Tag: Museums

Englishtown is mostly known for being the gateway to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. For years, a small car ferry has shuttled passengers across the channel to the highway that winds along the Northern Shore towards to the national park. Despite the traffic that Englishtown sees, many visitors and locals alike are unaware of the many things to see and do in the village. One of the more well-known attractions in Englishtown is the museum dedicated to Cape Breton’s one and only Giant, Angus MacAskill, who stood almost 8 feet tall and weighed more than 500 pounds. Donelda’s Puffin […]

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Glace Bay was once one of the largest towns in Canada. Today it is still very much a large town but much of the industry that existed in its glory days are now distant memories that are kept alive in the people’s memories and the many museums located in the town. Glace Bay is about a twenty-minute drive from Sydney. The most popular attraction in the town is the Glace Bay Miner’s Museum. This museum is home to real underground coal mine that visitors can go down into to see for themselves what it was like for the men who […]

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Cape Breton Island Overview Just a little bit east off the Coast of mainland Nova Scotia in eastern Canada is the tiny island of Cape Breton. While the island belongs to the province of Nova Scotia and is a part of Canada, it is nothing like any other place in the country … or in the world for that matter. It is hard to know where to begin in telling you what the island has to offer because there is so much. The culture, the history, the scenery, the beaches, the hiking, the food, the nightlife! One can travel to […]

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No trip to Cape Breton Island will be complete without taking in two sites that are close to the city of Sydney. They are easily accessible from Sydney’s airport and harbour and are well worth the drive over from the island’s famed Cabot Trail. Just a 30 minute drive from Sydney, Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada, is a reconstructed, fortified French colonial town that provides a day-long living historical experience. Louisbourg played a very important role in the evolution of French settlement in North America. It was the site of two sieges in wars between the English […]

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Halifax museums offer a wide variety of unique experiences that inform and entertain visitors who are interested in military and marine history, art, culture and natural history. Tourists in Nova Scotia can’t go wrong in dropping in to one or all of the museums I have mentioned below. They all are great fun for the entire family offering special programs for the little ones as well as adults. You can’t miss Halifax Citadel because the city surrounds it. Although accessible by car there is no better way to approach the Citadel than on foot. This way you get a clear […]

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The Yarmouth County Museum is arguably the best among all the smaller museums of Nova Scotia. Located in the town of Yarmouth, on the southern coast of the province, this museum is remarkable both for its collections and its structure. Few museums in Canada have such a wonderful home. The building began as the Tabernacle Congregational Church constructed in 1892 in the Gothic Revival style. The granite exterior which is rather plain gives no hint of the whimsical interior. Inside the ceiling is criss-crossed with white painted colonnaded ribs that create a marvellous visual effect. All the wood detailing is […]

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Tourists to Nova Scotia should definitely not miss visiting the town of Parrsboro located at the head of the Bay of Fundy not far from Amherst and Truro. I recommend that you swing into Parrsboro before you leave the province for New Brunswick or just after you enter the land of “Bluenosers”. Before you get upset at the use of this epithet, let me explain. It’s fine to call Nova Scotians “Bluenoses” or “Bluenosers”. They are proud of the nickname which some say comes from the Irish Bluenose Potato, once a major product of the province. Others say it comes […]

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Normally we come to Baddek to visit my wife’s father in the fall when the tourist season is finishing (October 31st) and the airfare is cheaper. This time it was to be a bit of a working holiday, so we came in June. We landed in Halifax late but managed to get to our favourite hotel, Inn on the Lake in Fall River near the airport, in time for a nightcap in the lounge. We highly recommend this place for its ambiance, warm service, comfortable rooms, excellent cuisine and pleasant views of Lake Waverly. The only drawback is there seems […]

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John is with Stewart House in Grand-Pré near the Bay of Fundy and has these five local activities to suggest. have a glass of wine or bubbly at any of half-dozen wineries in the area (Lucketts has a wonderful view and Acadie has excellent bubbly, but you can’t really go wrong having your own personal taste test on a lazy afternoon in Grand-Pré. Rent a tube, line up some friends for the shuttle and go tubing on the Gaspereau River Check out a tide table and try to have a swim two hours either side of high tide in the […]

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Beate of Canal House Bed and Breakfast reports that from its location in St. Peter’s, guests are within walking distance to: The historic Nicolas Deny Museum (commemorates the life of 17th century French explorer, trader and colonizer, Nicolas Denys of Tours) The St. Peter’s Canal (with its tidal lock system specially designed to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Bras d’Or Lakes) The MacAskill House Museum The St. Peter’s Marina that is linked to a walking trail which will take guests for an easy stroll along St. Peter’s Bay.   Day trips to famous Cape Breton attractions, such as the […]

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