astein12

Thanks to all who helped in my other thread in making my decision to go to Nova Scotia... as of now, I've booked flights in and out of Halifax (October 11 thru October 25). We arrive about 3pm and depart at a similar time. I've also reserved a car (mid-size Hertz thru Priceline).

Now the tough part (or fun part)... I've got about 3 weeks to plan and not a whole lot of knowledge of the area. I'm pouring thru the other posts looking at trip reports and itineraries, but could really use your help!

We're outdoors types and don't left weather bother us much. We'd like to do a fair amount of hiking (at least an hour or two each day with other longer (3-5 hours) on some days). Beyond that, we like to see some of the cultural, geographic, and historical attractions that make NS unique. Also, we love to eat (and drink) so any suggsetions on places to dine (we love local joints and they don't have to be fancy!), wineries, etc. would be of great help.

Just a few other items:

1) My wife is fascinated by the Titanic. I know there are some museum displays and some interesting cemetaries. Any suggestions would be appreciated?

2) Are there any tours, boat trips, guided hikes, etc. that are must-do's?

3) Any lodging that you'd recommend? We've stayed at a lot of B&B's and Inn's and have found them great for this type of trip. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

4) How is cell phone coverage (we have one phone on Verizon and one on T-Mobile)?

5) Any particular guidebook or maps you'd recommend? We usually used Insight and Eyewitness, but we're flexible.

6) Anyone want to volunteer to show us their little corner of paradise? We really enjoy meeting local residents... dinner's on me!

7) Is it worth the trip over to PEI?

8) Anyone know of a local curling club that would let a few beginners join in? I love watching the sport and would love to give it a try.

Thanks in advance... if I can return the favor for anyone, we've been to a few interesting places (New Zealand, Belize, South Africa, Iceland, most of western Europe, Kenya)... just ask!

astein12

Just one other comment... I usually try to plan these trips so that I leave from the airport and immediately head into the countryside... then I 'do' the city at the end of the trip... this makes sure that I'm near the airport on my final day.

Please let me know if this would present any issues that you can think of...

Thx!

OceanBreeze1

Nova Scotia's Dept of Tourism publishes an excellent Travel Guide called "Doers & Dreamers". You can order it on line www.novascotia.com
For some reason, that site is down today so, try it again later.

You probably already know this, but if not....you will be arriving in Halifax on Thanksgiving weekend so things will be busier than usual. Monday, Oct 13 is Thanksgiving Day & a lot of places will be closed.

OceanBreeze1

PS...if you click on "Destinations" on the Fodor's tool bar, you can get some pretty good travel info on Nova Scotia. ( & other places too!!)

astein12

Thanks OB1... I did order the brochure a few days ago, so hopefully it will arrive soon.

I noticed that the Celtic Colours festival is around the Cape Breton area while we'll be in NS.

How is it? Does it makes sense to go to Cape Breton then or wait until after the festival has ended? While I'm sure they'll be a lot to enjoy, I'm a bit worried about crowds... any ideas?

peggionthego

When we went in summer 2007 we had to pay really expensive roaming charges on our Verizon cell phone; we have now switched to a USA/Canada plan but that's bc our son is in college there. But be careful of those roaming charges. We recommend the B&Bs we stayed in which were included in our trip report. I haven't been to PEI but I'm not sure October would be the time to go. I enjoyed the Pier 21 museum in Halifax.

astein12

Thanks Peggi... I just printed your trip report...

I actually don't intend to use the phone... just want to have it in case of emergency.

toedtoes

1. For the Titanic, head to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. They have a special exhibit there. There are 3 cemeteries in Halifax where folks from the Titanic are buried - you can use this book: http://tinyurl.com/4b4sr7 (link to amazon) to identify who is buried in which cemetery and locate their graves.

Excerpt from Amazon: "Two lists grace its pages, one for the passengers, and the other for the crew including who survived and the number of their lifeboat. If they perished, information as to whether their body was recovered and the burial location is included.

Additional information may indicate a special relationship to another passenger (a maid or servant, for example), or the purpose of the trip. Families are listed together to ease the task of genealogical researchers. In addition to similar informational listings for each member of the Titanic's crew, job titles and the department in which each person worked are also included."

2. The Oceans Explorations Zodiak Whale Watching Tour out of Tiverton is absolutely awesome! The boat ride itself is worth the price (about $65 per person), and seeing the whales puts it over the top.

3. A couple lodgings I really liked were: Atlantic View Motel & Cottages in Lunenburg - get one of the one room cottages, you can sit on the front porch and look out over the bay (lighthouse included), there is also an osprey living in a nest that you can watch, very peaceful, the cottage has a small fridge, dinnerware, toaster, etc. and there's a barbeque outside, behind the cottages is a small lake with birds, etc. coming and going - it's very relaxing; and Brier Island Lodge - great lodge and there's a nice trail nearby heading out to Seal Cove where you can watch the seals come in with low tide. Both were reasonably priced.

4. I have sprint and have coverage pretty much everywhere, but roaming will cost you if you don't keep track of calls.

5. The Doers' and Dreamers' Guide is terrific as OceanBreeze1 mentions. Also, when you arrive in each general area, ask around for a map. Most hotels and tourist stops have easy to read 8-1/2 x 11 maps of their specific area.

6. If you head along the Lighthouse Route and Peggy's Cove, check out Copper Leaf Antiques in Indian Harbour (the shop is located at the back of the house). The owners are extremely nice and will happily suggest areas where you can find things that interest you - I spent quite some time sitting in their backyard watching the birds and squirrels and chatting with them about everything.

7. I didn't go as my time was limited, but everyone I talked to who did enjoyed it immensely. One thing I did find out is that you cannot take uncooked potatoes off the island - you have to eat them or cook them before leaving.

8. I actually saw a LOT of curling clubs throughout my trip and was very tempted to stop in one and ask (but I never did). If you see one and stop in, at worst, they'd tell you "no go"; at best, you could try your hand at a bit of curling.

Brier Island has a lot of hiking trails available and they also rent bikes. It's a small island, so you can do a lot in just a couple days.

My trip was for 12 days, and I found that focusing on only the southern portion (and not doing Cape Breton) provided more time to enjoy what I did see, rather than feeling rushed to see everything. My plan is to go back and focus on the Cape Breton area. I believe Peggionthego did the same thing. It doesn't really matter which part you see first - whatever interests you most.

Hope that helps some.

astein12

ToedToes (and everyone else!),

Thanks for all of the suggestions... they're really helpful. My copy of Doer's and Dreamer's arrived, so I'm going thru that now.

I've also contacted the NS Curling Association and they're being really helpful in providing information on local curling. We're looking forward to arranging something.

Thanks again!
alan

peggionthego

also two book recommendations I got from here: Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennon (a novel about the 1917 Halifax explosion) and Island by Alistair MacLeod, reknown for his short stories and this is a collection of them although will admit they can be a bit depressing...but really do give you a feel for the folks of CBI.

astein12

Thx Peggi! I'll try to pick them up before the trip...

astein12

From my research, it seems that Louisbourg closes on the 15th. In addition, with the Celtic Colours festival the 1st week we're in NS, it seems to make sense to head to Cape Breton upon our arrival.

Does this make sense? Do you thing we'd run into issues with crowds or full lodging if we do this (especially planning at this late date)?

Thanks!

Bedlace

The Celtic Colours Festival on Cape Breton Island is hugely popular and it may be too late to find lodging. You might take out your Doers' and Dreamers' guide and start phoning to see if there are any openings anywhere. If you want to stay in one centre on the Island and make day trips, I'd suggest Baddeck.

Here's a web site with everything you'd want to know about the Titanic and Halifax:
http://titanic.gov.ns.ca/

astein12

Thanks Bedlace!

I'm now thinking about traveling the other way around NS and doing Cape Breton at the end... while I'd love to go to the Celtic Colours, we're more interested in outdoor activities and would rather avoid the crowds... and my understanding is that Louisbourg is still open (to some extent) later in the month.

Does that make sense?

mat54

Hi - there's probably some repitition here, but I'll list some of the activities, sites and hikes I've enjoyed over a number of NS vacations:
- lots of short to medium day hikes in Cape Breton National park. Those I've enjoyed include Skyline, Bog, Middle Head and Coastal. See http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ns/cbreton/activ/activ1_E.asp
- Hiking Taylor Head Provincial Park about 1 1/2 hours east of Halifax
- HIking to the remote shore of Kejimkujik National Park "Seaside Adjunct" about 2 hours southwest of Halifax
- Hiking on Brier Island
- Whalewatching (but check seasonality of species) - possible from Cape Breton and Brier Island
- lots of "hidden gem" beaches - a couple in the northern reaches of Cape Breton, many along the Lighthouse Route. It will be too cold to swim (water is cold even at the best of times), but some are very scenic and super for long strolls, picnics, beachcombing.
- lots of quaint picturesque towns. E.g. Cheticamp (check out some of the fun and sometimes bizarre local folk art of the area), Baddeck, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg, Annapolis Royal and others.
- Halifax is a really nice small city with a vibrant Harbour district - boardwalk, shopping in the "Historic Properties", some small museums, pubs and restaurants.
- A resource I came across before last trip there and found very valuable is a mapbook called "The Nova Scotia Atlas". It has detailed maps of the whole province showing, in addition to roads, all physical features including parks, beaches and even many hiking trails. It was available by mail order through online book sellers, I also saw it in local bookstores.

astein12

Thanks Mat!

I have a couple of Nova Scotia hiking books, but it always helps to get first hand advice...

I'll also look out for the atlas.

astein12

Thanks everyone for all of your help... I have the basic framework of an itineray lined up... since I have a few more specifics than when I started this thread, I'm going to start a new one.

It's titled 'Proposed October Nova Scotia Itinerary - Opinions?'

Again, that's for all of the help and I look forward to your opinions!

toedtoes

Mat - I picked up that book. What I found interesting is that there are no street names other than main highways and provincial routes. I was hoping to use it to trace some family history locations with street names for future family visits. But it is EXTREMELY thorough showing every street.