TransCanada Three:
Literature, Institutions, Citizenship
Tourist and Holiday Plans
Sackville is located in an area with a lot of historical significance, especially for Canadianists, but it is also very close to beaches, parks, and towns that are ideal as holiday destinations. Do take advantage of your visit to New Brunswick to explore the nearby provincial parks, the marshlands, Acadian towns, etc.
For example, the PEI bridge, which was featured on the TransCanada 2 program, is only half an hour by car from Sackville; boardwalks, beginning next to the Mount Allison campus, lead through the marshlands that feature art installations made of natural materials by Canadian and non-Canadian artists (we hope they will withstand the winter so that you will have the opportunity to enjoy them). The marshes featured in Charles G.D. Roberts' "Tantramar Revisited" are a short drive (10 minutes) by car from Sackville. Our picnic lunch at Fort Beauséjour National Historic Site on Friday, July 17th, will offer you one opportunity to visit and enjoy one such nearby location. You will have another opportunity if you sign up for the excursion in the afternoon of Thursday, July 16th, offers you yet another opportunity to visit some of these places; you can book this short trip under Options in the Registration Form.
If you plan to have a holiday before or after the conference, and your plans include renting a car, we'd strongly advise you to book a vehicle as early as possible. See the information we provide under Transportation.
Things to do Before and After!
Sackville (Cultural Capital of Canada 2008)
Waterfowl Park
- 3.5 km of trails and boardwalks for unsurpassed wetland wildlife viewing.
- Approximately 160 bird species and 200 species of plants.
Carriage House
- Built in 1838, the factory had produced high quality horse-drawn vehicles.
- It is believed to be the only carriage factory remaining in North America.
Boltenhouse Heritage Centre
- Built by a shipwright, Christopher Boultenhouse, around 1840, the museum displays Sackville's industrial past.
Owens Art Gallery
- The Owens Art Gallery, the oldest university art gallery in Canada, opened to the public in 1895.
- The Owens Art Gallery also provides a wide range of professional visual arts programming to Mount Allison University's students, staff and alumni, and serves as a significant, integral component of a liberal arts education
Colville House
- Home of renowned Canadian artist Alex Colville, 1948 to 1973.
- Reproductions of many of his works are available in the house, such as "Horse and Train" and "Nude and Dummy." Two of Colville's major murals are on view at Mount Allison, one of them at the conference's banquet room, Tweedie Hall.
Sackville Surrounding Area
Village of Port Elgin
- Over 70 km of trails along open fields, as well as the Northumberland Strait.
- The Monro Heritage Centre, an interpretation centre about the National Historic site of Fort Gaspareaux.
- Port Elgin Suspension Footbridge.
- Cape Jourimain Information Centre.
- Spectacular view of the Confederation Bridge.
- An onsite interpretation centre shows the local history from the first human inhabitants here, the Mi'kmaq, to the Acadian and British settlers.
Village of Dorchester
- Historic sites such as Bell Inn, Keillor House Museum and St. James Presbyterian Church.
- Bell Inn is now a restaurant listed in "Where to eat in Canada". This restaurant is not licensed.
Moncton and Surrounding Area
Moncton, www.moncton.ca (30 mins, 49km)
- Saturday Farmers Market
- Baking, fresh fish, fresh farm produce, crafts, meat and eggs
- 7AM until 2PM every Saturday
- Universite de Moncton
- Centre d'etudes acadiennes is open during the summer (8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday)
Fundy National Park, www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nb/fundy 1.5 hours, 95km
- Fundy National Park
- The tidal fluctuation of the Bay of Fundy is the highest in the world.
- Camping available.
- Visit the Hopewell Rocks.
Shediac, www.shediac.org, 35 mins, 55km
- Parlee Beach
- Events during the day, lifeguard on duty; restaurants are close by.
Bouctouche, www.bouctouche.ca, 53 mins, 78 km
- Lots of Acadian culture and heritage in this Acadian Village.
Fredericton, www.fredericton.ca, 2.5 hours, 255km
- Fredericton is the capital of New Brunswick. Lots of activities in the summer.
- The Beaverbrook Gallery is of particular interest to visitors as it houses Canadian and British as well as a number of international artists.
Prince Edward Island
**The toll for the Confederation Bridge is approximately $40 per car, payable when leaving the island.
Charlottetown, www.tourismpei.com, 1.5 hours, 131km
- Birth place of Confederation.
- Downtown board walk, quaint shops, restaurants, and cafes. Visitors are able to stroll along the pathways, relax on a park bench, picnic waterside.
Cavendish Beach
- National Park
- Golfing nearby, Sandspit Amusement Park, Anne of Green Gables Museum and shops!
- The beaches are perfect for a refreshing swim, building sand castles, or lying on the sand and watching the clouds go by.
Green Gables, 1 hour 45 min, 101 km
- A national historic site, based upon Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic tale of fiction Anne of Green Gables.
- They offer, guided tours, puppet shows, and other special events during the summer months.
Nova Scotia
Joggins, 55mins, 49km
- Joggins Fossil Cliffs
- A UNESCO world heritage site.
- 689 hectares of paleontogical site along the coast of Nova Scotia.
Grand Pre, 2.5hrs, 269km
- Grand Pre National Historic Site
- Was an Acadian settlement from 1682 to 1755.
- History on the settlers and the deportation of Acadians in 1755.
Halifax, www.halifax.ca, 2hrs, 213 km
- Lots of sites to see: Citadel Hill, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, shopping on Spring Garden Road, Public Gardens, Point Pleasant Park, Discovery Centre and the boardwalk.
Cape Breton 4.5 hrs, 409km
- Beautiful scenic drives along the highlands. Lots of local cultural flare.
Fortress of Louisbourg 5.5 hrs, 513km
- The largest reconstructed 18th-century French fortified town in North America.
- Recreation of 18th century life along with an interpretation centre.