Pete’s Historic Walking Tour

Saint John rewards curious walkers. Pete Ferguson’s tour brings the city’s past to life through old photographs, local stories, personal memories, and a route linking major sights with lesser-known corners. I like the use of rare photo copies, and I like the way Pete connects large events, such as the Great Fire and Loyalist arrival, to ordinary streets and buildings. The main consideration is the pace: two and a half hours includes plenty of standing while Pete talks, so anyone hoping for a brisk sightseeing walk may find it long.

The tour costs $33.80 per person, which is fair for a small-group experience covering much of uptown Saint John. Pete is praised for projecting his voice, answering questions, using humor, and greeting people around town by name. I would allow extra time before or after the tour if you want to shop at the City Market, since the stop there is brief.

Key points to know before you book

• Pete Ferguson is a lifelong local guide: His stories draw on Saint John history and his years owning Pete’s Pub.
• The tour covers 1783 to today: You’ll connect the Loyalist Landing, the Great Fire, immigration, industry, theater, churches, and the cruise waterfront.
• The walking is gentle by local standards: Pedways, an elevator, and escalators may be used to avoid harder hill climbs.
• Rare photos add useful context: Pete uses visual aids to show how places looked in earlier times.
• You get a full 2.5-hour town orientation: It is best for first-time visitors who enjoy explanation more than fast sightseeing.
• The group is capped at 20 people: Morning and afternoon departures make it easier to fit into a cruise or city visit.

Why this tour works well in Saint John

Saint John is not a city where every important sight announces itself with a grand monument. Much of its appeal lies in the way stories gather around ordinary streets, old facades, parks, murals, and waterfront corners.

That is where Pete’s approach makes sense. He does not simply point out a building and give its construction date. He explains what happened there, who used it, and how the city changed around it. A carved stone head, a theater chandelier, or a piece of molten metal can become a doorway into the past.

Pete also adds a strong local voice. His background includes owning a pub for 35 years, and the route includes stories about the people, sports, entertainment, and regular life connected with it. You are not getting a detached lecture from a script. You are getting a hometown guide who takes pride in Saint John and knows its streets well.

The presentation is also practical. Several people have found Pete easy to hear even at the back of the group, with no microphone needed. He pauses often, takes questions, and uses humor to keep the long history from becoming a wall of dates.

Starting at Water Street and the Loyalist Landing

The meeting point is at Duke Street and Water Street. The opening section takes you along Water Street toward Market Square, with a stop at Furlongs liquor store.

That may sound like an odd first landmark, but this is part of the tour’s local character. Pete uses familiar businesses and street corners as reference points, helping you get oriented before the larger stories begin.

At Market Square, the scale widens. From the exterior area, Pete explains where the Loyalist Landing took place in 1783 and where the Great Fire of Saint John began. He also points out the location connected with the walkabout by Prince Charles and Lady Diana.

Inside Market Square, you’ll see the Marco Polo sailing ship model. Pete explains the story of the famous ship, adding a maritime thread to the tour. This is a useful early stop because it gives you a sense of Saint John as a port city shaped by arrivals, departures, commerce, and fire.

The planned time here is about 15 minutes. That is enough for an introduction, but not enough for a leisurely exploration of every corner of Market Square.

City Hall, Pete’s Pub, and the City Market

At Saint John City Hall, the focus shifts from public events to Pete’s own connection with the city. He tells the story of Pete’s Pub, the bar he owned, along with memories involving sports and entertainment.

This portion will appeal to you if you enjoy local character more than formal museum interpretation. It is also one of the sections some people find longer than expected. Pete’s personal stories are a major part of the tour, but they do take time away from simply walking or browsing.

The next stop is Saint John City Market, described as the oldest continuously operating market in Canada. Pete discusses its architecture and past, then allows a few extra minutes for shopping.

That short shopping window is worth noting. If you want to buy food, gifts, or local products, you may need to return later. The timing can also matter on Sundays, when the market has limited hours. I would treat this stop as an introduction to the building, not as a full market visit.

Charlotte Street murals and King’s Square

After leaving the market, the group heads along Charlotte Street. Here, Pete points out large murals showing famous Saint John people. The murals are tucked down an alley, so they are easy to miss if you are exploring alone.

This is a good example of the tour’s value. You are not only seeing the standard central sights. You are also being shown details that depend on local familiarity and a guide who knows where to look.

King’s Square offers a denser cluster of points to explain. Pete covers the park’s establishment in 1785 and points out:

• A mass of molten metal left by the Great Fire
• The William Young statue
• The Charles Gorman statue
• The King Edward VII Bandstand

The molten metal is especially striking because it makes the Great Fire feel physical rather than abstract. Instead of hearing only that Saint John burned, you see a surviving piece of the event.

Across from King’s Square, Pete discusses the Irving Oil headquarters and the Irving family’s place in New Brunswick. The story begins with K.C. Irving in 1899. The stop is short, about five minutes, but it adds business and industrial history to the political, religious, and maritime stories already underway.

Imperial Theatre and the Admiral Beatty building

The Imperial Theatre began as a vaudeville theater in 1913. Pete explains its past and points out details such as the chandeliers and other features.

This stop works best if you enjoy architecture and performance history. It also gives the walk a change of mood. After parks, business buildings, and fire stories, you are looking at a place designed for entertainment and public gathering.

Beside the theater is the Admiral Beatty building. Pete traces its history back to its time as a luxury hotel in 1925 and notes famous visitors, including Amelia Earhart before her transatlantic flight.

The buildings are close together, but the stories are different enough to keep the area interesting. You get a glimpse of Saint John as a destination for performers, business people, and well-known figures, not simply as a working port.

Trinity Church and the Loyalist story

Trinity Church is one of the more substantial stops, with about 15 minutes devoted to its design, history, and four main artifacts.

Pete describes the church as a Loyalist church, tying the building back to the arrivals of 1783. This is one of the places where the earlier part of the tour begins to make more sense. The Loyalist story is not confined to one landing site. It continues through streets, institutions, and places of worship.

You should expect to remain outside or near the site while Pete explains its features, rather than treating this as a long independent church visit. The strength of the stop is the context he provides.

Across Germain Street is the Union Club, a business club dating to 1884. Pete discusses its past before the route turns toward Princess Street. This adds another layer to the city’s social history, showing how clubs, churches, banks, theaters, and markets all occupied the same compact center.

Princess Street and the old Wall Street of Canada

At the corner of Germain and Princess Streets, Pete points out how a newer building was designed to fit preservation standards. Beside it is the historic Ritchie building, whose features he explains.

This is a useful lesson in how old and new buildings can meet in a historic district. You are not only looking at the oldest structures. You are also seeing how later construction can respond to the character of the street.

The route then goes downhill on Princess Street toward Prince William Street. This is one place where comfort may depend on the day and on your mobility. Several people found the walk easy, and Pete may use the pedestrian walkway system, an elevator, and escalators to avoid more difficult hills. Still, you should expect some street movement and periods on your feet.

Prince William Street and the Partridge Island story

Prince William Street was once known as the Wall Street of Canada. Pete points out a long series of buildings and architectural details, including Chubb’s Corner with its carved stone heads, the old City Hall, the former post office, the Jarvis building, the Bank of New Brunswick Palatine building, and the Seamen’s Mission.

This is probably the most concentrated architectural section of the route. The street gives you a look at the city’s former financial and commercial importance. Rather than seeing isolated buildings, you can understand how a whole street once served as a center of business.

Across from the Seamen’s Mission is a mural about Partridge Island. Pete uses it to explain the island’s role in immigration and quarantine, with special attention to Irish arrivals during the Potato Famine.

This story adds an important human dimension to the tour. Saint John was not only a place where goods moved through a port. It was also a place where people arrived in distress, faced quarantine, and began uncertain new lives. The mural gives you something visual to study while Pete supplies the background.

The Three Sisters Lamp and the waterfront finish

At the foot of Prince William Street, the route reaches the Three Sisters Lamp in St. Patrick Park. Pete explains why it has that name and how the lamps helped save lives.

It is a short stop, but it fits the tour’s larger pattern. Small objects often carry the most memorable stories. A lamp can tell you about the dangers of the waterfront, the practical needs of a port, and the people who depended on visible signals.

The final stop is at the Marco Polo cruise terminal and Area 506 Waterfront Container Village. Pete explains how the cruise industry began in Saint John and how the waterfront has developed.

This ending is useful if you are visiting on a cruise or planning to spend time near the port. It also brings the tour back to the city’s ongoing relationship with shipping and visitors.

The stated route finishes here, although the meeting information also describes the activity as ending back at the meeting point. I would confirm the exact end location before booking if you need to reach a ship, vehicle, or restaurant on a strict schedule.

Pace, group size, and physical effort

The tour lasts about two hours and 30 minutes. Pete stops frequently, so the walking itself is not strenuous. The tradeoff is that you spend a fair amount of time standing while listening.

That format suits you if you want a detailed introduction and enjoy asking questions. It may frustrate you if you prefer to keep moving, take photographs at every stop, or spend a long time inside the market.

The maximum group size is 20 people. Smaller groups can make a big difference on a city walk, especially when you are listening outdoors. Pete is noted for speaking clearly and loudly enough for people at the back.

The tour is offered in English, with morning and afternoon departure options. Dogs are welcome, pet dogs are specifically noted as permitted, and service animals are allowed. Children with special needs are free. A moderate level of physical fitness is advised, although the walk has been described as accessible to a person using a wheelchair and as comfortable for people avoiding steep hills.

Weather matters. The experience requires good conditions and can be canceled for poor weather, with another date or a full refund offered.

What you get for $33.80

At $33.80 per person, the price is reasonable for a 2.5-hour guided walk with a small maximum group and a route covering much of uptown Saint John.

You are paying for interpretation rather than admission tickets. The stops are free, and lunch is not included. The value comes from having Pete explain why the sites matter, connect them to one another, and answer questions as you go.

I would compare this with exploring alone. You can walk these streets without paying, but you may pass the alley murals, the molten metal from the fire, the Union Club, or the Three Sisters Lamp without understanding their significance. If you want a quick list of photo stops, save your money. If you want the city’s stories attached to its streets, the fee is justified.

The tour is often booked well ahead, with an average booking time of 44 days. That is useful to know if you are visiting during a busy cruise season. Morning and afternoon choices offer flexibility, but I would still reserve early if your schedule is fixed.

Who should book Pete’s walking tour?

I would recommend it to first-time visitors, history fans, cruise passengers, couples, solo visitors, families, and anyone who likes a guide with a strong local personality.

You will get the most from it if you enjoy:

• Stories about how a city changed over time
• Old photographs and visual comparisons
• Architecture explained in plain language
• Personal anecdotes mixed with civic history
• A relaxed pace with regular stops
• Suggestions and conversation with a local guide

I would hesitate if your main goal is shopping, independent photography, or covering a large area quickly. The route stays focused on uptown Saint John, and some time is spent listening rather than moving.

Pete’s humor is another factor. It is a major strength for many people, but the tour is clearly shaped around his personality and experiences. You should expect a friendly, talkative presentation rather than a quiet audio-guide style walk.

Should you book it?

Yes, if you want an easy introduction to Saint John with plenty of local color. Pete Ferguson’s strongest qualities are his warmth, clear speaking voice, sense of humor, personal connection to the city, and ability to link small details with major events.

Book it early if you have a cruise schedule or a fixed sightseeing day. Wear comfortable shoes, bring weather protection, and leave separate time for the City Market. If you prefer a shorter, faster route with more time to explore on your own, this may feel too talk-heavy.

For most first visits, though, the tour offers a fair price and a useful sense of place. Saint John’s story is spread across streets, buildings, parks, murals, and waterfront sites. Pete helps you notice the connections.

FAQ

How long is Pete’s Historic Walking Tour?

The tour lasts approximately two hours and 30 minutes.

How much does the tour cost?

The price is $33.80 per person.

Where does the tour begin?

The meeting point is Duke Street and Water Street in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Is lunch included?

No. Lunch is not included in the tour price.

Is the walk physically demanding?

A moderate level of physical fitness is recommended. The walk has been described as easy, and the route may use pedestrian walkways, an elevator, and escalators to avoid steep hills.

What happens if bad weather cancels the tour?

If poor weather causes a cancellation, you will be offered another date or a full refund. You can also cancel for a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time.