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Located on Canada's Southeastern Atlantic Seaboard, where the Bay of Fundy meets the mouth of the Saint John River, Saint John is a quaint harbor town of nearly 130,000 residents. A 90-minute drive from the U.S. border in Maine, "the Fundy City" offers 400 years of history, exciting nature excursions and Canadian hospitality, with British and French influences. Cruise ship passengers in particular are made to feel welcome as they dock; a "greeting committee" of volunteers welcomes visitors.
Saint John is Canada's first incorporated city, a celebrated wooden shipbuilding center with a colorful history. A great fire in 1877 destroyed almost the entire city center. Today, the quaint "Uptown" area is laden with Victorian-influenced architecture, brick walkways, historic churches, town squares and flowers blooming around old-fashioned lamp posts. There's a storybook quality about the town that's a nice respite from bustling, overly touristy cruise ports. Saint John also has a bohemian flair, with lots of street musicians, funky galleries and independent record stores.
But the town is best known for its Bay of Fundy-related attractions. The Bay of Fundy is world-renowned for its extreme tides -- twice daily seawater rises (and then falls) about four stories high! As a result of the tides, the region is incredibly rich in scenic vistas (cascading waterfalls and cliffs carved out by water) and in sea-life, the latter of which draws folks interested in spotting rare whales and interesting shore birds.
The most exotic -- and fabulous -- experience that you shouldn't miss in this port of call is a look at the Reversing Rapids. At low tide, the rapids are turbulent and there's a bottleneck gorge at the falls. At high tide, the waters are pushed upstream, so the river runs in reverse.
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