Edmundston, New Brunswick

Edmundston-Madawaska

The Edmundston-Madawaska area has more character to welcome you, and enough good food, and good times to hold you for a long time! However, you may find yourself planning a return visit before you even leave. I promised to come back to celebrate La Grande Grouille Fall Festival while I was still exploring the NB Botanical Garden in Saint Jacques. See link at end of this story for more information on the garden and this autumn event.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

The spectacular Gothic and Romanesque Cathédrale de l'Immaculée-Conception is a grand lady in the city of Edmundston. Recognized as a provincial historic site in 2001, this Roman Catholic masonry church, built in 1880, towers proudly over the city accentuating its importance in the community. You have to marvel at the scale of this massive feat of architecture. The organist was rehearsing for an upcoming service on the huge three-manual and pedal, 44-stop organ when I walked in, making the visit all the more special. Don’t miss a visit. This place has its share of quirky facts and hidden treasures inside that you have to see to believe.

Find the Hidden Secrets

Once you let the awe and wonder sink in, have a little fun finding the anomalies inside the cathedral. Look for the shell and animal fossils hiding in the marble walls. Discover the first two stained glass windows that disappointed the community so much so that they hired another artisan to design more realistic artwork for the remaining windows. Then in a 'Where's Waldo' like search, try to find the man in a suit hiding in one of the stained glass windows. Apparently, he commissioned the window and insisted that the artist incorporate his likeness within all its glory.

Get Churched at the Arts Centre

A delightful piano crosswalk leads the way to Centre des Arts d’Edmundston, a former church transformed into a hub of creativity. This is well worth your time if you love the arts as much as I do. You are invited to discover and rediscover many artists for all tastes through the Centre's performances in music, dance and comedy. Workshops for emerging interests are also offered as well as exciting visual arts exhibitions. Currently, 'Guerre des Toiles' by Luc A. Charette is on display. It is a study of pure expression and freedom.

Unique Urban Art

Creative artwork in many forms is prevalent all over Edmundston from the 'Mosaiicultures' garden sculptures and stained glass benches at the NB Botanical Garden to the downtown Edmundston frescos to the Edmundston Convention Centre's 'Four Seasons' stained glass window art and unique sculpture, to the City Hall art gallery inside to 'The Founders' full size wood carvings outside to the Literary Tour poetry and street art. Pick up a tourism guide, enjoy a walk about town, and stop enjoy the views, inside and out.

Petit-Sault Blockhouse

History buffs, will appreciate the authentically rebuilt Petit-Sault Blockhouse interpretation site. The British Army originally built this fort in 1841 to strategically protect territory being disputed between England and the United States. A treaty was signed designating the St. John River as the boundary between Maine & New Brunswick. Personally, I ran out of time to take this in but I did love the view from the top.

All Aboard For Kids of All Ages

Guy is into trains. This is the understatement of the year. He has completely transformed his house and his property into 'Du Réel au Miniature: Le Centre d'Interprétation des Voies Ferrées' and his wife let him! Together, Guy and Geraldine run this Railroad Interpretation Centre year round. If you have children or are young at heart and love trains as much as these two do, you are in for a treat. This model railroader has 1,000 square feet of miniature railroad layout & 2,500 feet of small scale rails & bridges on 7 acres of property. During summer months, the one km circuit is available for train lovers and kids of all ages to take a ride on the railroad.

Hydrobikes

If being active is your thing, Edmundston has many options - on land or on water. Having a full itinerary, I squeezed in the hydrobike experience from the marina and it was a blast. I took a few photos of the experts first then took one out for a spin myself. They are stable, easy to operate and a fun way to spend a half-hour.

There are lots of active lifestyle activities to enjoy in the area like walking, hiking, geocaching, rock wall climbing, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, golfing and mountain biking the many scenic trails at an easy, intermediate, advanced or expert level.

Crafty Characters and Award Winning Craft Beer

The old downtown Police Station is now the home of Petit Sault Brasseurs, a local craft brewery. After a tasting experience with friends (it's a tough job but someone has to do it), I realized the only thing Petit Sault Brasseurs is guilty of - is delivering really good ale -award winning actually! Make sure you try my favs: Tante Blanche, Bob LeBoeuf, Phémie-la-Bootlegger (Chocolate Maple Truffle Porter) and their newest brew - the tasty grapefruit-nosed Spoutnique.

The buzz is real about this Belgian-inspired with a Madawaska County twist craft brewery. Each brew is named after a legendary or colourful character. My new friend Luc Cyr, the talented sculptor and artist in residence at the NB Botanical Garden, inspired the brand labels with carved wooden caricatures he was commissioned to create. They are proudly on display behind the bar on a tall shelf.

Café Bistro Lotus Bleu

This vegetarian, organic and fairtrade cafe is a great spot for a healthy lunch. Enjoy the friendly, relaxed atmosphere here with bright colourful retro decor. Be sure to try the delicious date squares. The owner's mom Lili Fyfe makes them and just happened to drop off a new batch that were still warm from the oven.

Go 'Back to the Future' at the Antique Automobile Museum

Well they may not have a DeLorean time machine vehicle, but they do have one of the very few Bricklins that were once manufactured in New Brunswick! That's just the tip of the iceberg too as Burt will take you on a tour of the antique cars and transportation related items with quirky side notes and clever tidbits of little known facts. So whether you are a vintage automobile enthusiast or just are a curious car lover, pop into the Antique Automobile Museum to admire the showcase. Tell Burt the Maritimes Maven sent you!

This post was sponsored by Tourism Edmundston-Madawaska; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Follow Maritimes Maven on FaceBook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn & Threads. Subscribe to be the first to receive my latest articles. Share articles you love with your social media community so they, too, will discover, There’s No Place Like Home!