Many of the guests at our wedding will be coming in from out of town. If you're one of those guests, this page will provide you with some information about where to stay and what to do while you're in Fredericton, as well as information on how to get to some of the important places for the weekend like the ceremony and reception sites.

Accomodations

We've reserved a number of hotel rooms at a couple of different hotels in Fredericton for those guests who need a place to stay over the weekend.

We have a block of 15 rooms at the Crowne Plaza - formerly the Lord Beaverbrook Hotel - in downtown Fredericton. Each room has two queen-size beds and is available for both Friday and Saturday night at a rate of $135.00 a night plus tax. Some of the amenities available at the Crowne Plaza include an indoor saltwater pool, fitness centre, and full-service restaurants.

We also have a block of 10 rooms reserved at the Lakeview Inns and Suites on Prospect Street. Though it's a little further from the downtown core and doesn't have a pool or gym, the rooms are still well outfitted with either and the prices are a bit lower - $79 a night for a room with two double beds or $85 a night for a suite with a single king-size bed (we have 5 rooms of each type available).

To book a room at either of these hotels, call the reservation desk (1-888-561-7666 for Crowne Plaza, 1-877-355-3500 for Lakeview) and ask for a room in the reserved block for the Rioux/Brewer Wedding. You need to reference the wedding in order to get the prices quoted above. Reservations in the blocks have to be made before the end of June - after that, any remaining rooms will be released into general circulation and you'll be paying the standard rates.

If neither of these hotels are to your liking, Fredericton has a number of other hotels available, including the Delta, Ramada, and Fredericton Inn. The latter has a web special available from their site in which you can book a room with one or two beds for $89 a night, if booked before June 1st.

Directions

Below you'll find a map of Fredericton and New Maryland, on which are marked the church and reception site, as well as the two hotels where we have rooms reserved, and the Regent Mall, which makes a convenient landmark for locating things. (Click to expand the image.)

To get to the Church of Saints John and Paul and the New Maryland Centre, drive south (away from downtown) along Regent Street. Past the Regent Mall, Regent Street turns into Highway 101. Follow the highway through the woodlot into New Maryland. After 5-6 minutes of driving through New Maryland, you will see the Town Hall and Fire Station on your right, then the Pharmacy. The Church of Saints John and Paul is several houses ahead, on the left. The church proper is back among the trees; you can only see the driveway and sign from the highway. The New Maryland Centre is a few seconds further along the highway, at the bottom of the hill on the right. Keep right to turn into it (don't follow the highway as it curves to the left).

Things to Do in Fredericton

You might not have that much time in Fredericton if you're only up for the weekend, but there are a few things that you shoudln't miss while you're here. The place to be on a Saturday morning in Fredericton is the Farmer's Market. It takes up most of the block bordered by Regent, George, Brunswick and St. John streets, and showcase's dozens of the city's vendors and merchants. Get some breakfast - including the infamous samosas - and sample some local produce, or check out handicrafts from the capital area. And right next door is Science East, a science centre housed in a former county jail which has something for the geek in all of us.

If wandering around downtown is more your style, be sure to check out the historic Garrison district, on the river side of Queen Street between York and Regent streets. Watch the Changing of the Guard or check out some of the gift shops before heading down to the Green, a long strip of parkland bordering the Saint John river and offering an excellent view of the riverfront area. Another place worth seeing is Odell Park, a large park on the western side of the city core which offers stately trees, walking trails and a Botanical Gardens.

For a bite to eat, there are more places downtown than we can name, but here's a few to get started with. For upscale dining, head to Brewbaker's on King street, or for more casual fare you can try The Blue Door or Regent - or any of the other pubs and restaurants in between. Isaac's Way on Carleton has an impressive assortment of pasta and steaks, and though Fredericton doesn't have a lot in terms of ethnic restaurants, El Burrito Loco on King Street offers a touch of Mexican cuisine for those looking for something different.

For more ideas of what to see in Fredericton, try the city's tourism website.