Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Florenceville & Around
The tidy and green riverside village of Florenceville is ground zero of the global french-
fry industry. It's home to the McCain Foods frozen-foods empire, which is sustained by
the thousands of hectares of potato farms that surround it in every direction. Started by
the McCain brothers in 1957 and still owned by the family, the company produces one-
third of the world's french-fry supply at its Florenceville factory and 54 like it world-
wide. That adds up to one million pounds of chips churned out every hour and $5.8 billi-
on in annual net sales.
$5/4, experiential tours $10/8; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm Sat & Sun)
. It's a cheesy name, but
the museum is a tasteful, top-class interactive exposition of the history of the humble
potato in these parts and its continuing centrality to the provincial economy. In this area,
school kids are still given two weeks off in the autumn to help bring in the harvest. The
museums' new experiential tour lets you get your hands dirty - literally - by planting
potato seeds and cutting your own french fries. If all the spud talk leaves you peckish,
slip into a potato barrel chair at the on-site
Harvest Cafe
(lunch $5-7; 11am-4pm Mon-Fri)
. The museum is 2km off Hwy 2 at Exit 152 toward Centreville on Rte 110.
Just outside Florenceville is the
Tannaghtyn B&B
( 866-399-6966, 506-392-6966;
www.tannaghtyn.ca
;
4169 Rte 103, off Rte 110, Connell; r incl breakfast $95-140; )
, set high
on a ridge with a spectacular view of the St John River and the green and gold patchwork
of farms on the opposite side. Both stylish and cozy, the house is furnished with dramatic
Canadian art, comfy sofas and beds made up with linens dried in the fresh country air.
Plus, there's a hot tub under the stars. Besides the Harvest Cafe, Florenceville has a half-
dozen middle-of-the-road restaurants serving three meals a day.
gas station in Florenceville.
WORLD CLASS (POND) HOCKEY
As anyone who has been in the country for more than five minutes knows, Canadi-
ans love their hockey. For many, this affection (obsession?) is wrapped up in happy
childhood memories of bright winter afternoons chasing a puck up and down a
frozen pond or backyard rink.
Every February, the small forest town of Plaster Rock (population 1200), 84km
from Mt Carleton, hosts the
World Pond Hockey Tournament
(
www.worldpondhockey.com
;
Rte 109, Plaster Rock)
. Twenty rinks are plowed on Roul-
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