Discover Hillsborough

Hillsborough offers a range of reasons to visit: railway history, a historic birthplace, natural marshland, and trails through wetlands. Local artisans and trail destinations are also part of the town’s character. If you’re planning a family trip, you can decide whether to focus on history, nature or active days. Each place offers its own perspective.

Railway history and a historic birthplace

The New Brunswick Railway Museum is designated a local historic site because of the connection between its location and collections and the railway history of Hillsborough and New Brunswick. It features New Brunswick’s largest display of unique railway equipment. This means the focus is not only on railway history, but also on the equipment on display. Visitors interested in technology and regional history will find a clear focus for their trip planning here.

The Steeves House Museum offers a different historical perspective: it is the historic birthplace of the Honourable William Henry Steeves. While the Railway Museum is connected with the railway history of Hillsborough and New Brunswick, this site introduces a single historical figure. Families interested in exploring different approaches to history can include these as distinct interests in their plans.

Marshland and trails through wetlands

The Acadian Battlefield combines natural marshland with a specific historical event: the Battle of Hillsborough took place here in 1755. The Acadian Battlefield is accessible via walking trails through a migratory bird sanctuary. The site also features a monument to the battle, erected in 1922. The landscape, a historical event and a later memorial marker come together at this location. If you’d like to combine nature and history, you can make this part of your trip a priority.

Another nature and walking destination is the Hillsborough Wetlands Park. It is next to the Hillsborough Visitor Information Centre and provides access to walking trails. This makes it a different starting point from the trails through the migratory bird sanctuary at the Acadian Battlefield: both are associated with walking trails, but they refer to different places. When choosing destinations, you can therefore consider whether you’d prefer to include the combination of marshland and history, or the wetlands park, in your stay.

Local crafts and trail destinations

Local artisans sell their wares at Artisan Village. This adds an opportunity to explore local crafts alongside the historical and landscape-related attractions.

White Rock in Hillsborough is one of the top trail destinations. For travellers who want to include trails in their vacation plans, White Rock adds an active option. Together with the walking trails in the wetlands park and at the Acadian Battlefield, it offers a guide to a range of nature and trail interests, without needing to combine the places or trails mentioned into a single route.

Hillsborough’s attractions range from railway equipment and a historical figure to marshland, wetlands, crafts and trail destinations. If you’re mainly interested in exploring these local highlights, consider Hillsborough when looking for a vacation rental. Whether you want to focus on history, nature or trails gives you a clear starting point for that decision.

More places to explore: Riverview, Hopewell Cape.

For the broader travel overview: Albert County.