Pete's Historic Walking Tour





Description
Welcome to Canada’s first City, Saint John, New Brunswick, the only city on the Bay of Fundy, home of the world’s highest tides. Meet at Area 506 Waterfront Container Village entrance, and proceed along historic Water Street to Market Square to access the City’s indoor pedway system. This avoids an uphill walk on King St, the steepest main street in Canada. The tour is flat, with a downhill section near the end. Copies of rare photos are used during the tour. Historical facts are featured, from 1783 until the present day. Your knowledgeable guide will focus on numerous points of interest and hidden gems including the history of Saint John over the last 243 years. The final part of the tour is on Prince William St, once known as the Wall St of Canada.
Tour Options
Itinerary
On Water Street ,on the way to Market Square, the tour stops at Furlongs liquor store.
From the exterior area or Market Square, your guide will show where the Loyalist Landing in 1783 occurred, where the Great Fire of Saint John began, and the location of the Prince Charles and Lady Diana walkabout Details and history are provided. Inside Market Square is the Marco Polo sailing ship model; the history of the famous ship is given.
Here in city hall the history of Pete's Pub, owned by your tour guide is told. Stories about sports and entertainment and 35 years at the pub.
Architectural features of the city market, along with its history, are shared by your guide. Extra few minutes to shop here .Oldest continuously operating market in Canada.
On Charlotte Street after leaving the City Market your guide will show you large murals of famous Saint John people. This is a hidden gem, down an alley.
All of the main points of this park established in 1785 will be pointed out by your guide, including a mass of molten metal from the Great Fire, the William Young statue, the Charles Gorman statue, and the King Edward vii Bandstand.
Across from King Square on King Square South Street is the Irving Oil Headquarters. The history of the Irving family in New Brunswick is told by your guide ,beginning with K.C. Irving in 1899.
The history of the theatre is given by your guide ,beginning as a vaudeville theatre in 1913.The chandeliers and other features are explained.
As the guide shows you the Admiral Beatty building, beside the Imperial Theatre on King Square South ,its history is told, beginning as a luxury hotel in 1925.Famous visitors are noted ,including Amelia Earhart before the famous transatlantic flight .
Your guide will describe all of the features and history of the Loyalist Church ,including the four main artifacts held there.
Your tour proceeds on Germain Street, after leaving Trinity Church ,named after Lord George Germain, whose history will be noted. Directly across from the front of Trinity Church on Germain is the Union Club, a business club from 1884. The club's interesting history is examined.
At Germain and Princess Streets the tour turns right on Princess Street in order to reach Prince William Street. There is a good example on this corner of the way in which a newer building has been constructed to conform to preservation standards. Next to this is the historic Ritchie building, and its features will be explained by your guide.
After a downhill on Princess to Prince William ,your guide will show you all of the main buildings and other features of this street ,once known as the Wall Street of Canada. These include Chubb's Corner with the carved stone heads ,old City Hall, the old post office, the Jarvis building, Bank of New Brunswick Palatine building ,and the Seamen's Mission .Directly across from the mission is the Partridge Island mural, depicting the history of the island and immigration. Immigration and quarantine at Partridge Island will be explained, especially the Irish during the Potato famine.
The tour proceeds to the Three Sisters Lamp in St. Patrick Park at the foot of Prince William Street. The reasons for the name and how the lamps saved lives are explained.
The tour finishes at the Marco Polo cruise terminal and Area 506 Waterfront Container Village. Your guide will tell a history of the cruise industry in Saint John, including how it all began.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- pet dogs welcome
- special needs cildren are free
Reviews(347)
Once we bought tickets, I received great info about where to park to meet the tour guide Pete. Pete was very friendly and welcoming! He knew many locals, saying ‘hi’ as we toured around, proving he’s a perfect local guide. Pete was very knowledgeable providing details on Saint John past & present history, architecture, artworks, culture, community development and small items of note that typically one would not notice albeit for a guide. Pete was generous with his time, information and our comfort as clients. He was very well prepared and had a binder of information with extra details, and great pictures for reference plus information he shared for us to keep for our use. Pete is a great ambassador for Saint John. Job well done Pete! We both enjoyed our time exploring with you.
Thank you for the excellent review. I do try to provide the complete package, and love my city. It was fantastic to meet you.
I really loved this tour and can't recommend it enough. Walking outdoors gives more of a feel of the city, and Pete is just a wealth of information. He loves his city and it shows. I learned so much about Saint John and about the people who built and then rebuilt it. And I'll never confuse it with St. John's again. LOL.
Thanks so much for the great review, we do have a comfortable walk,which is lots of fun. My clients also seem to have a great sense of humour, always. Saint John is a wonderful place , and I am proud of it. Lovely to meet you, Pete.
Pete’s Historic Walking Tour was amazing! Pete is a natural historian with so much knowledge and interesting stories about Saint John to share. We highly recommend the tour!
Thank you for the lovely review. There is a lot of interesting history here, but it is really my wonderful clients that make it all worthwhile!
Excellent visit with Pete who is very dynamic, knowledgeable of St-John history. We appreciate learning about the big historical facts but also all the anecdotes about people living in St-John which made it very colorful and interesting.
Thank you for the excellent review! I do try to entertain.
Pete’s enthusiasm for Saint John is contagious. The tour was a perfect exposure to the highlights and history of the city.
Thank you for the great review. I love Saint John, and enjoy showing it off, while relating some of our history.
Pete is an incredible guide! He is charismatic, insightful, and friendly. This walking tour was a highlight of our trip and I would highly recommend it!
Thank you for the wonderful review, we do like to have a good time on my tour, and Saint Johners are known to be most friendly. Thanks again.
Great tour. Peter Ferguson knows a lot about his city and shares this history with many wonderful stories. We really enjoyed this event.
I enjoy telling stories, but my customers always have wonderful stories too! Thanks for the nice review, hope to see you again!
Pete is very knowledgeable, friendly, and open to all of our questions. As a native from Saint John, he knows a lot about the area and people. He gave us a lot of good historical information, and even gave us recommendations for places to go and places to eat. We all thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
Thank you for the lovely review. I certainly enjoyed meeting you, and your wonderful group. Glad that you enjoyed it.
Nice walking tour through uptown area with information about the history. Pete was entertaining. You can tell he loves his city
Thank you for the lovely review. I try to entertain, while relating much of our city's extensive history. Please come and see us again.
Pete is a walking history book of information about this town he has called home all his life. It doesn’t get more authentic than this tour. We really enjoyed the tour and give it a hearty recommendation.
Thank you for the wonderful,enthusiastic review! Authenticity is important,and so is showing my clients a nice time. Good luck with your future travels, and thank you again for choosing my tour. Regards, Pete.



