Nova Scotia holiday

[graham1]

Hi gang, we're planning a holiday in Nova Scotia next summer and we've never been there before. Wondering if there are any spots that me and the family shouldn't miss or any we should stay away from? Also wouldn't mind trying to get out and do a little fishing. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Jester]

I went there once on a motorcycle trip..do the Cabot trail on Cape Breton Island....It's kinda cool..

[Findal]

I'm sure you'll get a few replies.
Some of the many points of interest:
Cidatel Hill in Halifax, Historic site;
Bluenose II in Halifax Harbour
Louisburg Fortress in Cape Breton, Historic Site;
Cape Blomadin along the Gloosecap Trail,
Land of Evangoline,
Fisheries Museum and Lunenburg town in general
Reversing Tides - Antigonish,
Alexander Graham Bell museum - Cape Breton,
Whale watching in Bay of Fundy
Kejimakujic National Park

Just a few off the top of my head
Dang, now I'm homesick.....

[Roughneck12]

Bay of Fundy whale watching.

[Jester]

..........and don't forget SunnyVale Trailer Park...

[HILLYBILLYBARRY]

I was there in nov for a week its nice i just got home when that big snow storm hit. i ws born and raised there been here in alberta for 20yrs lots has changed first time back sine i got here in 89. im from the annoplis vally so lots of stuff to do jsut what you wanna do beatifull place im tell ing u im dam sure im going agian some time soon im hopeing.

[twofifty]

NS makes for a great vacation.

We did an overnight hike to Cape Split.
Check this out:
http://summerville-novascotia.com/CapeSplit/

The Ovens Natural Park was pretty cool too. You can pan for gold by the Atlantic, and best of all with wetsuits & flashlights (bring your own) go snorkeling into sea caves. They have boat tours in the bigger caves now.
http://summerville-novascotia.com/CapeSplit/

Lunenberg town and wharves was awesome. Great fishing museum on the wharf, from the old schooner days.

Halifax Museum of the Atlantic (???) on Water St. a block from where the Bluenose replica is berthed, is first class. They have Titanic deck chairs & vests.

If you can still go sailing on the Bluenose, do so. Everytime you look at a dime, you'll remember being there. We were lucky and had great wind plus the crew put up many of the topsails so the boat was heeled right over ! Saw a RCN submarine returning to the harbour.

Halifax citadel is pretty cool if you like military history.

For whale watching in Fundy bay, try hooking up with an outfitter from the Digby Neck, in Tiverton. Very friendly place. 3 Islands in a row, with 5 min to 2 min free ferry rides between them.
The big ferry ride from Digby to St.John NB across Fundy is long enough that kids will have a sense of being on the ocean(they are)...yet no so far that they get bored or seasick.

God, we had such a good time in NS.

[Tuc]

Graham, how much time do you have? You'll need a good month at least.....
All of the above and:

Peggy's Cove is a must, a photographers dream!
The south shore Lighthouse Route is scenic as is Cabot Trail....
Grande Pre in the Annapolis Valley ...
LOBSTERS, I said LOBSTERS, buy em fresh from the fisherman right off the wharf (if there in season)??....if not go to the pounds (and bring me back a few) kidding!

If you need any info, pm me....

[222rem]

Go to Nova Scotia Web site and order Map, guides etc. they are very good at sending guides .
It is so much better looking at hard copy then looking at the screen.
That's what we have done when we planned our trip. I don't know of your interests that is why I suggest guides. You will like Nova Scotia .

http://novascotia.com

[catnthehat]

One place you MUST visit is in Pictou.
it is the Grohmann knife factory!
You can take a tour, and buy kits right at the factory.
Cat

[Big Bull]

Keiths Brewery tour!

[spudislander]

I lived there for 10 years so here are some of my favourites; Blomindon/Cape Split, Cabot Trail, the beach at Amherst (on a clear day you can see PEI), Lununberg, up around Truro you can see the Fundy tides, and the Tantramar Marsh is cool to see. If you get the chance on a nice day wander around Halifax and take in the sights. There is lots of history in the city. Two bits will get you on the Dartmouth ferry. Not a lot to do in downtown Dartmouth but the view on the trip across is great. The citadel is great stop in the summer. There is so much to see and do in Halifax and if your in to swilling pints and having a good time there is no better place in the world for it than Halifax.

[graham1]

Thanks for all the help guys.

We'd love to spend a month there but we're only gonna be there for a week or 10 days. We are planning on staying in Halifax and touring around from there. The Grohmann knife factory sound kinda cool, might have to check it out.
Thanks again

[Big Bull]

If your in Halifax, you have to go for a cocktail at Bubbles' Mansion. Trailer Park Boys, Mike Smith, is part owner and often drops by. We ran into him the last time that we were there.


Check out my favorite shop down by the waterfront.

[CNP]

If your in Halifax, you have to go for a cocktail at Bubbles' Mansion. Trailer Park Boys, Mike Smith, is part owner and often drops by. We ran into him the last time that we were there.

Doesn't look the same without his coke bottles lol. Then again I don't think he wants to take that look along with him outside of the show...

[TreeGuy]

Originally Posted by graham1

Thanks for all the help guys.

We'd love to spend a month there but we're only gonna be there for a week or 10 days. We are planning on staying in Halifax and touring around from there. The Grohmann knife factory sound kinda cool, might have to check it out.
Thanks again

Hey Graham.

Here's some fishing help........

http://www.bluesharkcharters.com/

There's many others, but this one seemed the most fun. My friends and I chartered out of Halifax in '92. We went about 20 miles out and caught lots of fish.

Here's some Bluenose II info........

http://schoonerbluenose2.ca/

Very cool piece of history.

If you are going to be based in Halifax, there's ton's to do (although I STRONGLY urge you to find the time to go around the Cabot Trail).

Grohman's in Pictou is about an hour and a half drive. Pretty cool. I've been through the factory 3 times now. I liked the Kieth's Brewery tour better.....

Just don't try to pack too much in. The atmosphere/ambience is what you will take back with you far more than the 'sites'. Have fun, and be sure to post some pics for those of us who get homesick every now and then.

Tree

[222rem]

Like to add to your list .

Drive to Moncton see Magnetic Hill then drive to Confederation Bridge (A must see ).Drive to Wood Islands PEI about 1.5 hrs. take ferry back NS Pictou County (Grohmann knife factory) then drive back to Halifax. Nice circle drive lots to see along the way. In two days you can see three provinces .Unless you got obligations try not to stay in one place to long.Good luck.

[twofifty]

Hey 222rem, I've got news for you:

Your hometown of Hudson is in QUEBEC, not Ontario.
And you're giving graham1, the OP, travel advice?
lol

See for yourself:
http://www.hudsonquebec.com/index.php?section=about

[222rem]

Originally Posted by twofifty

Hey 222rem, I've got news for you:

Your hometown of Hudson is in QUEBEC, not Ontario.
And you're giving graham1, the OP, travel advice?
lol

See for yourself:
http://www.hudsonquebec.com/index.php?section=about

I do know where I live and it is Hudson Ontario. if you got any doubts look on the map , Hudson Ontario is north of Dryden Ontario.

See for yourself:
http://www.ontariossunsetcountry.ca/...de/1216/tbid/7

As far as travel advice I have spent three weeks traveling down east, just posting what I've enjoyed on my holidays .

[Iron Brew]

For the missus, seagull pewter. Nice stuff. Try and hit some farmers markets... there is some really nice woodwork at some of the small farmers markets/artisan type things... that spalted maple makes nice spoons etc. Would LOVE to have a good stock made out of that...

[Tuc]

Well, I was born and raised there ,lived 37 years before coming out west. Here's my honest opinion.

7-10 days your hardly going to get a whiff of the salt air. If your destination is Halifax, there's still lots to do around the city. Cancel Cabot trail, and PEI a good trip will take you 5 days, time you don't have. If you take any kind of a road trip, do Peggy's Cove and continue on down the lighthouse route to the south shore. This way you'll get a look at Blue rocks (caves) in Lunenburg, (home of the Bluenose1 & 2)Yarmouth, Shelburne and back up to Truro and Bay of Fundy to see (at low tide) the tidal bore come in, ...stand back! .....don't forget those lobsters on the way.....best bet would be Lunenburg or Yarmouth, buy em right at the wharf, fresher and cheaper.

OH, the Bluenose is tied up at Privateers Wharf, outside of the Lower Deck restaurant. Not sure if she's still doing tours out around George's Island but you can board here for a personal tour. If you do get to do a water tour, watch for the Shetland ponies on MacNabs island.

A little History!.........

Georges Island
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...rgesIsland.jpg

It was originally named île à la Raquette which means Snowshoe Island, then briefly île d'Enville. In 1749, the island was named "George Island" after King George II, and then finally, in 1963, it was renamed "Georges Island". Georges Island was part of the "Halifax Defence Complex" from the mid-18th century to the Second World War, with Citadel Hill and Fort Charlotte on the island being restored by Parks Canada. For nearly two hundred years Georges Island was the scene of constant military activity. Tales of executions, forts and hidden tunnels surround the folklore associated with the mysterious island. It had an Island Prison Camp, a Look Out Point, an Acadian Prison camp, and a Quarantine Station. The ghost of Duc d'Anville is said to haunt George's Island, his original burial place, to this day.

Bridges
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...an/Bridges.jpg

If you look at the second bridge, the Murray MacKay, you will see the narrowest part of the harbour before it emptys into Bedford Basin. This is where the two ships collided.
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with a Norwegian ship, the SS Imo in "The Narrows" section of the Halifax Harbour. About 2,000 people were killed by debris, fires, or collapsed buildings and it is estimated that over 9,000 people were injured.[1] This is still the world's largest accidental non-nuclear explosion.[2]
At 8:40 in the morning, the SS Mont-Blanc, chartered by the French government to carry munitions to Europe, collided with the unloaded Norwegian ship Imo (pronounced E-mo), chartered by the Commission for Relief in Belgium to carry relief supplies. Mont-Blanc caught fire ten minutes after the collision and exploded about twenty-five minutes later (at 9:04:35 AM).[3] All buildings and structures covering nearly 2 square kilometres (500 acres) along the adjacent shore were obliterated, including those in the neighbouring communities of Richmond and Dartmouth.[1] The explosion caused a tsunami in the harbour and a pressure wave of air that snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels, and carried fragments of the Mont-Blanc for kilometres.

Privateer's Wharf
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...teersWharf.jpg

Looking at the centre of the picture and a little to the left, you will see a blue building right on the water front. Also notice the inlet of water, this is where the Bluenose ties up. In this particular picture she is not there.
At Privateer's (Upper Deck) you can eat lobster, mussells, scallops, clams and drink beer while looking at the boats going up and down Halifax Harbour. Becarefull leaving the restaurant though, you wouldn't want to take a long walk off a short pier....

Dartmouth Ferry terminal and Fisherman's Market
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1.../FerryDock.jpg

Centre of the picture and too the right you will see the ferry terminal. To the left of it (red building) is Fisherman's Market http://www.fishermansmarket.ca/
If the lobster season is closed when you go to N.S. go in there. You can buy lobster and sea food year round. This is torture typing this, I'm craving lobster like you wouldn't believe.

Pics of Halifax Harbour, 3rd deepest harbour in the world
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...S040925009.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...S040925011.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...S040925022.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...S040925042.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...S040925053.jpg

Enjoy!

[graham1]

Lot's of great info. Thanks folks!! Sounds like we should have lot's of fun. Can't wait to get my hands on a fresh lobster.

[twofifty]

While in Halifax, make sure not to miss Theodore the tug boat !!!

http://www.murphysonthewater.com/theodoretugboat/

[spudislander]

Originally Posted by twofifty

Saw a RCN submarine returning to the harbour.

RCN, the senior service hasn't been called that since the Liberals neutered it from us in the late 60s.