone buildings along the main street, today St. Stephen is Canada’s “Chocolate Town”. After all the sweet samplings, if you feel the need to work off the calories, there is a lovely Riverfront Walking Trail between downtown buildings and the river. You might spot a bald eagle as you hike. Just out of town, the Ganong Nature Park has even more walking trails, a spectacular coastline, and huge tide swings that expose the ocean floor twice daily. It is located at 350 Todd’s Point Rd. in Charlotte County, about 10km (6 miles) out of town.

You can learn more about the region’s history near the visitor center at the Charlotte County Museum, 443 Milltown Blvd. (tel. 506/466-3295), set in a handsome mansard-roofed home. Besides information about the chocolate factory—who knew Ganong invented both the chocolate bar and the heart-shaped candy box?—you can learn about the city’s formerly impressive cotton mill (which was the second-largest in Canada in its heyday) and the St. Croix Soap Manufacturing Company soap factory, which was sold to the Lever Brothers, a Toronto-based subsidiary of the British conglomerate, in 1913. Admission is free. It’s open July through August only, Tuesdays through Saturdays 9:30am to noon and 12:30-4pm.

Visitor Information in St. Stephen

The St. Stephen Provincial Visitor Information Centre (📞 506/466-7390) on 3 King St. is open daily 9am-5pm July-August and weekends 9am-5pm in June and September. It’s in the old train station at Milltown Boulevard and King Street, about a mile from Canadian Customs—turn right after crossing the border (follow signs toward St. Andrews and Saint John). Watch for the information center at the stoplight where the road turns left.