South Shore and Annapolis Valley
We’ve compiled the best of the best in South Shore and Annapolis Valley - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic
Flanked by sailing ships and painted a brilliant red, this museum on the Lunenburg waterfront strikes a dazzling pose. An aquarium features 14 tanks with native species and tidal touch tanks, and there are themed films in the Ice House Theatre, daily activities, and three floors of displays about shipbuilding, whaling, and other maritime endeavors. Demonstrations cover topics such as sail-making, boatbuilding, and dory launching, and dockside you can visit a restored 1938 saltbank schooner and a 1962 steel-hulled trawler. The Bluenose II, the province's sailing ambassador, is also based here. Built in 1963, it's a faithful replica of the original Bluenose, the Lunenburg-built schooner prominent during the 1920s and 1930s as the North Atlantic fleet's fastest vessel, which sank in 1946 after striking a reef.
68 Bluenose Dr., Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, B0J 2C0, Canada902-634–4794Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$12, Closed Oct.–mid-June -
2. Kejimkujik National Park
You'll have to veer inland to see this 381-square-km (147-square-mile) national park, which is about halfway between the Atlantic and Fundy coasts. The Mi'Kmaq used these gentle waterways for thousands of years, a fact made plain by the ancient petroglyphs carved into rocks along the shore. You can explore "Keji" on your own or take a guided interpretive hike—perhaps spying beavers, owls, loons, white-tailed deer, and other wildlife along the way. Guided paddles and children's programs are also available in summer, and leaf peepers can see the deciduous forests blaze with color in autumn. Designated a Dark Sky Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, the park conducts nighttime programs for stargazers.
Kejimkujik Main Pkwy., Maitland Bridge, Nova Scotia, B0T 1B0, Canada902-682–2772-seasonal visitor centerSight Details
Rate Includes: C$6 -
3. Port Royal National Historic Site
Downriver from Annapolis Royal is this reconstruction of Sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain's fur-trading post. The French set up shop here in 1605—two years before the English established Jamestown—making this the first permanent European settlement north of Florida. Port Royal also set other New World records, claiming the first tended crops, the first staged play, the first social club, and the first water mill. Unfortunately, it didn't have the first fire department: the original fortress burned down within a decade. At this suitably weathered replica, which is ringed by a log palisade, you're free to poke around the forge, inspect the trading post, pull up a chair at the dining table, or simply watch costumed interpreters perform traditional tasks in the courtyard. The heritage of the Mi'Kmaq people, who assisted the early settlers, can be explored in a wigwam.
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, B0S 1A0, Canada902-532–2898-May–Oct.Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$4, Closed early Oct.–mid-May -
4. DesBrisay Museum
Artifacts dating back to the mid-19th century, including rare photographs of local shops, factories, and shipyards, are among the holdings of this museum of Lunenburg County history. There's also a folk-art gallery, a First Nations gallery, and the Kidology Korner, with toys and games from pre-technology days. Walking trails wind from behind the museum building through nearby parkland.
130 Jubilee Rd., Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, B4V 2W9, Canada902-543–4033Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free., Closed Sun. and Mon. -
5. Firefighters' Museum of Nova Scotia
A good rainy-day destination, this museum recounts the history of firefighting in the province through photographs, uniforms, and other artifacts, including vintage hose wagons, ladder trucks, and an 1863 Amoskeag Steamer. Kids will especially enjoy this spot—after checking out the toy engines, they can don a fire helmet and take the wheel of a 1933 Bickle Pumper.
451 Main St., Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, B5A 1G9, Canada902-742–5525Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$5 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Ross Farm Museum
A restored 19th-century farm illustrates the evolution of agriculture from 1600 to 1925. The animals are those found on an 1800s farm—draft horses, oxen, and other heritage breeds—and traditional activities such as blacksmithing and spinning are demonstrated. Hands-on programs are regularly scheduled for kids who'd like to help out with the chores. The Peddler's Shop here sells items made in the community.
4568 Rte. 12, New Ross, Nova Scotia, B0J 2M0, Canada902-689–2210Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$10; free Sun. 9:30–11 am, Closed Mon. and Tues. mid-Oct.–late Apr. -
7. Rossignol Cultural Centre
A refurbished high school is now home to this eclectic center that contains three art galleries, an artist-in-residence, and six museums—including one devoted entirely to outhouses. Among the varied offerings are a trapper's cabin, an early-20th-century drugstore, 50 stuffed-wildlife exhibits, and a complete wood-paneled drawing room brought over from an English manor house.
205 Church St., Liverpool, Nova Scotia, B0T 1K0, Canada902-354–3067Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$5, Closed mid-Sept.–mid-June -
8. Shelburne Museum Complex
On Shelburne's historic waterfront, big-ticket attractions include three properties operated by the Shelburne Historical Society. The Ross-Thomson House and Store is reputedly the oldest surviving (and from the looks of it, best stocked) general store in North America, restored to its 1820s appearance. Shelburne once had a thriving boatbuilding industry turning out the traditional dories that were the mainstay of the fishing fleet. At the former waterfront workshop that houses the J.C. Williams Dory Shop, you can watch artisans craft new ones using old-fashioned techniques. Rounding out the trio, the Shelburne County Museum provides an overview of area history. There are tours of the historic district and a lively program of events and activities for all ages.
20 Dock St., Shelburne, Nova Scotia, B0T 1W0, Canada902-875–3219Sight Details
Rate Includes: From C$5, Closed mid-Oct.–May -
9. Summerville Beach Provincial Park
The Liverpool area has easy access to some of the South Shore's best beaches, and this one has more than a kilometer of fine, pale-color sand. Backing the beach is a dune system that shelters nesting sites for piping plovers—a clue to the location's uncrowded tranquility—and beyond this are salt marshes. Make sure to stick to the designated paths here. The shallow water makes Summerville ideal for families, and near the beach is a picnic area with tables that have sunshades. Amenities: parking (free); toilets. Best for: solitude; sunset; swimming; walking.
7533 Hwy. 3, Summerville Centre, Nova Scotia, B0N 2K0, CanadaNo phoneSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
10. Thomas Raddall Provincial Park
With four migratory seabird sanctuaries nearby, this 1,600-acre park is a great spot for birding, and it has some good hiking trails. Or you could just stretch out on one of the white-sand beaches. Occasional organized activities include family fun days, a sand sculpture contest in September, and stargazing.
529 Raddall Park Rd., East Port l'Hebert, Liverpool, Nova Scotia, B0T 1T0, Canada902-683–2664Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed early Oct.–mid-May -
11. Upper Clements Parks
In a setting of apple orchards and lawns, Upper Clements Park is both an amusement park with rides and an adventure park where you can test your skills and stamina clambering through treetops. The amusement park has more than 30 rides and attractions, many of which are kiddy classics such as mini planes and trains and an old-fashioned carousel. More action-oriented guests can brave the wooden Tree Topper Roller Coaster, free-fall from The Tower, or zoom above the property on a 300-foot zip line, then splash out on the 230-foot waterslide. There's also horseback-riding and a BMX course.
2931 Hwy. 1, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, B0S 1A0, Canada902-532–7557Sight Details
Rate Includes: Amusement Park C$42; Adventure Park C$35; zip line from C$20; tower jump from C$12, Mid-June–early Sept., daily 11–7, Closed early Sept.–late June
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