Staff Pick

Road Trip St. Andrews – Ministers Island (Van Horne) & Kingsbrae Gardens

St. Andrews Ministers Island

0h30

drive

Summer

season

The Itinerary

St. Andrews by-the-Sea, a National Historic Site (1998), is North America's oldest seaside resort — founded by Loyalists in 1783, a fashionable resort from the 1880s. Three exceptional attractions await: the Algonquin hotel (1889), Kingsbrae Garden and Ministers Island.

Ministers Island, accessible only at low tide via a natural gravel causeway that emerges twice daily, holds Covenhoven — the summer estate of Sir William Van Horne, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway (builder of the transcontinental railway). The 50-room manor (1900) with indoor pool, massive polygonal barn, circular cow shed for 90 cows — Gilded Age opulence. Check tide tables!

Kingsbrae Garden, 11 hectares in the heart of St. Andrews, is regularly ranked among Canada's 10 most beautiful gardens: cedar maze, butterfly garden, alpaca, peacocks, contemporary sculptures and gourmet restaurant under a tent. The preserved downtown (Water Street) offers craft shops, pubs and restaurants facing Passamaquoddy Bay.

Points of Interest

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Ministers Island

Van Horne's Covenhoven, low-tide causeway access.
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Kingsbrae Garden

Top 10 Canadian gardens, alpacas, sculptures.
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Algonquin Resort

1889 Canadian Pacific heritage hotel.
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Water Street

Preserved 1783 Loyalist downtown.

Fishing Spots Along the Route

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