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The marshes penetrate inland from the Bay of Fundy for 10 kilometers.

Acadians, who called the region Beaubassin, built dykes in the early 1700s to stop the tidal influx of salt water, creating rich agricultural land on the deep sedimentary soils.

The name Tantramar is derived from the Acadian French "Tintamarre", meaning 'din' or 'racket', a reference to the noisy flocks of birds which nest there.

The marshes are an important stopover for migrating waterfowl such as semi-palmated Sandpipers and Canada Geese. Today the marshes are the site of two bird sanctuaries.

In the past, the Tantramar marshes have been called the "World's Largest Hayfield" and many historic hay barns still dot the landscape.