Page 74 - 2024-25 Travel Guide to Canada

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Landlubbers, of course, needn’t feel left
out. Choices for bikers and hikers abound. The
former love to pedal on the 119-km (74-mi.)
Rum Runners Trail connecting Halifax and
Lunenburg; while the latter lace-up their boots
in places like Cape Breton Highlands National
Park, which alone has 26 trails. If golf is your
game, world-class courses span the province.
Standouts range from traditional favourites
like Highlands Links and Fox Harb’r Golf
Resort, to newer stars like Cabot Links and
Cabot Cliffs, acclaimed sister courses.
HERITAGE AND CULTURE
Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland” and
descendants of its Scottish settlers make much
of that connection—particularly on Cape
Breton Island, where you can take a class or buy
a kilt at North America’s only Gaelic college
(www.gaeliccollege.edu), raise a glass at the
continent’s first single malt whisky distillery
(www.glenoradistillery.com), tour the Celtic
Music Interpretive Centre (www.celticmusic
centre.com), then dance your feet off at
one of the summer ceilidhs (traditional
Gaelic-inflected parties) held Island-wide.
The province, however, isn’t entirely draped
in tartan.
After all, events like Festival acadien de
Clare (www.festivalacadiendeclare.ca/en)
and the Musique de la Baie concert series
(www.yarmouthandacadianshores.com/en
/things-to-do/view/musique-de-la-baie)
are tuneful testaments to the strength of
francophone culture here. Mi’kmaq com-
munities carry on the legacy of this land’s
original residents through powwows and
other special programs (www.nova
scotia.com/travel-info/our-culture), while
contributions made by new arrivals are
celebrated at the moving Canadian Museum
of Immigration at Pier 21 (www.pier21.ca).
MUST SEE, MUST DO
Nova Scotia is home to a diverse range of
premium quality seafood, from their world-
famous lobster and coldwater shrimp, to snow
crab, scallops, oysters, clams, haddock, halibut
and more. From traditional lobster suppers
and roadside restaurants to fine dining rooms,
you’ll find seafood topping menus everywhere
(www.tasteofnovascotia.com).
Ogle Lunenburg’s Old Town. Hundreds of
heritage buildings have earned this port
community’s downtown core recognition
from UNESCO (www.explorelunenburg.ca).
Explore the Fortress of Louisbourg National
Historic Site. Turn back time to the mid-18th
century at North America’s largest historical
reconstruction (www.parkscanada.gc.ca/
louisbourg).
Snap a picture at Peggy’s Cove. It’s almost
obligatory to visit this seaside hamlet where
one of the world’s most iconic lighthouses
sits atop a slab of wave-blasted rock
(www.peggyscoveregion.com).
Special Events
www.novascotia.com/events
JUNE
• PRIVATEER DAYS, LIVERPOOL
• ROYAL NOVA SCOTIA INTERNATIONAL
TATTOO, HALIFAX
JULY
• ANTIGONISH HIGHLAND GAMES
• HALIFAX PRIDE FESTIVAL
• PICTOU LOBSTER CARNIVAL
• STANFEST: STAN ROGERS FOLK FESTIVAL,
CANSO
• TD HALIFAX JAZZ FESTIVAL
AUGUST
• CHESTER RACE WEEK
• HALIFAX INTERNATIONAL BUSKER FESTIVAL
• LUNENBURG FOLK HARBOUR FESTIVAL
AUGUST – SEPTEMBER
• WHARF RAT RALLY, DIGBY
SEPTEMBER
• DEEP ROOTS MUSIC FESTIVAL, WOLFVILLE
• FIN ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL FILM
FESTIVAL, HALIFAX
• GRAN FONDO, BAIE SAINTE-MARIE
• HIKE THE HIGHLANDS FESTIVAL,
CABOT TRAIL
OCTOBER
• CELTIC COLOURS INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL, CAPE BRETON
• DEVOUR! THE FOOD FILM FEST, WOLFVILLE
• NOCTURNE: ART AT NIGHT, HALIFAX
a transatlantic messaging station there in
1902, and the Cape Breton Miners’ Museum
where you can don a hard hat and descend
into a coal mine. The Fortress of Louisbourg
National Historic Site is 45 minutes away by
car www.cbrm.ns.ca).
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Nova Scotia has been dubbed “Canada’s
Ocean Playground,” and since you’re never
more than 67 km (42 mi.) from a coast,
enjoying on-the-water activities is easy.
Boating is a top draw, which is no surprise
considering options include sailing on Bras
d’Or Lake or paddling along ancient Mi’kmaq
canoe routes in Kejimkujik National Park
and National Historic Site. Scuba diving and
deepsea fishing are also popular; ditto for
surfing, a fun if somewhat frigid alternative
on the South and Eastern Shores. Looking for
something truly unique? Experience the rush
of rafting on the Shubenacadie River, where
a tidal bore whips up big waves.
PEGGY’S COVE LIGHTHOUSE AT DAWN • SHUTTERSTOCK/SHAWN M. KENT
HALIFAX CITADEL •
SHUTTERSTOCK/MYSTIC STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY