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Meridiela.

Fredericton

A garrison capital of elms and Georgian buildings, holding a Salvador Dali canvas over four metres tall.

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Typecapital city
WhereNew Brunswick
Nearest cityFredericton
Best seasonMay to October
Time to allowA day
Getting thereNew Brunswick; Trans-Canada Highway, or flights
EntryFree garrison; gallery charged

Fredericton was laid out as a garrison town in the 1780s and the Historic Garrison District keeps the officers' quarters, barracks and parade square in the middle of the city, with a changing of the guard in summer. Lord Beaverbrook, the New Brunswick-born press baron, gave the city a gallery in 1959 and stocked it with British art including Turner, Gainsborough and Freud, plus Salvador Dali's Santiago El Grande, a canvas over four metres tall showing a horse leaping into a vaulted sky, which he bought and gave to the province. The Saint John River runs through with a rail trail bridge crossing it.

What you actually see

  • Santiago El Grande - a monumental Dali canvas in the Beaverbrook gallery.
  • The Garrison District - barracks, guardhouse and parade square in the centre.
  • The Beaverbrook collection - Turner, Gainsborough, Freud and British art.
  • The river trail - a walking and cycling bridge over the Saint John.

When to go

May to October for the garrison programme and the outdoor life; the gallery is open year-round and closes Mondays in low season. The Harvest music festival is in September.

Honest expectations

The changing of the guard and garrison programming are summer only. The gallery is modest in size though strong in quality. The city is small and quiet.

Nearby

Kings Landing lies west; Hartland is northwest.

What to pack for Fredericton

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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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