The Eastern Shore and Northern Nova Scotia
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Eastern Shore and Northern Nova Scotia - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Seafoam Lavender Company & Gardens
Wander among the rows of fragrant lavender at this gorgeous farm, then stop at their farm store to pick up all manner of lavender-infused items including tasty oatcakes, bath goodies and soaps, honey, skin care, and aromatherapy oils.
3768 Highway 6, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, B0K 1N0, Canada902-536–3366Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
2. Seafoam Lavender Gardens and Farm Store
Wander the acres of fragrant lavender at this beautiful farm and pick up a range of homemade lavender products including tasty oatcakes, skin care products, soap, honey, and bath goodies at the farm store.
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3. Victoria Park
At 3,000 acres, this park on the edge of downtown has wooded hiking trails, a viewpoint, a winding stream, two waterfalls, public tennis courts, and an outdoor (heated) pool. Even if you're not staying in Truro, this park can be a good pit stop for car-weary travelers: kids especially will enjoy the pool, water spray park, picnic pavilion, and playground. Energetic visitors can climb the 175 steps of the Jacob's Ladder fitness staircase. The Railyard mountain biking park at the top of Victoria Park has 35-miles of cross-country trails, some with platforms, jumps, and other advanced features, as well as a skills track that's popular with kids and adults.
Park Rd., off Brunswick St., Truro, Nova Scotia, B2N 5G7, Canada902-893–6078Sight Details
Rate Includes: Park free; pool C$4 -
4. Advocate Harbour
This little fishing community is set on a Bay of Fundy natural harbor that loses all its water at low tide. A delightful coastal walk here follows the top of an Acadian dike that was built by settlers in the 1700s to reclaim farmland from the sea. Nearby is rocky Advocate Beach, which stretches for about 5 km (3 miles) east from Cape Chignecto and is noted for its monumental supply of tide-cast driftwood.
Nova Scotia, Canada -
5. Age of Sail Heritage Museum
Exhibits spread out over several buildings trace the history of the Fundy region's shipbuilding and lumbering industries, and the museum has an archive and genealogical-research area. The main displays are in the restored 1854 Methodist church. The Wind and Wave Building is shaped to resemble an inverted half-model of a ship, and you can also view a blacksmith shop, a boathouse, and a lighthouse. Be sure to take a stroll on the boardwalk along the wharf. A cute café serves light meals—chowder, lobster rolls, sandwiches, and the like.
8334 Hwy. 209, Port Greville, Nova Scotia, B0M 1T0, Canada902-348–2030Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$5, Closed Nov.–Apr. and Tues. and Wed. May, June, Sept., and Oct. -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Anne Murray Centre
The likable Springhill-born, part-Acadian pop singer spread her tiny wings and flew away to worldwide fame and fortune, but she still celebrates her roots—and her hometown pays tribute to her illustrious career—at this repository of costumes, gold records, photographs, and other artifacts. Diehard fans can record a (virtual) duet with Murray, providing instant bragging rights to having performed with a partner who has sold more than 55 million albums to date and received four Grammy and 31 Juno awards.
36 Main St., Springhill, Nova Scotia, B0M 1X0, Canada902-597–8614Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$10, Closed mid-Oct.–mid-May -
7. Balmoral Grist Mill
Built in 1874, this is one of the few water-powered mills still operating in Nova Scotia, now serving as the centerpiece of a small museum. You can observe milling demonstrations and walk the site's 1-km (½-mile) trail.
660 Matheson Brook Rd., Denmark, Nova Scotia, B0K 1V0, Canada902-657–3016Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$4, Closed early Oct.–May -
8. Bauer Theatre
During the school year, the Bauer is home to Theatre Antigonish, a nonprofit community company that presents classic and contemporary works. Its Green Room Lounge features improv comedy on certain Saturday nights, with admission by donation.
West St., off Hwy. 104, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, B2G 2W5, Canada902-867–3333Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$20 -
9. Cape Chignecto Provincial Park
Miles of untouched coastline, more than 10,000 acres of old-growth forest harboring deer, moose, and eagles, and a variety of unique geological features are preserved in Nova Scotia's largest provincial park. It's circumnavigated by a 51-km (31-mile) hiking trail along rugged cliffs that rise 600 feet above the bay, and there are other trails of varying lengths. Wilderness cabins and campsites are available.
1108 W. Advocate Rd., Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia, B0M 1A0, Canada902-392–2085Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
10. Cape d'Or
The explorer Samuel de Champlain poetically, but inaccurately, named Cape d'Or—there's copper in these hills, not gold. The region was actively mined a century ago, and at nearby Horseshoe Cove you may still find nuggets of almost pure copper on the beach, along with amethysts and other semiprecious stones. Cape d'Or's hiking trails border the cliff edge above the Dory Rips, a turbulent meeting of currents from the Minas Basin and the Bay of Fundy punctuated by a fine lighthouse, which has a viewing deck with telescopes.
Cape d'Or, Nova Scotia, CanadaSight Details
Rate Includes: Lighthouse closed Nov.–mid-May -
11. Cobequid Interpretive Centre
The geology, history, and culture of the Five Islands area are interpreted here with pictures, videos, and panels, and you can get a sweeping view of the countryside and the impressive tides from the World War II observation tower. Cobequid is home base for the Kenomee Hiking and Walking Trails, where hikers traverse varied landscapes ranging from forested valleys to coast and cliffs.
3246 Hwy. 2, Economy, Nova Scotia, B0M 1J0, Canada902-647–2600Sight Details
Rate Includes: By donation, Mid-to-late June and Sept.–mid-Oct., daily 9–5; July and Aug., daily 9–6 -
12. Five Islands Provincial Park
On the shore of Minas Basin, the park has lofty sea cliffs, a beach for combing, trails for hiking, and mudflats for clam digging. Interpretive displays reveal the area's intriguing geology—semiprecious stones, Jurassic-period dinosaur bones, and fossils can all be found within the park's 1,500 acres. You can learn about geology and other topics, among them astronomy, rock hounding, and tidal-pool exploration, during complimentary programs offered during high season (check the website). Because the water recedes nearly a mile at ebb tide, you can walk on the ocean floor, though you'll have to run back mighty fast when the tide turns. That's precisely the goal of 2,000 or so participants in the Not Since Moses 10K Race ( www.notsincemoses.com), an early-August event of (almost) biblical proportions. Amenities: parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.
618 Bentley Rd., Hwy. 2, Five Islands, Nova Scotia, B0M 1N0, Canada902-254–2980Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
13. Fundy Geological Museum
Not far from the Minas Basin, where some of the oldest dinosaur fossils in Canada have been found, this museum showcases 200-million-year-old specimens alongside other mineral, plant, and animal relics. The opportunity to peer into a working fossil lab and to see bright interactive exhibits (like the Bay of Fundy Time Machine) give this museum real kid appeal. On Friday and Saturday in July and August, the curator leads fascinating two- to four-hour field trips through the surrounding area, but you need your own transportation because most don't start at the museum.
162 2 Island Rd., Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, B0M 1S0, Canada902-254–3814Sight Details
Rate Includes: From C$8.50, Closed Tues. mid-May–mid-Nov. Closed Sat. and Sun. mid-Nov.–mid-May -
14. Hector Heritage Quay
A 110-foot fully rigged replica of the Hector is moored here, and (although under renovations until 2023) you can go aboard to see how early immigrants traveled. The handsome post-and-beam interpretive center recounts the story of the first hardy pioneers (33 families plus 25 unmarried men) who arrived aboard the original vessel in 1773, and the flood of Scots who followed them. The site also has working blacksmith, rigger, and carpentry shops.
33 Caladh Ave., Pictou, Nova Scotia, B0K 1H0, Canada902-485–4371Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$5, Closed mid-Oct.–late May -
15. Joggins Fossil Centre
On the Glooscap Trail, 35 km (22 miles) southwest of Amherst and 70 km (43 miles) northeast of Cape Chignecto, Joggins is famous for Coal Age fossils that were embedded in sandstone, then uncovered through erosion caused by Fundy's surging tides. You can spy them outside, in the sea cliffs, or inside the center. Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this striking museum has a large, well-curated collection of specimens dating back some 300 million years, along with interesting displays outlining the region's geological and archaeological history. The admission fee includes a half-hour guided beach tour; two-hour guided cliffs tours take place daily in peak months; and an in-depth four-hour tour occurs on certain weekends in June, July, and August. Reservations are essential for the two-hour and four-hour tours. Bear in mind that the beach is reached by a steep slope and staircase, over boulders and watercourses.
100 Main St., Joggins, Nova Scotia, B0L 1A0, Canada888-932–9766Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$10 -
16. Jost Vineyards
The Jost winery produces wines from an astonishing number of varietals, consistently winning awards for its ice wine, a sweet affair made from grapes left on the vines until frost has "iced" them. You can taste wines year-round at the store here, roam the scenic vineyards, and enjoy a delicious lunch at the on-site Seagrape Café which specializes in fresh, local produce that compliments their wines perfectly.
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17. Melmerby Beach Provincial Park
One of Nova Scotia's most popular beaches, Melmerby has a boardwalk, picnic tables, and some of the warmest water north of the Carolinas. Beaches straddle both the inner and outer edges of this horseshoe of land, the inner portion a glorious stretch of white sand. Swimming is safe here unless winds are high, when strong currents develop. The supervised area (in July and August) is clearly marked. Beware of poison ivy in the sand dunes and, between mid-July and early August, jellyfish in the water. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming.
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18. Minas Basin
The cliffs that rim the Minas Basin are washed by the world's highest tides twice daily: the result is a wealth of plant and animal fossils revealed in the rocks or carried down to the shore.
Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, Canada -
19. Nova Scotia Gem and Mineral Show
The combination of fossils and semiprecious stones makes Parrsboro a natural place to hold this long-established show (the first was in 1966) during the third weekend of August. In addition to dozens of exhibitors, the event includes themed demonstrations and geological field trips. Experts are on hand to identify any treasures you turn up.
King St. and Western Ave., Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, B0M 1S0, Canada902-254–3814-Fundy Geological Museum -
20. Nova Scotia Museum of Industry
Your own job may be the last thing you want to think about while vacationing, but if you're curious about those the industrious locals have traditionally held, Stellarton, just 20 km (12 miles) from Pictou, is worth a detour for this museum that brings our industrial heritage to life with daily demonstrations in the machine shop, sawmill, and print shop. Like factory and mine workers of old, you can punch in with a time card and then get straight to work. Hands-on exhibits will show you how to hook a rag mat, print a bookmark, operate a steam engine, or pack chocolates into a moving box on an assembly line. Interactive computer exhibits explore multimedia as a tool of industry, and some 30,000 industrial artifacts are on display, including Canada's oldest steam locomotives. The kids' train gallery is a hit with very young children.
147 N. Foord St., Stellarton, Pictou, Nova Scotia, B0K 1S0, Canada902-755–5425Sight Details
Rate Includes: C$9
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