Rothesay is located on the Kennebecasis River. Parks and trails offer various ways to spend time outdoors, while a historic railway station and the Living Museum explore different aspects of the town’s history. When choosing your accommodation, it can therefore help to first decide what you want to focus on: nature, seasonal activities or culture.
Parks, Trails and Seasonal Activities
Wells Recreation Park offers outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling and snowshoeing. Some activities may be seasonal. In winter, conditions permitting, the trails are groomed for classic and skate-style cross-country skiing, as well as snowshoeing and hiking. If you’re planning a winter visit, check the latest grooming updates in advance.
Steele Kennedy Nature Park offers a one-kilometre loop trail for hiking. East Riverside-Kingshurst Park has a loop trail around the grounds, as well as impressive views of the Kennebecasis River. The parks offer different features to choose from: a measured hiking loop at Steele Kennedy Nature Park and a loop trail with river views at East Riverside-Kingshurst Park.
Rothesay’s publicly operated parks, trails and open green spaces are accessible from dawn to dusk. Plan your visit within this time frame and check the latest access rules in advance. K-Park Beach is one of two supervised beaches in Rothesay that are open to the public during the summer months. Check the latest dates before visiting the beach.
Rothesay’s Railway and Community History
The Rothesay Railway Station (European and North American) is a National Historic Site of Canada and commemorates the development of the Maritime Railways. The Rothesay Living Museum was established as a partnership between the Town of Rothesay and Rothesay High School. Its purpose is to collect, preserve and share the history of the community. The station and museum focus on different aspects of history: the development of the railways and the history of the community, respectively.
In the wider Kings County destination
Those exploring the wider Kings County destination will find other nature and culture themes there. The Sussex Nature Walkway is a five-kilometre self-guided trail along Trout Creek that passes through an area with diverse flora and fauna. Hampton Marsh, meanwhile, focuses on wetland landscapes and outdoor activities: the area is part of the St. John River floodplain and lies within a network of oxbows, side channels and backwaters of the Kennebecasis River. Opportunities there include birdwatching and photography, as well as recreational boating, canoeing and kayaking.
Railway history is also represented in Kings County. The Intercolonial Railway Station in Sussex is designated a Local Historic Place because it played a defining role in the early development of the community. The one-and-a-half-storey Craftsman-style brick railway station and freight building are connected by a covered passageway; today, the station houses the 8th Canadian Hussars Museum. The Agricultural Fair continues to be held annually at the Agricultural Museum. If you’d like to plan your trip around the event, check the latest dates.
Explore more destinations: Hampton, Penobsquis, Norton, Sussex.
See the wider travel overview: Kings County.
