Nova Scotia

Our two most favorite places that we visited in Nova Scotia this past summer were The Fortress of Louisbourg and Kejimkujik National Park. If you can find a place to stay the Halifax Citadel was a great place to visit. What made the Citadel and Fortress of Louisbourg great stopping places is that the staff is in period dress.
We also loved Newfoundland more than the other Atlantic Provinces. The people are wonderful, a lot less crowded and great scenery. The only drawback was the price of taking our TT on the ferry. However for us it was well worth it and if we go back to eastern Canada again, we will visit Newfoundland again.
Have a great trip

Nova Scotia is a great place to visit – beautiful, historic, with a good bit of animal life and fantastic seafood. We have spent more time in Newfoundland but still have spent a fair bit in Nova Scotia especially Cape Breton. We prefer less civilized (read fewer people, less density) so our preferences for the Atlantic Provinces are NL, NS, PEI, NB.

What to do and where to visit? I agree with prior posts re Louisbourg, Halifax, and of course, Cape Breton (which is almost a different province). History is everywhere and we have seen whales, moose and black bear. August is the scallop festival in Digby and they are delicious. Lobsters are easy to come by and very very good.

Some favorite memories:

We camped in the marina at Canso (northeast of lower NS). Toward evening we noticed a lot of excitement and asked what was going on. Some locals had caught a 600-pound tuna and were literally dragging it behind their small wooden boat back to the dock. The whole town turned out to greet them. What a sight. They winched it out of the water, cut off the head, and it weighed over 300 pounds. They flash freeze it and sell it to Japan for sushi – big $$$.

Took a zodiac whale watching trip from south of Digby (in mid August). My favorite ever whale watching trip (and I have done dozens of them) but my first in a zodiac. We left from Long Island (I think) with Zipping Zodiac; there were two couples and the driver/guide. We ended up amongst a pod of 4 humpbacks (I love humpbacks) and two of them actually swam under the zodiac (or at least parts of them did). I could not reach/touch them but we were at eye-level and it was so exciting. We were close enough to smell the fish breath when they exhaled and we also were ‘lucky’ enough to see one poop! Yes big blob (didn’t smell) of what looked like brown straw rose up next to us and the guide had to tell us what it was. LOL.

One place we camped at had the local high school band come and play bagpipes on Friday or Saturday nights. They marched thru the campsites and ended up near the water where we brought our chairs and gathered around a bonfire while they played. It was Havre Boucher Hyclass Campground but I don't think it is like that now; seems we tried to go back and it was not the same.

One year we traveled around the perimeter stopping at smaller towns and camping in out of the way places. Met some interesting locals and did not feel so much like ‘just a tourist’. I should mention that we travel with a dog and that has ‘broken more ice’ than any other thing in our travels. Looking for places to walk the dog and enjoy the scenery has enabled us to meet locals. Axel, a beautiful Vizsla, was the sweetest dog in the world and loved kids especially little girls. He would let them try to ride him or pull his ears; it didn’t matter. His unusual breed (at the time there were not that many around) was a draw for adults. Our current German Shorthaired Pointer is mostly white with a brown head and draws a lot of attention. She is hyper but loves everybody and thinks they should love her back! LOL. She too has enabled us to meet folks especially at dog parks where we took her to run off some of that energy.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

Diann

Just spent a month touring the maritmes.Many campsites listed in Campingworld directory.All 3 provinces have web sites that will send you info.We really enjoyed our trip and hope to go back,lots to see and do.If you use a GPS check the routes it gives against a map,ours seemed confused there at times and some routes were dirt roads!

I was stopped at a rural intersection
near Peggys cove.

In less than a minute, a horn started to blare behind me.
As I moved over, A SUV went tearing past.

Sure enough, New York plates.
City slickers, you gotta love them!

Ditto on [url]http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/ns/louisbourg/index.aspx

I won't say it's like any other historic reconstruction 'cause I think that's presumptuous, and snobbish. But I liked it.

I also would say you will see more, lots more, if you drive carefully and Sunday afternoon style on the two lane roads. There are all kinds of visible evidence of over 400 years of European settlement all over Nova Scotia.

Sure there are 4-laners with 110 km speed limits, but heavens to betsy, what can you enjoy at those speeds. Likewise for route 9. Boring by comparison with the shore way - US 1.

X2, X3, .......X1000 on Fundy tides from both NS and NB sides of the Bay. It's a one off for the planet, that bay is.

Re. ferry, sure there is a signed draft agreement with the government in office today, but today is election day and others are predicted to win said election. It ain't there until it's there.

:C

Moved from Roads and Routes to RVing in Canada

X2 on Cape Breton Island. We spent a few days there, overnighting at the Dingwall Hideaway Campground and Oyster Market near the top. There was a very low priced whale watching boat nearby (Oshan) which we enjoyed late one afternoon. We also stayed down at Baddeck near the excellent Alexander Graham Bell Museum.

Louisbourg Fortress on the island is worth a day to explore if the weather is good. A Colonial Williamsburg-type recreation with costumed interpreters, even little kids, farm animals, bakers, blacksmiths, pub serving foods of the era on pewter. Get there early as lines will form at check-in. Also drive over to the lighthouse which is part of the historic site. First lighthouse site in Canada.

We enjoyed a couple of days in Halifax to see the Titanic cemetery and Maritime Museum exhibits. Shubie Park campground is in the metro area.

Peggy's Cove and Lunenberg south of Halifax make a nice day trip.

We found Nova Scotia to be very welcoming to visitors with lots of good campgrounds, and will no doubt return soon to see more of the province..

The bay of fundy is a must. The largest tides in the world. When you are over on that side I always have to see Halls Harbour. It is a very small fishing village. You pick your lobster right off the boat, they cook it for you and you eat it on a picnic table outside.

B+B... Windy Ridge, Grosses Coques, Nova Scotia...they have a web site. (sisters). It is unique.

Take your time going around Cape Breton. Stop and visit with locals in small villages, also at small shops along the route. There are lots of local homemade quality items. The locals will be glad to visit and fill you in on all the goings on.

Nova Scotia is kind of naturally divided into four or five regions. You have your Cape Breton, which is on the right and is actually a separate island you get to over a bridge. It has basically nothing but destinations, from Louisville (recreation of a 17th century French fort/city, and superb) to the Cabot trail. Wonderful stuff, and there is a really kind of neat campground in the center of the town of Louisberg.

On the north east side of the main land you have the North Shore, all the way from Amherst to Pictou (Grohmann Knives, hand made kitchen and hunting knives, you can tour the factory) to Antigonish. Lots of camping, views, etc. On the north west side you have the Bay of Fundy, always neat to see the tides, Wolfville, the Annapolis valley, dozens to hundreds of campgrounds. I am staying two nights near Kentville this week, as it happens, just an excuse to drive the bus for a couple of days.

All the way west you have Yarmouth, never been there but it's the southernmost point of the province, and there will soon be a ferry to Maine. keeping on up the south shore you pass lovely vistas and get to Lunenberg, home of the Bluenose. Keep on and you get to the Halifax area, including Peggy's Cove (good RV parking), the metropolitan Halifax (wonderful restaurants and downtown boardwalk), and great shopping in Dartmouth malls.

You really can't go wrong in Nova Scotia. I'm in Tatamagouche, on the north shore. To get here, take I95 north (your own best choice around the cities) till it stops, turn right into New Brunswick and keep going east... :)

Brian

I would go 81 to 84 to 90 to 495 to 95 to maine turnpike and then in Bangor take 9 over to St Andrews. Then CA 1 to the trans Canada 2.

I would stay at Mohegan Sun In Scranton, Normandy Farms in Foxboro, Pumpkin Patch in Bangor, The Kiwanis CG in St Andrews - all on the way. Once in Nova Scotia, many choices depending on where you go.

Cape Breton, Halifax, Peggy's Cove, Yarmouth, digby neck and just driving around.