St. Andrews by-the-Sea

When the border was fixed after the American Revolution, Loyalists at Castine in Maine found themselves on the wrong side, so they dismantled their houses, floated them across Passamaquoddy Bay on barges and rebuilt them here in 1783; several of those buildings still stand. The town became a resort in the nineteenth century with the Algonquin hotel above it. Kingsbrae Garden covers eleven hectares on the site of former estates. Whale watching runs from the wharf into the Bay of Fundy for right, humpback and finback whales, and at low tide a gravel bar lets people walk out to Ministers Island.

What you actually see

• The floated houses - buildings barged from Maine in 1783 and rebuilt.
• Kingsbrae Garden - eleven hectares of gardens on former estate land.
• The whale watching - Fundy trips for right, humpback and finback whales.
• The Algonquin hotel - a resort hotel above the town from 1889.

When to go

June to September for whale trips and the gardens, both seasonal; whales are most reliable July to September. The town is quiet in winter with much closed.

Honest expectations

Most attractions close from October to May. Whale sightings are not guaranteed and the North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered with sightings increasingly rare. Fog cancels trips.

Nearby

Ministers Island lies offshore; Campobello is south.