|

Top 5 Travels of 2010, Strolling Kingsbrae Gardens, St. Andrews, New Brunswick

A good botanical garden has often been a highlight of my travels, from the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Capetown to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria. So I was excited to walk through the Kingsbrae Gardens in St. Andrews this past July, especially after being cooped up in Down East Maine dealing with three solid days of rain. Due to inclement weather, I had to cancel a cruise to see puffins at Machias Seal Island, a sea kayaking jaunt on Cobscook Bay, and an oceanfront hike at Culter Coast Public Lands. So when the sun finally came out on the ferry ride over from Eastport to New Brunswick, I could breathe again. Those breaths of fresh air soon became flower scented as I made my way through the wave of colors from flowers in bloom at Kingsbrae. Just across the Maine border, the quiet seaside town of St. Andrews is an undiscovered gem with Kingsbrae Gardens leading the way. Hummingbirds flew under the tall chestnut trees, water lilies dotted the fountains, and everywhere you looked, there was some whimsical sculpture nestled within the 27-acre grounds. I bent down and inhaled from the sweet-smelling rugosas and for a moment, everything was bliss.

 

Similar Posts

|

8 Perfect New England Weekend Getaways

Pick a passion, any passion, and there’s a locale in New England perfectly suited to your desire. Whether you crave award-winning, locally made IPAs, a former industrial complex converted to the largest center of contemporary art in the US, or miles of bike trails that lead to Nantucket beaches, we have a weekend planned for you. One of these 8 themed weekends, my latest story for Yankee Magazine, is certain to satisfy your interests. 

 
|

My Top 5 Places to Scuba Dive, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos

The Turks & Caicos are an archipelago of eight islands and forty relatively flat limestone and coral cays, some of which are little more than dusty specks in the aquamarine waters. The relative anonymity of these islands stem from their location. They are south of the Bahamas, yet not part of the Bahamas; north of the Caribbean, yet not technically part of the Caribbean. Indeed, the Turks & Caicos are a British Crown Colony whose 15,000 inhabitants or Belongers, as locals like to call themselves, slip through the pages of most guidebooks. This is especially true of Grand Turk, a sleepy 6-mile long island where you stroll past the Victorian homes on Front Street in a matter of minutes. Nestled amongst the homes are a handful of inconspicuous hotels, restaurants, dive shops, and government offices that seem to add to the British charm. 

 
Underwater, Grand Turk is home to the Wall, where without warning the reef plummets to a mind-boggling 7,000 feet to mark the edge of the Turks Island Passage. On the rim of this great blue abyss, it’s not uncommon to see humpback whales migrating in winter, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles swimming gracefully, and herds of spotted eagle rays, with wingspans upward of eight feet, their thick black tails churning behind. Researching a scuba diving story for Islands magazine, I was 45 feet below the surface with excellent light and visibility, when suddenly it turned to darkness. I looked up and spotted six massive eagle rays swimming above me, one of the highlights of my scuba diving life. 
 
|

Hong Kong Week-A Must-Stop at Nan Lian Garden and Wong Tai Sin Temple

Our concierge at the W was also exceptional, booking tickets for the cable car to Big Buddha well in advance (I’ll discuss tomorrow) and introducing us to the wonderful classical Chinese garden called Nan Lian. We headed down from the W into the mall, where we caught the subway to the Diamond Hill stop. The subway in Hong Kong is so easy to use and so well run. Simply purchase an Octopus Card for HKD$150 and then use your entire trip, adding money when needed. When you leave, bring the card back to the subway for a HKD$50 reimbursement. 
 
Once in Diamond Hill, it was a 5-minute stroll to Nan Lian, a serene oasis in the city, where small pathways led past bonsai trees rocks, koi ponds, bridges, pagodas, and waterfalls, finally entering a large Buddhist temple. There were many international school groups there the sunny day we visited, including children speaking French and English. It’s a very relaxing walk through nature when you’ve had too much of the city center. One subway stop away from Nan Lian is the most popular Buddhist temple in all of Hong Kong, Wong Tai Sin. As soon as we left the subway station, we saw the large crowd gathered at the temple to light incense and say prayers for good wishes for the year prior to the Chinese New Year. We ended with a taxi ride to the original Tim Ho Wan in Kowloon, known as one of the best places in Hong Kong for dim sum. We were the only tourists inside and we watched as people washed their plates with hot tea before being served. The barbecue pork buns were the best I’ve ever had, crispy yet spicy pork in a fluffy light bun. I also liked the bill, about $15 USD for 3 people. 
|

Urban Renewal Awards, Los Angeles State Historic Park

For most of the 20th century, this large plot of land in downtown Los Angeles was used as an immense Union Pacific railroad yard. When Union Pacific closed shop in 1989, the property laid dormant until 2001. As California State Parks hemmed and hawed about how best to convert the space into a park, artist Lauren Bon, backed by a grant from the Annenberg Foundation, had her own ideas. With the help of The Trust for Public Land, they excavated some 5,000 tons of soil contaminated with hydrocarbons and metals, planted more than a million corn seeds, and installed an irrigation system to create her artwork, Not a Cornfield. The large crop has now been harvested to make way for bike trails and fields of wildflowers. Los Angeles State Historic Park is still being landscaped, but close to half of the property is open to the public.
 

|

5 Winter Escapes, Group Travel, and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in ActiveTravels December Newsletter

These next two weeks, we have clients traveling to all corners of the globe from South Africa to Argentina to Australia. But if you’re looking for something a bit closer, where you can relax on a beach with a good thick book and soak up that sunshine, consider our 5 choices for a quick winter escape in the December ActiveTravels newsletter. Please also read about my recent trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and how, more and more, we’re booking families and groups of friends on private trips with active travel outfitters like Backroads and DuVine. 

 
We’ll be back on January 3rd. Wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy, and Active New Year! 
 
|

May Newsletter Now Available at ActiveTravels.com

May marks the first anniversary of ActiveTravels.com, the travel consulting business that my wife and I created. Thanks to all of you, it’s been a great success! Over the course of the first year, we’ve compiled top-notch contacts around the world. So if you want to go on a weeklong safari in Tanzania, a guided 4-day trek from Mumbai to Agra to Jaipur, a half-day walking tour of the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona, or jaguar viewing in the Brazilian Pantanal, we know who to call. The beauty of this business is that as soon as our clients give us the thumb’s up on a certain outfitter, resort, or day guide, upon return from their trip, we pass this precious information along to everyone.
 
We’ve also been busy this past year building our inventory of Dream Day Itineraries, highly detailed daily trip planners for independent travelers. They include recommended lodging, sights, restaurants, outdoor recreation, and, most importantly, how to get from Point A to Point B. Tried and true itineraries have already been created for Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Costa Rica, London and the UK, Paris, Italy, Barcelona and Madrid, the Canadian Rockies, the Atlantic Maritimes, Yellowstone and the Tetons, Utah’s National Parks, Durango and Telluride, Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree National Parks, Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, the Florida Keys, and New England.
 
New this year is we hope to itemize all travel stories from our previous newsletters, so if you’re headed to Kenya, you’ll find our description of the country without having to peruse every issue. Talking about newsletters, in the May issue we go on a driving trip through Canada’s Atlantic Maritimes, review the hotels we love in the Sarapiqui region of Costa Rica, remember our quick escape to Block Island, announce Abercrombie & Kent’s new Connections trips, and comment on how the sequester is going to effect the National Parks this summer. Thanks again for coming along for the ride! 
 

3 Comments

  1. Thank you, Steve, for such a warm and positive report of Kingsbrae Garden and St Andrews by-the-Sea in general.

    It was my sincere pleasure to give you the tour of our Garden, and I hope that this post will encourage many more people to take the road less travelled and enjoy the peace, beauty and friendly atmosphere we offer. A town of 1850 residents, St Andrews often doubles that number in the summer, being a historic seaside resort town with many amenities not commonly found in tiny towns.

    Boating, dining (great local seafood and cuisine!), artisans, nature, whale & wildlife tours, hiking, biking, architecture, small museums, art and garden delights await–something for all ages and interests.

    all the very best in gardening,
    Maureen

  2. Hadn’t thought of St. Andrews before but now it’s on my list. Would love to see a category for Homes (historic) and Gardens on your site. Just discovered it today after reading your lovely article on Mt. Auburn Cemetery birding in Boston Globe.

Leave a Reply