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We’ve partnered with Volkswagen Canada to give you and your family the chance to win a two-night stay in the perfect cottage-country dream getaway! Included in the “What’s Your Ideal Volkswagen Cottage Country Road Trip” contest are the use of a new Volkswagen Tiguan to get to your chosen destination in style, free gas, and $500 in spending money! Enter now for your chance to win.
The Bay of Fundy is a natural wonder. The coastal region, which extends between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, is famous for its astounding tidal range—water levels famously peaked at 71 feet back in 1869—and beautiful locales.
It’s also a driver’s delight.
New Brunswick’s more than 460 km Fundy Coastal Drive is one of the best ways to see the sights. On it, you’ll spot everything from a town obsessed with chocolate to breaching whales off the coast. Want to do the drive justice? The Volkswagen Tiguan’s available 3rd-Row Seating offers more than enough room for the whole family, and its digital cockpit, on-screen navigation, and premium audio system make the road trip a breeze. Also making it a breeze is the Tiguan’s beautiful, cabin-covering Panoramic Sunroof.
Live like Willy Wonka
Deny it all you want, but you’re the reason your kids have such a sweet tooth. It’s OK—we’re the same way, which is one of the many reasons we love visiting the town of St. Stephen. Known for nearly 20 years as Canada’s Chocolate Town, the main cavity-creating draw is its yearly week-long chocolate festival, which takes place in August. But if you miss it, fear not; the Chocolate Museum is open March through December, and it offers a Heritage Chocolate Walk. Just remember to brush when you’re done.
Become a Zookeeper
Moncton’s Magnetic Hill Zoo is a great place to take the family. While there, they can see the tamarins, tigers, and apes; watch one of two daily shows; and maybe even pet a lizard. But the x-factor is definitely its Zookeeper For a Week program, which is exactly what it sounds like: each week, five lucky kids are picked to learn the finer points of animal husbandry and zookeeping. How cool is that!
World’s largest lobster
You’ve never seen a lobster like this. Stretching farther than 30 feet long and weighing in excess of 90 tonnes, this absolutely gargantuan sculpture is maybe the most famous resident of Shediac, New Brunswick, which is known as the “Lobster Capital of the World.” This sculpture is big enough for the entire family to take a picture in front of, and its sheer size means you’ll need to take a short climb up the stairs to do so. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Moncton, so take advantage of the Volkswagen Tiguan’s App-Connect capabilities to listen to your favourite playlist on the road.
Sail the seas in search of whales
Take a trip on the historic Jolly Breeze tall ship for a pirate-inspired bit of whale watching. Its multi-hour tours will have you spotting everything from breaching humpback whales to soaring birds of prey, and on the off chance the whales aren’t feeling very social, there’s more than enough to keep the entire family occupied on the boat. The kids can even dress up like Long John Silver and meet starfish, crabs, and sea anemones in the ship’s touch tank.
Kejimkujik National Park
The only Canadian park dually designated as a National Park and a National Historic Site, Kejimkujik National Park is an East Coast gem. Filled with scenic hiking trails, a warm-water river, and acres of beautiful plant life, this preserved piece of Canadian paradise is the perfect place to spend a day or, if you’re so inclined, the night. The Volkswagen Tiguan’s Collapsible Rear Seats mean packing a family tent is easy, and we hear that Jeremy’s Bay Campground can’t be beat.
See the highs and lows
Take advantage of the bay’s record-breaking high tides by sandwiching your day between trips to the same spot. The Minas Basin is known to have a difference between high and low tides of more than 16 metres, which is roughly the height of a 5-floor building! Consider experiencing the changing tides with a boat trip or kayaking tour.
Cape Enrage
Don’t let the name scare you; Cape Enrage has a lot to offer families. You can experience the tides changing from atop its tall cliffs, or get your adrenaline pumping with a little rock climbing or ziplining. There’s also an acclaimed art gallery and a restaurant.
Plant yourself at the Flower Pots
Because of the Bay’s rapidly rising and falling tides, its coastal cliffs, coves and caves have undergone some serious structural erosion. The result is absolutely stunning; one of a kind rock formations, walkways you can only experience in low tide, and the chance to walk the ocean floor are just a few of the incredible things you can do at the Hopewell Rocks. Don’t forget to take a family selfie at the iconic Flower Pot formations. Unfortunately, they won’t be there forever, as we learned when one of the iconic formations fell in 2016.
Want to explore more Canadian dream destinations like this? Enter our “What’s Your Ideal Volkswagen Cottage Country Road Trip” contest!