#StopToSeeNB – Sackville, New Brunswick

Inside: Our #StopToSeeNB, two night family visit to Sackville, New Brunswick. Sharing what we did in Sackville, where we ate and where we stayed.

Hey everyone! Have you ever stopped to look at what there is around you when planning a night or weekend away? We have started a new blog series called “#StopToSeeNB – Visiting Hometowns In New Brunswick”, to share some of the reasons we love New Brunswick, why we are proud to be from here, and in order to instill a sense of belonging in our children.  We are a family of 4, Ruth Ann (me), Doug (my husband), Lorne (16 yrs) and Clayton (6 yrs), and traveling most of the time with our dog Bo. We will highlight the things we saw,  where we ate and where we stayed in each place we visit.

We were hosted by the Town Of Sackville and created our own itinerary for this visit. All opinions and experiences are our own. We partner with destinations and businesses we feel fit our audience and brand.

We spent last weekend in a small town, close by, and had such a great weekend getaway. The Town Of Sackville, New Brunswick, is located just before the Nova Scotia border and is known for its waterfowl park, and it’s also the home of Mount Allison University.  We learned just how much this town has to offer and didn’t even get to do and see everything we wanted to on our 2 days there. Below we share what we saw, where we ate and where we stayed. There will be more blog posts coming on some of the individual places as we had some amazing experiences and have many more photos to share!

 

What we did in Sackville, NB:

2 of the New Works Festival events

On Friday evening, Doug and Lorne attended the behind the scenes of “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” presentation at the Cranewood On Main, as part of the New Works Festival that was put on by the Live Bait Theatre. They really enjoyed the evening and it was a nice father/son activity.

On Saturday night Doug, Clayton and I attended One-Eyed Fish and the Drowned World, the World Premiere of a new fantasy play by Sue Rose. It was Clayton’s first time attending a live theatre performance. It was held in an intimate circular setting, it was fantastic, and Clayton’s favourite character was Fish. We passed the actor who played Fish on the street later that evening, and Clayton got bashful and giggly! It was priceless.

Sackville Farmer’s Market at the Bill Johnstone Memorial Park – Dog-Friendly (outside)

The Sackville Farmer’s Market was top on my list to visit first thing Saturday morning. I love walking around at local markets, meeting the people and supporting the vendors. The outdoor market runs on Saturdays 9 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. There are a variety of vendors, from craftspersons (leather, jewellery, etc), farmers to bakers, craft sodas and prepared ethnic foods.

Boultenhouse Heritage Center 

After the Farmer’s Market, we dropped Bo off at the B&B for a little rest and headed to The Boultenhouse Heritage Centre. It is one of Sackville’s oldest surviving homes, containing a museum to showcase the areas rich history. We took a guided tour and learned about shipbuilding in the late 18th century, early Victorian life through artifacts displayed in the parlour, more about domestic life and then the growth in other industries & manufacturing that happened in the region.

 The wall above contains original wallpaper from over 200 years ago. The painter of the paper is pictured in the design as well.

Campbell Carriage Factory Museum Dog-Friendly (inside and out)

After getting lunch and picking Bo back up at the B&B, we headed to the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum. There were two young men working and both offered a tour. We decided to do this one unguided, simply because we had just finished a guided tour at Boultenhouse, and Clayton (6 years old) does much better when he can explore at is own pace. We found that both the Carriage Factory and Boultenhouse were of interest to both adults and the kids.

We enjoyed learning about the craftsmanship of the Campbell family that produced 45 to 60 vehicles in this factory each year, including buggies, wagons, and sleighs. The factory was built in the 1840s and produced carriages and repaired them from 1855 thru 1951.

There are three buildings to explore, including a working blacksmith shop. There are many examples of carriages, tools, parts and more to touch, see and learn about.

The factory is located at 19 Church Street, about 3 km off the Trans Canada highway. The beautiful landscape surrounding the museum is a lovely spot to take some photos and enjoy the country breeze.

Fort Beauséjour—Fort Cumberland National Historic Site – Dog-Friendly (outside on leash)

If you have followed our blog and social channels for a while, you already know how much we love Fort Beauséjour. The museum houses artifacts and tells the stories of the fort over the years, the outside contains foundations and some underground structures to explore. There are also picnic tables in a couple of buildings on the property and plenty of open space to enjoy. We usually pack a picnic lunch, take a blanket and our kite and enjoy a whole afternoon there. This was a must visit when staying in Sackville, as it is less than a 10-minute drive. 

The boys had fun with their “muskets” and explored all over the fort! Here’s a photo of Lorne (now 16) when he attended a day camp here as a child, about 9 years ago (my heart is melting!)…visit this post to see more photos of Fort Beauséjour.

Trueman Blueberry Farm – Dog-Friendly (inside and out, on leash)

On the way back to Sackville from Fort Beauséjour, we decided to follow the “ice cream” signs out to Trueman Blueberry Farm in Aulac, about 3 km down the road. We are so glad we did! 

It is a fantastic spot with lots to see and do. First, the homemade ice cream in many flavours, Doug tried Blueberry Maple, Clayton had Strawberry, Lorne enjoyed a Mint Chocolate cone and I had the non-dairy Strawberry Sorbet. The kids enjoyed a game of Checkers as well, as pictured above. There is an onsite bakery making bread, pies, and cookies as well. We purchased a jar of honey and after the ice cream, Clayton went outside to explore the grounds, he tried the obstacle course and jumbo jumper. There is even more to see and do as the season goes on with a sunflower maze and corn maze as well as raspberry and blueberry u-picks.

Sackville Waterfowl Park – Dog-Friendly (on leash)

On Sunday morning we took a long walk around the Waterfowl Park. There is a guided tour option, we chose to grab a guidebook at the visitor center and 34 Mallard Drive and explored at our own pace. We walked through wooded areas, on the marsh boardwalks, along dirt pathways and stopped to rest at the various benches along the way. The thing that struck me most was the sound of wildlife when you stopped to take in the visual beauty around you, the sound of all the wildlife was intense. We spotted several birds on our walk, from mallards, Double-crested Cormorant and morning doves to Canada geese and Red-winged Blackbirds.

photo by Lorne Swansburg

 

Photo by Lorne Swansburg

Other Options that we did not have time for (and will be fitting in over the summer in day trips!)

There is a great deal of artwork and galleries in Sackville. Owen’s Art Gallery is a family friendly gallery with activities for kids and programs running for residents as well. We had hoped to make it there, but we did not have time to fit it in on this trip.  We plan to go back to Sackville and complete the Sackville Art Walk, exploring the Mt. A campus, visiting several galleries and exploring more of the central part of the town of Sackville.

Sackville Harness Shop is another spot that we wanted to visit, but it was closed on Friday when we arrived. The other shop we planned to pop into was Tidewater Books, a locally owned independent book store.  

If you have been to or are from Sackville, New Brunswick, we would love to hear some of your favourite activities and places to see. Let us know in the comments!

Where We Ate in Sackville, NB:

Mel’s Tearoom

We arrived in Sackville on Friday evening and planned to take out our food from Mel’s Tearoom to a local park because we still had Bo with us. To our delight, the young man at the counter asked if we wanted to bring Bo in and sit in the restaurant!

As you can see, he was a good boy, and we enjoyed our meals and milkshakes. If you ever get to visit, be sure to try one of their many flavours of milkshakes!

Joey’s Pizza & Pasta

We had a late supper at Joey’s Pizza & Pasta (I remember in my Mt. Allison years ordering Joey’s pizza to the residence!). Doug, Clayton and I enjoyed pizza, calamari and garlic fingers. We definitely recommend the pizza here, it was lovely with just the right amount of seasoning and cheese on a thin crust.

I loved the food, but the restaurant itself has so much character. From the gorgeous light fixtures and tin ceiling to the many photos on the walls, it is a lovely spot to have a meal. We sat on the restaurant side and there was a bar/pub side to the restaurant as well.

Pattersons Family Restaurant

Pattersons is a nice family restaurant, just off the highway on the same street as the Tourist Information Centre. It has a large playroom for kids and lots of seating. The food was good, classic family restaurant meals and the staff very friendly. There were some baked goods at the cash that looked delightful and the prices were really good for freshly baked items. Had we been staying at a hotel or on our way back to Moncton, we likely would have picked some up for later.

Cranewood On Main

The Cranewood On Main is open 7 days a week, with seating inside and out, making this a great location to have our pup with us. The building was built in 1836 and housed the President of the University from 1975 into the 2000s. In 2013 it was purchased by Malcolm and Debbie Fisher family, and the bakery at Cranewood became a reality. The family has done major restorative work on the building in recent years and strive to maintain much of the building’s architectural integrity.

Not only did we get coffee, cookies and fresh lemonade here, they also had homemade dog treats, so we got one to treat Bo!

We took our coffee and treats outside, as we had Bo with us, but there was seating inside as well. We will definitely be making more stops here in the future, and enjoy this beautiful building as well. 

Bagtown Brewing Company

We also stopped by Bagtown Brewing Company to pick up a 6 pack of their brew! They were at the Farmer’s Market Saturday morning with their Blueberry Soda, and have just opened their beer garden for the summer.

The Bagtown Brewing Company was started by an entrepreneurship class at Mount Allison University, in Sackville, NB. It is now run by one of the original class members and a fellow MTA commerce student. 

 
Where we stayed in Sackville, NB: 

Windsbreath Celebrations & Retreats B&B – Dog-Friendly
While in Sackville, New Brunswick, we stayed at this lovely bed & breakfast, Windsbreath Celebrations & Retreats B&B, the home of Marilyn and Lid.

Marilyn served a full gourmet breakfast. The first morning we enjoyed Scandinavian pancakes with local berry sauces, yogurt, and sausages. On Sunday morning she served up a  Maritime breakfast including homemade fish cakes, baked beans, brown bread, scrambled eggs with herbs, seasonal fruits, and jams.


This blog series, #StopToSeeNB, is focusing on the reasons to stop, stay, shop and eat in New Brunswick. We are featuring family-friendly and dog-friendly travel destinations in Hometowns across New Brunswick, Canada. This is an ongoing series that will feature destinations during various seasons and of varying sizes. From villages & towns to islands and cities, we want to share all that New Brunswick has to offer. Contact us if you are interested in having your hometown featured.
See our other #StopToSeeNB features:

5 thoughts on “#StopToSeeNB – Sackville, New Brunswick”

  1. What a great trip! I never really stop to think about all of the fun opportunities that surround my City. Thanks for the reminder!

  2. What an amazing weekend! I love looking for close(r) to home destinations for those quick weekend getaways!

  3. Wow…this is great! We have driven through Sackville many times and has noses about some of these places. Love this series…thanks so much!

  4. What a fantastic review of our town! We’re glad you had a good time!
    My son is the actor who played Fish. He says he remembers seeing Clayton in the audience.
    Thank you for the lovely words about his performance! It made him feel so happy!

  5. He really enjoyed it and was in awe the entire time (I don’t think I have ever seen him sit so still). Your son did amazing!

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