East Coast Provinces
 

My family is planning a 2 week vacation from Toronto, Ontario to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and NFLD. I need advise and lots of it. Do we drive straight to NFLD to get the ferry which we have to book quite a bit ahead of time and sightsee coming back? Or sightsee along the way. Also what are your favorite attraction and must see's in each province. Kids are 13 and 10 so not sure if we will do this trip with them again so we want to make sure we get in the highlights....Thanks for the help<BR>

With 2 weeks, you'll be so burned out trying to see all of the provinces, that you wouldn't enjoy yourselves. A first step would be to consult your map/guidebooks and divide your trip into a doable chunk. Newfoundland is huge, so I would advise either flying in and spending your entire vacation here, or flying to Nova Scotia,ferry to Avalon Penninsula, tour the penninsula, ferry back, fly home.Or you could drive to New Brunswick,and possibly PEI or one of the little islands off the coast. OR, catch a ferry to/from Maine to Nova Scotia, possibly doing one of their vacation packages.... There are so many ways to do this trip - do some reading/research, then inquire about the segment you decide upon. It would be so much easier to advise you.

I would agree with the last post. You probibly need to cut something out. I am from New Brunswick and can give you some ideas for this area. Kings Landing near Fredericton is a popular tourist attraction. It is a historical village with real homes from the Saint John River Valley. When they built Mactiquac dam, they had to move all the historical homes, or they would be distroyed so they built a village, and all the employees are dressed in period clothes. Another good stop in NB is Fredericton. It is a capital city and the downtown is lovly. WE only have about 50000 people, so it is small, clean and very nice. St. Andrews on the Bay of Fundy is very popular. it is a small resort town, where you can kayak, whale watch, camp, and it is really nice. They don't allow any commersial businesses, so there is no McDonald's, BK or anything tacky like that in St. Andrews. It is quaint. Hopewell rocks near Moncton is a place where the tides have carved the rocks into formations. When the tide is out you can walk on the sea floor, and when it is in, you can kayak. If you like fishing, our north shore has a ton of that. You could probibly go deep sea fishing, enjoy a beautiful sandy beach, or just hang out at the shore. You could also visit Miramichi, which is a river famous for salmon fishing. Celebrity's have fished in this river. There is a ton of stuff in NB. I have been to NS and PEI but don't know as much about them. If you go to NS do NOT miss Cabot trail in Cape Breton. I have been to a lot of places, and I think Cape Breton is the most beautiful place I have ever been.

Thanks for the info. If we cut out anything it will be NFLD just because of the travel time on the ferry. But will definatley try and see everything.<BR>ANy further info is appreciated.

Hi,<BR><BR>We've visited Nova Scotia a few times and some things that you and your kids might enjoy are Annapolis Royal, the drive around Cape Breton with a few hikes/walks, The Alexander Bell Museum and there's another fort near Cape Breton that I can't think of the name -maybe Louisberg? it's very authentic recreation of the old settlement of French/English period with people in character. - <BR>There's lots of wonderful scenery in NS but most kids aren't that interested in that. Also check out for any reinactments, music festivals etc. that are happening that they might enjoy.

No offense to our New Brunswick native, but I would pretty much skip through NB & head straight for NS & PEI. Sorry Melissa, but Fredericton and ESPECIALLY King's Landing are BORING! St. Andrew's would be a nice stop. But as for the tides in Moncton or Saint John - overrated and REALLY boring. Parlee Beach in Shediac area would be worth stopping at because the beach is great & the water is warm (warmest north of Virginia I believe). When I say warm, I mean relatively speaking of course. The water is freezing in the Maritimes until late July usually. PEI is great in the summer & there's lots of things for the kids to do. Rainbow Vally, MarcoPolo land go-karts, beaches, etc. all within 30 minutes of wherever you're staying. Try to go for a cottage in the Cavendish area. Yes, the Cabot Trail is a definite must. Ingonish or Cheticamp are great beaches for kids as well. Halifax has the Bluenose, but it's nt always in port so check out the summer schedule. You can go for a sail on it, or on the Mar 2 (another sailing vessel). The Halifax waterfront has little shops & restaurants. Peggy's Cove is only about 40 mins from downtown Halifax, so you should definitely go there. Something I have done with friends & I think the kids would have a blast doing is deep-sea fishing or whale watching. There are a ton of little boat touring companies that offer either (or both in most cases as whales often come into the mouth of the harbour to feed on schools of herring. They'll usually do whatever you want, like take you out for a little fishing & then come back in to show you the Halifax Harbour from the water. There's also Fishermans's Cove in Shearwater (Dartmouth side of the harbour) that was developed for tourism about 6 years ago. It is still used as a fishing port, but now has boat tours, a waterfront restaurant that is great on sunny days, and small tourist "huts" that sell crafts & NS things. Then, a trip down the South Shore through Chester, Mahone Bay, and Lunenburg would be a great tour as well. Lunenburg is about 2 hrs from Halifax & is where the Bluenose was built. Have a great trip & don't forget to have some lobster!!

Your kids would probably enjoy the "Harbour Hopper" a vessel that goes around Halifax, then into the bay. I hear it is a blast and plan on doing it this June. I would spend some time in Peggy`s cove too. Maybe your kids would enjoy a McDonalds McLobster burger!

No offence to the NS or PEI person (Angie) but NB has every thing NS or PEI has and then some. PEI is a tourist trap and really really boring, and Cape Breton is beautiful, but the rest of NS looks exactly the same as we do. Fredericton is very beautiful, a lot nicer than Halifax in my opinion

Hi Hockeychic,<BR><BR>Just finished reading your message & that of others. Yes, it might be too much to go to Nfld as well as the other provinces. Nfld is beautiful and a place where you want to spend a lot of time since it takes a fair amount of time getting there from Ontario. NB, NS and PEI all have interesting and beautiful areas. In Nova Scotia, the Cabot Trail is a must. Been there many times - beautiful scenery. The kids would enjoy some simple hiking trails, the beaches & the provincial camp ground is great! Halifax is a fun city especially during the Busker Festival in early August and you can visit lots of interesting places within an hour's drive from the city. If your kids like the beach and water parks, aim for the Moncton, New Brunswick, area. Shediac Beach is one of the best beaches I have ever been to & the water is lovely, not extremely cold like the beaches in NS. My kids have enjoyed the water park in Moncton. PEI has become rather commerical in areas but the beaches are great & the kids will love the many attractions. Since the island is small, it doesn't take long to get from point A to Point B. Check out Anne of Green Gables at the Confederation Centre, seen it about 5 times & love it! Kids, especially girls, will love it too!