Nova Scotia: For Those Who Have Never Been

One of our best vacations to date! Nova Scotia is a beautiful province located between the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean. The peninsula is a popular destination for tourists searching for delicious grub, spectacular ocean views, wildlife viewing - the list goes on and on!

We will be visiting Nova Scotia in 2020 as well, but for right now we will show you what we did on our first trip and how your trip can be even better than ours!

On this journey we were lucky because Nikita's family had a cottage on the Bay of Fundy. The Bay of Fundy, for those of you who don't know, has the highest tides in the world! The landscape of the coast changes right in front of your eyes which makes exploring the province even more fun.

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Southwestern Coastline Sites

There are 200 miles of coastline you can visit in Nova Scotia to see the impressive tide movements. The bay separates the province from New Brunswick to the northwest so if you find yourself near either of these provinces, check out the bay.

Nikita's family had a house outside of the town of Annapolis Royal, a community of approximately 500 people which a rich Canadian history. Lucky for us we could sit on the porch overlooking the water and drink (lots) of wine for most of the week we were there. But we did visit some sites which we've listed here.​

• Annapolis Royal - The town is a National Historic Site of Canada. Visit the Fort Anne site in town which sits on the Annapolis Basin. The museum has a great overview of the indigenous Canadians from the past and why this fort was important to the country.
• Digby - Take a ferry from this town through the Digby Gut (the ferry will take you across the bay to St. John, New Brunswick), the narrow channel connecting the Bay of Fundy to the Annapolis Basin.

• Long Island & Brier Island - From Digby you take highway 217 along a thin strip of land towards these islands. The fog can set in making the ferry rides ($7/ferry) between the islands quite eerie. Don't worry about getting stuck because the ferries run 24 hours a day. On Brier Island, visit the lighthouse and take a short walk around the trails - you may see seals, whales, and other wildlife right from the coastline!
• Whale-watching tours - The bay is a great place for tours. The fog can sometimes restrict the boats from heading out into open water, but if you really want to see a whale schedule a tour from Brier Island. The season last from around June to August. The tours here meet at the Lighthouse Cafe where you will want to have the fish and chips meal!

Brier Island Lighthouse, Nova Scotia, 08/2017

Here's a list of places we had on our to-visit list for the northerwestern coast but didn't:

• Glooscap Trail - We had read about the Glooscap Trail, a scenic drive along the Bay of Fundy which takes you near this little town. It is a scenic drive around the bay and through the northern part of the province.
• Joggins, Nova Scotia - The town is known for its fossils from a rainforest ecosystem which thrived here 310 million years ago. When the tide recedes you can walk along the fossil cliffs.
• Burntcoat Head Park - This location is where the highest tides in the world can be viewed and you can walk along the ocean floor!
  
• Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site - This is probably the first thing we will visit once we are back there. It is a 36 minute drive from Annapolis Royal or a 2 hour drive from Halifax.

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Two Days in Halifax:

We planned two days in the capital of Nova Scotia which was an absolute blast! Even though we had two days to explore we didn't get to every attraction (we will be going back to do the stuff we missed!). It is a college town so the community has a lot to offer travelers. Some of the sites we'd like to visit and re-visit are listed here.

• Eat at the Stubborn Goat - This restaurant was conveniently near our hotel but we were impressed with not only the food selection, but the great service and personality of the store, too. You'll get delicious seafood anywhere in the province but we recommend the Stubborn Goat.
• Stroll down the boardwalk - We love going to the boardwalk in any town but Halifax was the best we've been to so far. There were buskers performing in the streets and street vendors selling food, crafts, and art. Try out a BeaverTail when you are here - you'll love them.
• Visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic - You will be blown away by the stuff here. We spent four or five hours here and we unfortunately skipped over a good portion of the exhibits. What was really interesting was the exhibit on the Halifax Explosion of 1917, the largest man-made explosion at the time. We don't want to spoil any more details - go see the museum!
• Find the CSS Acadia - You can actually tour this former hydrographic surveying and oceanographic research ship which docks on the boardwalk. If you have little ones traveling with you they will enjoy this.
• Explore the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia - We didn't have the chance to make it here but we will see it on our next journey abroad. The folk art is so much different in Canada (from what we are used to in the US) so of course you should explore this site!
• Visit the Army Museum at the Citadel - In 2017 Canada had their 150th anniversary celebration so the historic citadel was packed with people. If you love history like we do, especially military history, visit this location.

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The point we are trying to make to you in this post is that no matter where you are in Nova Scotia, your expectations will be met! We will be traveling there again in 2020 to visit the destinations on the lists above and hopefully more. In the meantime, please comment or send an email - let us know what you thought of our article!