Hi ParrotMom, <BR> <BR>Unfortunately you are correct in that you will just miss the Tall Ships. They leave on the 24th. But the upside is that you will also miss all the crowds which can annoy a lot of people. As for china shops, the best place to look would be Rob MacIntosh in the Halifax Shopping Centre. There are other gift shops on Spring Garden Road and in Historic Properties but as I am not familiar with what you are looking for I am not sure if you would find them there. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps. <BR> <BR>Jody

Ihave received the NS Visitors Guide <BR>which describes in great detail seven scenic travelways. But since the Guide'purpose is to promote all of NS,they make them all sound equal. Iwill have almost two weeks to tour NS by car, primarily to see the scenic highlights, I would like to know what you have to say about which of the travelways would be the best bets.

Hi Leo, <BR> <BR>I can't remember what the travelways are called but I can tell you which areas are the best for scenery and then you can match them to the travelways. My two favorites are the South Shore drive down through Lunenburg and the Cabot Trail. All of Cape Breton is quite beautiful so you may want to spend half of your time in NS there. After that I would recommend the Annapolis Valley drive and continuing on down past Digby into Acadian land. I am not a big fan of the Eastern Shore although it is much less touristy. The same goes for the Northumberland Strait area, near Pugwash and Amherst. If you run out of time to see these last two areas but you have seen the rest then you have seen the best of NS. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip! <BR> <BR>Jody

It is very kind of you to offer info. to travellers. We will be travelling with our two teenage children from Maryland to the Quebec area. We're not certain we will be making it to Nova Scotia, but hope to - it looks lovely! Would you know anyone who might be able to furnish some insight to the Quebec area.

Hi Vicky, <BR> <BR>I unfortunately do not know really anyone from Quebec. Not many people from Quebec move to Halifax as the culture is very different in these two provinces. I have been to both Montreal and Quebec City and I love both of those cities. They have a lot of character, especially Quebec City. Also, the Gaspe Baie is supposed to be beautiful. <BR> <BR>Jody

Hi Jody, We are planning to visit NS in late Aug or early Sept., and have been considering using the Altantic Gray Lines Tour as a way to see NS,NB and PEI. It is a 10 day tour. Do you recommend a guided tour for first time visitors? Thanks. Debbie

Hi Debbie, <BR> <BR>I think that if you do not want to worry about renting a car, it is a good idea to use the bus tour. There are many beautiful areas to see in Nova Scotia and you have to drive there to see them. By doing the bus tour you will lose some of the ability to just stop somewhere if you like the scenery or town, but I am sure that the bus will take you to all the popular spots. You also will not have to worry about driving on our highways, which are mostly safe but we have had our fair share of bad accidents on them. <BR> <BR>I would just make sure that this tour is taking you to the spots that you really think would be interesting. You may want to check the Tourism web site and determine which parts of NS appeal the most to you. Enjoy! <BR> <BR>Jody

Hi Jody, Coming from San Francisco, how would you recommend getting to Halifax? We don't especially want to see any part of the U.S., just Nova Scotia. Thanks.

Hi Jody, <BR>Also coming from San Francisco - was wondering if there are any autumn festivals that coincide with the height of fall colors. Generally, what window of time is the foliage best? <BR>[Kam - NWA can get you there from SJC or SFO; connecting from Boston for sure or Toronto I think. Also Air Canada/Canadian Airways from SFO]

Hi Kam, <BR> <BR>If you are coming from San Francisco, I agree with Paul. You can connect through Toronto easily with a variety of airlines. You could also connect through New York or Boston quite easily too. Just check with your travel agent for the best fares. Air Canada may be going on strike in the next week so be careful about booking with them. <BR> <BR>Jody <BR> <BR>

Hi Paul, <BR> <BR>The best time of the year to see the fall colours in NS is beginning of October to mid-October. The Cabot Trail is especially beautiful at this time of year. One big festival that is going on in Cape Breton to correspond with this time of year is Celtic Colours International Festival. It involves 250 musicians, dancers, singers, etc. It takes place all over CB. The web site for it is www.celtic.colours.com. Fall is a great time to visit NS. <BR> <BR>Jody

Hi Jody !!! <BR> <BR>my name is liron and i will come to nova scotia in mid august all the way from israel . <BR>i want to travel there for 7-10 days , what are the best things to see ? <BR>btw: i will start my trip in n.y.c and i will take the ferry from bar-harbor maine.

Hi Liron, <BR> <BR>If you are taking the ferry then you will be landing in Yarmouth. I would drive up the South Shore from Yarmouth to Liverpool, Lunenburg, Bridgewater, Mahone Bay, Chester. You may want to stop overnight somewhere along there and stay in that area a couple of days. it is so beautiful along that coast. Then you probably will want to visit Peggy's Cove and Halifax. There is a lot to see in Halifax so you could stay there a couple of days. Then if you have time you could go to Cape Breton. The fortress Louisbourg is good to see, as well as the Cabot Trail. It would be a long drive back to Yarmouth though from Cape Breton, if you heading back on the ferry. It is five hours from Halifax to the Cabot Trail and about three or four to Yarmouth from Halifax without any stops. If you look up the NS Toiurism website as well as Destination NS you will get a lot of good information. Both of these addresses are in one of my earlier posts here. <BR> <BR>Jody

I E-mailed a letter direct to your <BR>E-mail address instead of through your Nova Scotia Guide on the Fodor's web site. Should I re-send it through <BR>Fodor's? <BR> <BR> Leo

Jody, <BR> <BR>I am planning a 10 day trip for the end of Sept or beginning of October. When do the fall colours usually start? How cool is it in early October? I am from Florida so packing for 10 days of cold weather is a challange. <BR> <BR>Also, we would like to go whale watching. Are different whale species in th Bay of Fundy all year? Is fall a good time for whale siting? <BR> <BR>Thanks! <BR>Aileen <BR> <BR>

Hi Aileen, <BR> <BR>The end of September and beginning of October is a perfect time to visit NS. The fall colours will start right around then. Exactly, how far along they are will depend on how warm September is. Some years we have a very warm September which pushes the start date back a little. However, I really believe that you will be fine at that time of year. It should not be too cold, but since you are from Florida you will find it colder than me. I would say around 10-15 celcius during the day and cooler at night so bring long pants, sweaters and definitely a rain coat (we always get rain). <BR> <BR>As for whale watching, I am not sure if there are many different species of whales around here. The one thing you should consider is the weather. If it is rainy or foggy then the whale watching cruise will not run. You can go whale watching off the Digby area, in the Bay of Fundy or in Cape Breton. Cape Breton may be colder but it may not be as foggy so you might have better luck going whale watching there. The whale watching cruises would not operate if there was no chance that you would see a whale. <BR> <BR>Jody