Trip chapter 03

Rivière-du-Loup to Fredericton

Into New Brunswick with a riverside lunch stop, the World's Largest Axe, a closed botanic garden detour and a downtown Fredericton patio win.

Drive timeLong driving day into New Brunswick

FromRivière-du-Loup

ToFredericton

After two nights in Rivière-du-Loup, we continued east towards the New Brunswick border. This leg mixed a long drive with three very different stops: a riverside lunch, a roadside giant, and a new capital city.

Lunch at Grand Falls

Our first stop was at the Grand Falls visitor centre. Sadly there was nothing really dog friendly there on this visit, but it was a nice spot to eat a packed lunch and stretch the legs. The gorge and the dam are an impressive backdrop for a roadside lunch.

The rocky gorge and dam at Grand Falls, New Brunswick — A packed lunch with a gorge view at the Grand Falls visitor centre.

Shaun and Tilly together at the Grand Falls overlook — A packed lunch with a gorge view at the Grand Falls visitor centre.

The World's Largest Axe

The next stop was the World's Largest Axe in Nackawic. There wasn't much here on this visit, but there were some nice gardens to walk around in and the axe itself was a good photo op. Tilly approved of the grass.

The Nackawic waterfront docks on a partly cloudy day — A quick photo op and a garden stroll in Nackawic.

Checking in at the Comfort Inn

We arrived at our lodging at the Comfort Inn in Fredericton. They charged a $20 pet fee. I had chosen it because it was located close to Odell Park and the botanic gardens.

However, due to fire risk everything had been closed down a few days prior to our arrival, so the park and the gardens were off the table. The entrance signs made that clear before we even tried.

A trail closed sign blocking the entrance to the Fredericton Botanic Garden — The botanic garden entrance, closed due to fire risk.

Instead, we walked into downtown. It was quite a long walk, and I would probably not recommend doing that again — it is a rather steep hill. But Tilly was tired out at the end of it, so I guess that is good. Downtown Fredericton was pretty.

Patio dinner at RustiCo / King West Brewing

We ate at RustiCo / King West Brewing Company on King Street, and they had a patio that welcomed Tilly. It was a little awkward at first because I couldn't find any staff to give me access to the patio, but a helpful customer offered to flag someone inside for me and they let me in. They brought Tilly a bowl of ice water, which she was pretty happy with.

A glass of King West Brewing beer on the downtown Fredericton patio — A beer on the patio while Tilly settled in under the table.

Tilly resting on the patio floor at King West Brewing in Fredericton — A beer on the patio while Tilly settled in under the table.

Downtown Fredericton and the riverfront

After dinner we wandered around downtown, took some photos and enjoyed the views along the Saint John River. The riverfront footbridge, the lighthouse and the historic buildings made for an easy, scenic evening walk.