Coastal Discovery

Nova Scotia Hot Spots

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Annapolis Valley

Windsor

Haliburton House Museum in Windsor is where Judge T.C. Haliburton wrote his famous Sam Slick stories, which are celebrated every year with the Sam Slick Days Festival. Follow the tree-lined drive to the scenic 1842 estate. Fort Edward, with blockhouses dating from the mid-18th century, is in Windsor as well. The blockhouses, with an overhanging second storey and loopholes designed for guns, were garrison posts to defend against potential attacks.

Wolfville

The town is literally centred around Acadia University, founded in 1838. Some of the most beautiful inns in the area can be found here, including Blomidon Inn and Victoria’s Historic Inn. While the inns have their own restaurants, locals have been known to drive an hour from Halifax just to dine at Acton’s Grill & Cafe on Main Street. Cape Blomidon and Blomidon Provincial Park are nearby and well worth a visit; there are several trails to hike and the cliffs are spectacular. To the east is the Grand-Pré National Historic Site, which  commemorates the Acadian deportation.

Annapolis Valley

Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley is a fertile region complete with apple orchards, Acadian dykes, Fundy tides, vineyards and historical sites. More than four centuries of history, including the lives of those early adventurers to the New World, wait to be discovered at Port Royal National Historic Site in Port Royal and Fort Anne National Historic Site in Annapolis Royal, which is also home to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens. Other nearby stops worth noting are the Upper Clements Park, Upper Clements Wildlife Park and the Bear River First Nations Heritage and Cultural Centre. Lobster lovers will want to visit Hall’s Harbour, a fishing village on the upper Bay of Fundy with many attractions, including kayaking, birdwatching and artists’ studios. Perhaps the most appealing activity is digging into a feast of lobster near the water’s edge at Hall’s Harbour Lobster Pound.

Digby

Seeing a whale in its natural habitat is an experience few soon forget. The thrill of watching the big creature break the water and flip its tail back under is amazing. The Digby Neck and Islands area is a major feeding zone for fin, humpback, minke and right whales and is a great place to pick up a whale-watching tour package. Digby is famous for its scallops, which are on most of the menus in town. Visitors curious to see what a scallop fleet looks like can take one in at Fisherman’s Wharf. The Admirals Walk along the waterfront offers shops, cafés, restaurants and historical sites to visit. And the Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa offers excellent golf at the 18-hole Stanley Thompson course and award-winning meals in the Annapolis Room.

Weymouth

Weymouth, settled in 1783 by Loyalists, is at the mouth of the Sissiboo River on the Evangeline Trail. Settlers came for the fish and the forests, and forests are still an economic mainstay for the region. Each year nearby Church Point hosts the Festival Acadien de Clare, the oldest Acadian festival in the world.