CAT TO NOVA SCOTIA-WORTHWHILE w/ 4 BOYS (14-5)? WHERE TO STAY THE NIGHT?
 

We are traveling to Bar Harbor Jul 3 to 13. My husband really wants to go to NS. It looks like we'd invest about $500 round trip w/ the car. Is this a great adventure?<BR>What city would you recommend to stay the night in and what hotel?<BR>We'd only stay one night, I would think.

My husband, daughter and I took the ferry over there from Bar Harbor a number of years ago. It was a horrible foggy day and a long ferry ride over rought water. When we arrived we were very disappointed in NOva Scotia. We toured around the island and the small village of Peggys Cove was pretty. There are so many other areas that I have found to be much prettier. I would not go again. The drive up to Bar Harbor from Boston was much lovelier.

I haven't been in years. We took the ferry from Portland which was I thought was geared to gambling. We spent one night in Halifax but we missed the prettiest scenery. I think Nova Scotia is a great trip, but not when you have only one night. The road around Cape Breton is beautiful and the Marconi (?) museum is very good. We enjoyed beachcombing on the Fundy side. The beaches on the Atlantic side are beautiful, esp south of Halifax. We actually missed Peggy's Cove. You can find fossils on some beaches but they are too far for an overnight trip. The boys might enjoy the Cole Transportation Museum in Bangor ME or the one at Owls Head outside Rockland. Check local events for logging contests and other things the boys might enjoy. There's a small logging museum around Brewer ME with a workin saw mill. Owls Head would be a long day trip for you but doable. I think a sea kayaking lesson for the family would be a great adventure. Are you taking bikes on your trip? See if the kids can bike up the road to Cadillac. Or just make everyone get up to see sunrise at the top and take a picnic breakfast.

I loved Cape Breton, but you aren't going to get there if you're only staying one night in NS. Yarmouth is not very interesting for a tourist. Save your money for a REAL trip to NS, and spend more time in Acadia this trip. You won't regret it.

Liz is absolutely correct. Nova Scotia is deceptively large. We spent ten days there and didn't scratch the surface. You wouldn't be able to reach Halifax and back to Yarmouth in the time you have, and Yarmouth just isn't worth the $500 fare for your group. If you want a different experience, drive over to New Hampshire and take the cog railway to the top of Mt. Washington. Or tour another area where you don't have to invest as much just getting there. Plan a whole trip to NS for another time and really take the time to enjoy it.

Depending where you live..we live in Boston and when we went to Halifax the driver we hired told us to forget Peggy[s Cove it was like every fishing village (we have Cape Cod, Gloucester, Salem, Newport, etc0.. the people who went said the fog rolled in quickly and weren't able to see anything. We did love Halifax..a beautiful city..and St. John, especially the waterfront where we found a little lobster shack opposite the cruise terminals

I've been to NS twice and I have to agree with the other posters. It's definitely NOT worth an overnight. Even on the CAT it takes a while to get there, and it's so big you won't get to see much. Stay in Maine and don't drive yourselves nuts. Go to NS on a separate trip.

Cin! - Just saw your post. Perhaps Warren could answer that question for you. . . funny, I thought you were working this a.m.