Jon

My wife and I are thinking about a trip to NS. in August with our 3 year old daughter. Our plan is to fly to Halifax and rent a car from there. We may also be travelling with a friend or two (without kids). We're thinking of staying about 9-10 days.<BR><BR>We're looking for suggestions concerning where to stay and what to do. We'd like to see Halifax and do the Cabot Trail. Since we have a young (but very well behaved)child with us, we're particularly interested in places to stay that tolerate (or better yet, welcome)children. We prefer to avoid hotels since the rooms are usually too small to comfortably accommodate small children.<BR><BR>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!<BR><BR>Thanks.<BR><BR>PS--Would it be taking on too much to add PEI to this trip?<BR>

Brian Kilgore

She'll probably enjoy a trip on the ferry boat from Halifax over to Dartmouth and back again, and she'll probably enjoy running on the hills surrounding the Citadel.<BR><BR>The harbour area along from the Sheraton hotel has things to climb on and boats to look at, too.<BR><BR>About PEI -- if I was three, I'd rather play in the ocean along the PEI coast than sit in a car seat driving around Cape Breton.<BR><BR>The Nova Scotia ocean is much, much colder than the PEI ocean (it's got to do with currents)and she won't have much fun inthe water in N.S., except along Northumberland Strait, facing PEI.<BR><BR>PEI has long beaches with shallow water and nice sand. When the tides go out, this leaves little pools of water anywhere from a few inches to about a foot deep, and these warm up fromthe sun. Plus the water is much warmer than most of the Atlantic north of North Carolina anyway.<BR><BR>So playing in the tidal pools and running inthe waves in New Brunswick or along the PEI beaches is just about as good as it gets for a three year old in Canda's maritime provinces in August.<BR><BR>T'ain't bad for parents, either.<BR><BR>If it was me and a three year old, I'd skip the Cabot Trail and go to PEI. (And it was once me, except with a four year old, and he loved PEI and has never, in the decades since, complained that we never took him to the Cabot Trail)<BR><BR>BAK<BR><BR>BAK

Molly

Have to agree with Brian. For an adult trip, my vote would be Nova Scotia, hands down. But there's a lot more that would appeal to a young child in PEI - warmish water, miniature houses, unique theme parks, bicycling, etc.<BR><BR>That said, my son, now grown, loved some of our more &quot;adult&quot; trips. Whale-watching is popular. I highly reccommend Margaree Harbor Boat Tours, esp. the less crowded a.m trips. The guy who operates the small boat loves kids and will delight in letting your daughter try her hand at fishing and maybe steering the boat. You're sure to see seals, and often eagles and whales, and lots of interesting scenery. It's a sheltered area, so the sea is calm, and it's warmer than some other areas. Brown's b and b, nearby, rents cottages, and serves great dinners to guests only with reservations. They have a stocked trout pond where you can fish for a small fee, and are super-friendly folks. <BR>Be sure to stop and see the scarecrow people {near Cheticamp if memory serves}. <BR>Just a few ideas....<BR>Have a great trip!

jon

Thanks for the advice. My kid really doesn't mind car trips, but I can certainly see the logic of the beach.