Staff Pick
Road Trip St. Andrews – Ministers Island (Van Horne) & Kingsbrae Gardens
St. Andrews
Ministers Island
5
km
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.
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 IslandVan Horne's Covenhoven, low-tide causeway access.
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Kingsbrae GardenTop 10 Canadian gardens, alpacas, sculptures.
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Algonquin Resort1889 Canadian Pacific heritage hotel.
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✦
Water StreetPreserved 1783 Loyalist downtown.
Protected areas along the route
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Ruisseau McLaughlin
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Ruisseau Mink
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Ruisseau Meadow
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Riviere Lepreau
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Lac March's
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Chemin Seven Mile Lake
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Lac Hanson Long
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Ragged Falls
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Practical info
- Departure St. Andrews
- Destination Ministers Island
- Distance 5 km
- Duration 0h30
- Category Short (< 100 km)
- Best season Summer
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