Itinerary help for Nova Scotia
 

We are taking a 17-day vacation to Maine and Nova Scotia in late June/early July, here is a tentative itinerary ? I would appreciate any inputs from you. We will have a car for the whole trip. 3 of us traveling, my husband, our 10-year old granddaughter, and myself. My husband and I are both very active 50 somethings, the driving doesn?t bother us. In fact, we just got back from a two weeks driving vacation in Italy.

Portland, 2 nights
Cadman, 2 nights
Bar Harbor, 3 nights
Take the ferry to Yarmouth
Liverpool, 1 night
Annapolis Royal, 1 night
Wolfville, 2 nights
Halifax, 2 nights
Baddeck, 3 nights
Halifax, 1 night before early flight back to US

The US portion is pretty much set since we are using our Marriott points for hotels. I have made reservations for Wolfville (Gingerbread B&B) and Baddeck (Inverary Inn) but not the others. We would love to see both the Bay of Fundy and the Lighthouse Route but not sure what is the best way to do it. I have the Doers? and Dreamers? Guide.

Thanks.

After staying the night at Liverpool, you may not want to cut over to Annapolis Royal. Instead stay on the Lighthouse Route to Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove. Then either spend the night near Halifax and head up towards Wolfville. You can then go to Annapolis Royal from your base in Wolfville, as it's only about 100km.

OR, stay with your plan to cross over to Annapolis Royal and Wolfville, but then cut back to the south shore on Hwy 12, and then visit Lunenburg/Mahone Bay/Peggy's Cove before arriving at Halifax.

Book your Halifax nights NOW; it gets very busy. We like the Econolodge on the Bradford Highway which is just outside the city itself. It is convenient,nice views of city/harbour, has a pool for your grandaughter after a day of sightseeing and rates include continental breakfast which can be augmented by homemade bacon and eggs etc depending on your deal.My daughter goes to school in Halifax to we have come to know the city and environs well; don't miss Chester and Lunenberg.

Thanks RKKwan, that is a great idea to drive south on HWY 12 from Wolfeville to see Chester, Mahone Bay and Lunenburg before heading for Halifax. Typically, the hotel check in time is not until 3pm, this way I can take my time sight-seeing before checking in.
I am less inclind to skip the night in Annapolis Royal since I want to catch the 1st morning Whale Watching boat out of Digby. My granddaughter is not an early riser.

LJ, thanks for the tip about the Econolodge, I will definitely check it out.

Thanks again.

In Halifax we stayed at the Cambridge Suites, having obtained a half-price rate (about $130US) using our Entertainment card. Our sixth floor suite had a pleasant if distant view of the harbor, which was particularly nice at night when the lights came on across the harbor in Dartmouth. The suites include a microwave and minifridge, and the facility has a nice roof top area with picnic tables and a gas grill for guest use. An unremarkable continental breakfast is included with the room. The location was right across from the Citadel and very convenient to Spring Garden Road and the public gardens and a 3 block walk (uphill) from the waterfront.

Why stay 3 nights in Baddeck? There are much more interesting and scenic areas if you don't mind moving around. We spent one night at the Normaway Inn in the Margaree Valley, one night at the Keltic Lodge (my favorite!) and one night in Baddeck. This enabled us to spend a day and a half on the Cabot Trail, taking various short hikes, as well as tour Fortress Louisburg. If you'd like additional information about sightseeing in Halifax, Peggy's Cove, Lunnenburg or Cape Breton, I'd be glad to share our experiences.

Dear Stillhouse,
I made a reservation for two nights at the Cambridge House in Halifax. The rate for the 1 bedroom suite is $184.95 CAD per night, $215CAD with tax. Thanks for the tip.

I will be using Baddeck as a base on Cape Breton. I will drive the Cabot Trail the 1st day, to the mines and Louisbourg the 2nd day, and to Iona for the Children's Day at the Highland Village (if I can talk my granddaughter into going) on the 3rd day. Does it make sense?

Thanks again for your help.

We (wife and 2 kids ages 13 and 9) visited NS last summer and enjoyed it all. We spent 8 days on NS and also did PEI and Maine. Here's what we felt generally. Lunenburg was overhyped and commercialized. It's main industry is probably tourism and is overpriced. Actually, the fishing industry seems almost a second thought. When we return (and we will), Lunenburg will not be on our itinerary.
Annapolis Royal is pretty and quaint in it's own way. Do visit the botanical gardens. While somewhat small, it is very pretty.
While in that area, you might consider turning south and visiting Digby and then driving south down Digby Neck. The drive is about an hour from Digby, each way, and there are two small auto ferries which float you across narrow inlets. There are some whale watching companies along the way, and you get a good look at the Bay of Fundy.

We liked Baddeck a lot, is located in a very beautiful area, but also a bit touristy but not overwhelming like Lunenburg. It is a good spot for driving around the cape highland areas.

Halifax is a fabulous city. Great restaurants and lots of things to see. Pier 23 is Canada's Ellis Island and is now a very well done immigration-related museum. Consider taking the tour on the amphibious car-boat tours which drive you around the city with a guide and then drives into the harbor for a tour from the water. There are two companies who operate them.
Remember, NS is quite large and you will be driving a lot to get from place to place. For the most part, though, traffick ins't bad at all. HAve a great time.

I'm very surprised at waltd's comment that Lunenburg is overhyped, commercialized an overpriced. If any place in the area is over-hyped it is Peggy's Cove. I've never found Lunenburg to be that way, in fact, much the opposite, and it would be a shame if anyone were to avoid it on that recommendation.

Things I like about Lunenburg are: the well-preserved old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site; the Fisheries Museum (which includes several fishing boats you can visit); Magnolia's restaurant; the nearby village of Blue Rocks, which is quite as scenic and much less crowded and commercialized than Peggy's Cove; the famous schooner Bluenose, whose home port is Lunenburg. Lunenburg's neighbouring towns of Mahone Bay and Chester are pleasant stops along the way.

Before you dismiss Lunenburg on the basis of waltd's experience, find out a bit more about the town and you will certainly want to visit.

Waltd, I am so glad that you think Brier Island is worth a visit because we would like to booked two nights with the Brier Island Lodge instead of our initial plan of one night in Liverpool and one night in Annapolis Royal. We need a place to relax for a couple of days after a week in Maine, and we can visit Annapolis Royal's gardens on our way to Wolfville. Besides, many people on this board said that whale watching is great on Brier Island. Did you go whale watching there? Which company did you use? Is the drive onto Brier Island easy?

Laverendrye, We will definitely check out Lunenburg, but we would have to do it as a day trip from Halifax along with visits to Chaster, Mahone Bay, and Peggy's Cove.

Thanks for your help.

Stillhouse, your cost at the Cambridge Suite of $130 US, was it for one night or two nights? If it is for two, where do one get the Entertainment Card and how much does it cost?

Pat, I think you're wise to stay in Baddeck all three nights, given your itinerary -- which is identical to ours last summer. Eliminates all that packing and unpacking. My 10-year-old daughter participated in Highland Village's Children's Day and absolutely loved it. There were about 8-10 children in the program -- at least half of whom were from Nova Scotia -- and she made friends with several. The activities were interesting and stimulating and they got to eat many types of Scottish food. It was one of the highlights of our trip. My mother and I toured Highland Village ourselves for several hours and greatly enjoyed it. We ate a very good seafood lunch at the hotel next door, which is within walking distance. The restaurant overlooks the lake and is quite pleasant. Hopefully, you are aware that Children's Day is only on Wednesdays.

Pat_Rick,

We stayed at the Briar Island Lodge a few years ago and liked it.

We also did a whale watch from there, but don't remember the company. The visitors center at Digby helped us find the company with the biggest boat (my husband gets seasick-figured bigger would be better, and it was fine.)

I really enjoyed the drive to Briar Island. It was one of our few sunny days in NS, and there were 2 short ferry hops on the way. I think it's about an hours drive(?)

When you DO go on the whale watch, take note of the water level at the dock when you leave-you will be astounded at the difference on your return a few hours later!

Dear LaurafromTexas, I will print out your message about the Children's Day to show it to Nikki (my granddaughter). She is very shy and we have a hard time to get her to participate in activities that she doesn't know anyone in the group. We've arranged to fly out of Halifax on Thursday so that she can go to the Children's Day.

Elberko, thanks, I am sold. I will make the reservation for Brier Island Lodge today. Their website said they have an animal farm, that should be fun. I will make a note to check the tide level on the dock when we leave for the whale watching trip. Thanks for the tip.

Dear Pat_Rick: You'll like Brier island. The lodge is fine, though a bit basic. Their restaurant is very good. There are a couple of places nearby where you can get hot sanwiches for a picnic. I believe there are 2 whale watching companies on the island, and at least one or two on the way down the Neck. From what I've seen of other postings in the past, they are pretty much equal. We stayed at the Lodge with the express intent of taking a local whale tour, but alas, the only day we made available was very foggy and the wind was high. In either condition (let along both), the boats will not venture out, for good reason. We were diappointed but that's mother nature.
Just to be safe, my suggestion is to call and make reservations ahead of time at one of the tour operators. Ask them about their cancellation policy re inclement weather. The one we used (and I cannot recall their name) suggested that we make alternate reservations for later that day in case the weather lifted, at no extra charge. Very nice of them and had the weather cooperated, we would have had two shots at the tour. The Bay has a greater variety of whale than the open Atlantic. Good luck.

An interesting free side show is the sea lion colony just up the road from the Lodge beyond the light house. Ask at the Lodge for directions.