We hope you are here because you have heard of Grand Manan, are interested in learning more, and perhaps even considering the Island for your next adventure. WELCOME!

The Canadian Maritimes are very special, and Grand Manan Island is no exception. It lies at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, with the Gulf of Maine to the west.

Swallowtail Lighthouse will welcome you to the Island as you first approach it, on the ferry, and you will be able to see it clearly through the windows on the starboard side or, better yet, from the observation deck at the top. Visit the grounds once you settle in - Swallowtail will offer you incredible vistas of the island and the bay, particularly on a sunny day but even when the sky is overcast. Lots of history here too!

There must be thousands of shades of green on Grand Manan Island. The mosses alone are of such a wide variety, it is difficult to keep track of them all. Lupins, colourful sentinels and symbols of the Maritimes, dress up the landscape, as do wild iris spilling into meadows filled with dew.

Your visit to Grand Manan Island would be incomplete if you did not visit the Museum, open each season between June and September.

Though the building may look unassuming as you drive up to it on Hwy #776, this is NOT a small enterprise - in fact, it’s an AMAZING treasure trove of information, artifacts, history, heritage and MORE! We promise you will be truly surprised by the number, content and depth of the displays.

We are often asked: “…but how does one get to Grand Manan?”

A very fair question - after all, the Island is located approximately 27kms from the New Brunswick shore and approximately 15kms from the coast of Maine.

The answer: you need to take a ferry, a really big ferry for a ride which takes about 1.5 hours. Make this ferry journey the beginning of your adventure on Grand Manan.

Many visitors to Grand Manan Island concentrate their visit, so to speak, on the northern end of the island but there is so much to explore as well if you head south. Seal Cove is one such gem.

The buildings bounding the cove are on stilts, of course, to accommodate Grand Manan’s incredible tide.

Your stay on the Island would be incomplete without a visit to Seal Cove.

If you have never seen whales in their natural habitat, add that to your bucket list today!

Off Grand Manan, you have an opportunity to observe not only right whales but also other baleen whales, including fin, humpback and minke. Harbour porpoise, white-sided and white-beaked dolphins, harbour and grey seals, and even the occasional mud and porbeagle shark might join the Bay of Fundy-loving group.

One of Grand Manan’s most interesting features is its incredible tide. It sets a rhythm for the locals, particularly for the fishermen, and is easily observable by visitors. It affects the coastal landscape four times a day, and reveals a treasure trove for beachcombers and coast enthusiasts.

Grand Manan Island has a “split personality”

We are borrowing this apt description from Greg McHone, PhD, CPG, a geologist who has mapped much of the island and contributed a treasure trove of information about its evolution from a geological perspective, including to the very informative exhibit at the Grand Manan Museum. If you are at all interested in the subject, we encourage you to read Mr. McHone’s terrific article, entitled Grand Manan Geology, a Summary.