OT - Nova Scotia

[DaddyChoc]

has anyone ever been there, what is it like?

is it a worthy vacation location?

 

[Bayareahusky]

has anyone ever been there, what is it like?

is it a worthy vacation location?

Yes, definitely go there..... Very scenic.... I especially love Cape Breton Island.... and the Cabot Trail..... one of North America's 10 most scenic drives.....

 

[JS]

has anyone ever been there, what is it like?

is it a worthy vacation location?

I once asked the same question of a native of Nova Scotia whom I met in a doctor's waiting room.

She said go to Prince Edward Island instead.

We did and loved it. Unique atmosphere. Even toyed with the idea of moving there.

Less developed (accessible only by ferry until the Confederation Bridge was built). Open spaces. Seafood (Malpeque oysters come from there; lobster). Fishing villages. Red sand beaches.

 

[Sonny44]

It's all beautiful including Newfoundland (overnight ferry from North Sydney). Once I flew into Corner Brook on a small plane. The pilot kept his door open and let me sit in the cock pit with him. Emerging out of the fog and landing was an experience I'll never forget. Those days are over now.

 

[grizz36]

Lots of lobster .... cheap! The Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck on Cape Breton Island is interesting covering the many contributions of a prolific inventor. The Cabot Trail is one of the most scenic in North America. Louisburgh is historically interesting.

 

[meyers7]

It's north. Never go north for vacation. That's not vacation that's punishment.


Had a co-worker from there and a co-worker who moved there. They both say it's beautiful and a wonderful place.

 

[BroadwayVa]

has anyone ever been there, what is it like?

is it a worthy vacation location?

absolutely a beautiful place not to be missed.
Populated in 1600 by fur traders--they called it Port Royal. about 1757 occupied by British they deported the population in ships to the 4 winds some sunk with men women and children, some made it to Georgia where they were enslaved and some made it to New Orleans
and you have Cajuns. French populated it and most were Catholic---the Colonials were not--except Maryland--who took in some of those deported The event was much worse than the Poem of Evangline would make one think.
Fertile land, historic sites, beautiful old buildings mixed with the new. A airline flight crashed there with many Americans in cncluding my cousins daughter...
Yes the 7 year war ended in 1763 (abt) Quebec and Fort Royal was occupied before that---Commodore Winslow British-was in charge of deportations.

 

[CajunHusky]

We went 25 years ago this year.

The Nova Scotia tourism people put out a terrific tourism booklet to help you plan your trip. They break the "experience" into regions and trails. We stayed in Bed and Breakfast with the exception of a motel in Baddeck.

We drove to Portsmouth Maine and took the overnight ferry (does it still run?) to Yarmouth. Drove up the Atlantic coast on one of the trails to Peggy's Cove and then on to Halifax. Stayed there at a very nice B and B and toured the Citadel, the Victorian gardens and the Maritime Museum and went on a pub crawl. Drove north to a motel Baddeck for a home base and then drove the coastal road - Gulf of St Lawrence. You could stay at the Celtic Lodge but that is a touch expensive. The next day we did the Alexander Graham Bell museum and the day after that we went to Fort Louisbourg. The following day we drove south to Wolfville. We toured Cape Blomidon and then toured the Acadia Park. We took the ferry to Bar Harbor and stayed a couple of nights touring Acadia National Park and Caddilac Mountain and then drove home.

One of the best vacations ever!

 

[Sargassoc]

Been to both PEI and Nova Scotia for summer vacations.

Great people, great lobsters, beautiful sights-- but don't expect to go swimming (or at least stay in the water for any length of time). The Bay of Fundy is damn cold!

 

[vtcwbuff]

absolutely a beautiful place not to be missed.
Populated in 1600 by fur traders--they called it Port Royal. about 1757 occupied by British they deported the population in ships to the 4 winds some sunk with men women and children, some made it to Georgia where they were enslaved and some made it to New Orleans
and you have Cajuns. French populated it and most were Catholic---the Colonials were not--except Maryland--who took in some of those deported The event was much worse than the Poem of Evangline would make one think.
Fertile land, historic sites, beautiful old buildings mixed with the new. A airline flight crashed there with many Americans in cncluding my cousins daughter...
Yes the 7 year war ended in 1763 (abt) Quebec and Fort Royal was occupied before that---Commodore Winslow British-was in charge of deportations.

And hundreds were shipped to CT, including a couple of my ancestors. CT Cajuns

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I was born on Cape Britain Island near the Bell Museum referred to above. Parts of the Cabot Trail are more than stunning. Once on a trip back in my teens we were rounding the north tip of Cape Briton on the Trail in the fog and as the fog rose there was a shattered evergreen on the right of the road with a magnificent eagle perched on top. I suspect Nova Scotia's Tourism Agency paid him to sit there for a couple of hours a day.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Nova Scotia is still on my list although I think PEI has moved above them. Years ago I had reservations at the Keltick Lodge for a week of golf. I got a phone call two days before the trip and my job diverted me to some sweaty place in Central America. We are still hoping to get there.

A ship I served on visited Halifax in the 60's. Great liberty.

 

[Sargassoc]

Nova Scotia is still on my list although I think PEI has moved above them. Years ago I had reservations at the Keltick Lodge for a week of golf. I got a phone call two days before the trip and my job diverted me to some sweaty place in Central America.

Wow, your post just reminded me that I stayed at the Keltic Lodge for a few days whenI was ten. I played the slots on the ferry from Bar Harbor to Novia Scotia (international waters-- no gambling age limit). My dad wanted to prove to my brother and me that the house always won. I won the jackpot, much to his dismay, and with my winnings, bought myself a grown-up tartan wallet because I had seen so much plaid around me during that trip.

 

[Topsail]

Sounds like I took the same trip, with exception to the Acadia part, as CajunHusky only 28 years ago. It indeed was beautiful but the mornings in August were cold.

 

[Dillon77]

Rather than go to our five-year college reunion, two of my Domer buddies and I drove up to the Maritimes and did a combination drive-bike tour of (primarily) Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Absolutely adored PEA and swimming in the "Canadian Riviera," then biking from our campsites into villages for dinner of seafood and dessert of many local ales.

We then drove to and on the Cabot Trail, visited the Bell Museum in Cape Breton, hung out in Halifax and biked a lot south of Halifax, including sleeping in a park in Lunenburg and watching trans-Atlantic plane lights blink as they flew overhead to and from Europe. When not riding, we played "five-pin" bowling in a few towns when it was raining. Remember running into an innkeeper that took us under his wing and he cooked us some fish, asked us what we all did. When I told him I wrote and edited, he said: "A good writer is an arsonist of the mind." Never forgot that.

Took the ferry back to Maine and even won a few games of blackjack on the ride. Great trip..should go back.

 

[UConnNick]

My 5th degree paternal great grandfather and grandmother were founders of the Town of Lunenburg in 1753 when NS was being settled by the British. They advertised in European newspapers for colonists after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, when France ceded to the British all its rights to the NS peninsula (part of Acadia), among other Canadian lands. My paternal ancestors were from the Palitinate in SW Germany. Lunenburg was settled mostly by Germans and some French Huguenots from the Montbeliard region of France. Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's about 60 miles south of Halifax.

I highly recommend a NS vacation. We've done it twice. The locals refer to Halifax as a smaller version of Boston. The Cabot Trail and Cape Breton Island in general are likely the most scenic areas on the entire North Atlantic coastline. The only downside is be prepared for a lot of rain and fog at times, even in the middle of summer.

 

[Dillon77]

My 5th degree paternal great grandfather and grandmother were founders of the Town of Lunenburg in 1753 when NS was being settled by the British. They advertised in European newspapers for colonists after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, when France ceded to the British all its rights to the NS peninsula (part of Acadia), among other Canadian lands. My paternal ancestors were from the Palitinate in SW Germany. Lunenburg was settled mostly by Germans and some French Huguenots from the Montbeliard region of France. Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's about 60 miles south of Halifax.

I highly recommend a NS vacation. We've done it twice. The locals refer to Halifax as a smaller version of Boston. The Cabot Trail and Cape Breton Island in general are likely the most scenic areas on the entire North Atlantic coastline. The only downside is be prepared for a lot of rain and fog at times, even in the middle of summer.

When I went, I felt as if I was in the Pacific Northwest at times, with the rain and fog on the Cabot Trail. But the south part of NS made up for it....loved the Lunenberg area and the people (as noted in my earlier post). Fine folks!

 

[UConnNick]

When I went, I felt as if I was in the Pacific Northwest at times, with the rain and fog on the Cabot Trail. But the south part of NS made up for it....loved the Lunenberg area and the people (as noted in my earlier post). Fine folks!

You couldn't possibly have avoided running into some of our cousins there. We have at least several hundred of them living in NS, mostly in the Bridgewater - Lunenburg - Chester area.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Following the expulsion of the Acadian settlers there was a large influx of settlers from New England that took the land the Acadians had been forced to leave. Most of the new settlers were from Rhode Island.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Yes I will comment on Prince Edward Island since someone mentioned it.... I am a big fan, having been there many times..... one thing some folks do not know is that the northern shore is the recipient of the gulf stream, so the water is like Cape Cod, and not like the cold ocean water of Bay of Fundy or Maine..... the small towns and villages are stunningly beautiful..... though the tourist books will try to steer you toward Cavendish..... a nice place for sure, but be sure to explore..... the whole island is great..... small and quaint..... largest city Charlottetown is only 20,000 folks I believe with a beautiful harbor, and rich history.... where Canada was founded in 1867,,,,, hope you get to see PEI as well as NS

 

[JBMudd]

If you go, make sure you check out the schedule for the local VFW's. We saw the great Cape Breton fiddler, Buddy McMasters, at a VFW in Baddeck. Admission was only $5. What a night of music!

 

[triaddukefan]

Some years ago... I received a Nova Scotia Travel Guide book in the mail...... looking through it I thought that it was a beautiful place and would make a nice place to go for a honeymoon. Well Im still not married..... and if Im still single at 50..... it would be a nice place to go for my 50th birthday

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

It's north. Never go north for vacation. That's not vacation that's punishment.


Had a co-worker from there and a co-worker who moved there. They both say it's beautiful and a wonderful place.

I always go north on vacation unless it's for some family function. I'd rather be in the Northeast than anywhere else.

 

[ctfjr]

A friend & I did a motorcycle ride around the circumference of Nova Scotia. The roads are called 'Trails" like the Cabot Trail. It is a nonstop Kodak moment. I was stopping so often to take pictures I never thought we would finish the ride. We stayed in B&B's and met some very interesting locals as well as some people from the UK. I still remember that we had to make sure the town we were stopping in had some kind of restaurant
I just mentioned to my wife a couple of weeks ago that we should take a vacation up there - she's never been.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Some years ago... I received a Nova Scotia Travel Guide book in the mail. looking through it I thought that it was a beautiful place and would make a nice place to go for a honeymoon. Well Im still not married..... and if Im still single at 50..... it would be a nice place to go for my 50th birthday

Party in Canada! We'll be there!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Nova Scotia is like ... well ... New Scotland.