‘It’s a great place to come visit’: Tourism season arrives in Saint Andrews, N.B.

Whale watching stands are pictured along the waterfront in Saint Andrews, N.B. (CTV/Avery MacRae)

Finding a parking space in downtown Saint Andrews won’t be an easy task for the next few months as the tourism season has arrived in the coastal community.

On Sunday, cars lined either side of Water Street, with many side streets also filled with travellers eager to explore the town. That includes Ed and Cathy Cote, who were marking their first visit to Saint Andrews since their honeymoon 44 years ago.

“The weather is beautiful over here, and so is the scenery and the people,” the couple says. “The people are amazing, amazingly friendly.”

The town also routinely draws in people from around the province who enjoy checking out the area, like Rowan Bennett, who made the hour-long drive to spend the day in town.

“I love Saint Andrews,” Bennett says. “It’s a great place to come visit in the summer. The people are so friendly, and there’s lots to do here. Lots of activities and little shops and the beaches are beautiful.”

Saint Andrews has become known as one of New Brunswick’s most popular tourist towns. Among the most popular pastimes for tourists include shopping along the town main strip, enjoying fresh seafood from the Bay of Fundy at one of the many local restaurants, and heading out into the ocean on a whale watching adventure.

David Pederson owns the Niger Reef Restaurant located next door to the Blockhouse National Historic Site. He says after a rainy may and parts of June, it appears the summer weather has arrived for July.

“I think that we are all looking forward to it,” he says. “It’s really been great for the retail, restaurants and businesses downtown.”

At Noble Restaurant, located at Windsor House, owner Lisa Huggins says the switch for the tourism season turns on every Canada Day during the town’s massive festivities.

While she jokes the weather could be a little less humid, she is happy to see the streets full of people. The next few months are important for businesses in town to help with the quieter times during the off-season.

“You have to make hay when the sun shines,” Huggins says. “A lot of people say it’s 120 days of, you know, let’s get at it. So, I think we’re off to a good start.”

On the hottest of days, the Huntsman Marine Science Centre is an ideal place to take the kids where they can learn about the marine life that calls the Bay of Fundy home.

Aquarium operations specialist Nicole Waller says they get an average of 35,000 visitors in the summer months. She says the most popular attraction is the twice-a-day feeding of the centre’s harbour seal, Snorkel.

“I really enjoy talking to kids that are a bit nervous to touch animals at our interpretive touch tank,” she says when asked her favourite part of welcoming guests this time of year. “It’s really exciting to get them to at least put their little finger on a sea star or something like that for the first time and get them to get their hands wet a little bit.”

Each day, every spot in town seemingly welcomes hundreds of guests. That includes The Nautical Shop on Water Street.

Owner Morgan Michener says she gets to meet people from all over the world through the job, which is here favourite part of the summer season.

“It’s just incredible talking to different people with different perspectives and meeting people, chatting with them, seeing people relaxed and enjoying the Maritimes, quite frankly.”

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