Saint John, NB Road Trip

In July we packed up the car along with Porscha and Fred and drove north to Saint John NB for a long weekend. Whenever we take Fred and a road trip he gets nervous. We make a quick stop usually within an hour of leaving our house and for some reason that calms him right down. On this trip we stopped in Kittery ME for a Starbucks run (I love that they now offer coconut milk)!

We decided to limit our other stops and head right to the Border. At the border we showed our passports, our letter stating it was okay to bring Porscha, asked politely for a stamp for her and were quickly on our way to Saint John. We made a short stop at the Visitors Center outside of Saint John for some maps and brochures. 

We pull into Saint John and can't figure out how to get to our hotel. There is a big Buskers Festival (street performers) happening on the street we're supposed to turn down. We make a U-turn and figure out finally how to get to the Hilton Saint John. For my full hotel review visit HERE. 

The next morning we drove 2 hours north to Hopewell Rocks. At Hopewell Rocks you can walk on the ocean floor (during low tide) and marvel at the rocks formed by the ocean tides. Stay a few hours and you can also see the area you were just walking in get completely filled up with water during high tide. The area is beautiful and serene. The park offers several paths, view points, stores, and restaurants. For a quick snack Porscha was able to try Poutine (french fries with gravy and fresh cheese curds).  

After Hopewell Rocks we decided to head into Alma for lunch. We chose to eat at Alma's Lobster Shop and we are happy we did. For my full restaurant review visit HERE. 

We drove back to Saint John detouring on some of the coastal routes and spent some time walking around town and checking out the festival.  For dinner we tried out the new restaurant Burgerology for some take out. Definitely a must go to for great burgers. For my full restaurant review visit HERE. 

After ordering room service and sleeping in a bit we decided to try Sentier Fundy Trail. The park is pretty and offers lots of small and easy hiking paths however we felt as though we should have gone straight to Fundy National Park.  

We decided to chance a drive back up to Fundy National Park. We made a quick detour at some caves which for us was fun and messy (yes I slipped and got muddy and wet). 

After the caves it took us a while to get to Fundy Natinal park. By the time we got there we were tired and it looked like it was going to rain soon. We decided to get some lunch and see what our options were. We pulled into a new restaurant in town called Tipsy Tails. We were also thrilled they offered a pet friendly deck. For my full restaurant review visit HERE. 

After lunch we headed back into Saint John and walked around to a different area and found several cute restaurants and pubs that we would love to try on another trip (unfortunately without Fred). 

The next morning we had to decide to explore more in Canada (in the pouring rain), head to Bar Harbor ME, or head straight home. We opted for Bar Harbor ME. We pulled into Bar Harbor and purchased our pass into Acadia National Park. We visited several of the adorable stores in town buying some goodies, souvenirs, and patches for Fred's carrier.  At lunch time we opted to try Bar Harbor Beerworks. For my full restaurant review visit HERE. 

After lunch we drove through and walked on a couple of trails in Acadia National Park. Unfortunately, the park was packed and we were very short on time. We decided to leave knowing we definitely want to return. It was a good thing we did leave because we hit major traffic jams through Maine and New Hampshire. Hours later we finally made it home and were able to stretch our legs and relax.