Victoria County: Pond Hockey, History and Nature

Victoria County offers a variety of reasons to visit: pond hockey in Plaster Rock, Danish settlement heritage in New Denmark, and nature and culture in Grand Falls. If you’re looking for a hotel in Victoria County, consider which focus you want to shape your travel dates. Winter sports, trails along a gorge, museum collections and a festival each offer a distinct experience and appeal to different interests.

Pond Hockey in February

The World Pond Hockey Championships take place every year in February in Plaster Rock. Twenty ice surfaces are used on Roulston Lake, with 40 teams playing at the same time. The event attracts more than 7,000 spectators each year. February is therefore the recurring time of year to keep in mind if you want to plan your trip around the tournament. The format may change, so check the latest tournament information before making plans.

Danish Heritage and Regional History

Danish Immigrant Lot is designated a Provincial Historic Site because it was the site of an early Danish settlement in New Brunswick. The site includes the New Denmark Memorial Museum, a barn, a stone monument from 1940 commemorating the early settlers, and the graves of early settlers. The museum and adjoining barn contain agricultural equipment and artifacts related to the early Danish settlement. Settlement history, agriculture and commemoration thus represent different aspects of the same historic site.

The New Denmark Memorial Museum hosts Viking Day and Founder’s Day each year. If you want to plan your trip around either event, check the dates. In Grand Falls, the museum offers a different historical focus: its collections include numerous artifacts from the pioneer and early Victorian eras, an archival collection related to the Sons of Temperance, and genealogical records for the Victoria County region. The two museums thus offer different historical perspectives: one on early Danish settlement, and the other on artifacts, archival material and regional genealogy.

Trails, Gorge and Scenery

Grand Falls has an almost 5 km long, fully paved trail that provides access to community attractions, as well as 1.6 km of walking trails along the gorge. The descriptions highlight different features: the longer trail is paved and provides access to community attractions, while the walking trails run along the gorge. When planning, you can take both the length and the described route into account.

Plaster Rock and the Tobique Valley also offer a connection with nature, with rivers, lakes, wildlife and scenery among their described features. In Grand Falls, you can ride a zipline over the waterfalls. The Gathering of the Scots Festival celebrates Scottish community spirit through music, sports and parades. For travellers with varying interests in culture and activities, options range from museum collections and parades to trails, a gorge and waterfalls. If you want the festival to be the focus of your stay, plan your travel dates around the latest event information.

Discover more destinations: Grand-Sault/Grand Falls, Plaster Rock, York County, Westmorland County, Kings County, Carleton County, St John County, Kent County.

See the main travel overview: New Brunswick.