Suggestions/Tips for Travel to Nova Scotia?

[Rex_Roamer]

I see several of you are from Canada.

We are doing our first "family vacation" with just the two of us - our son is off in sunny California for a year. We decided instead of moping around about being two middle-age parents without our kid - we would go someplace totally new - and we picked Nova Scotia.

It's 1,100 miles one-way but we are stopping at family in Massachusetts the first night, and in Saint John, New Brunswick the second night on way up (and back.)

I'm pretty "detail oriented" (and a non-fiction writer and researcher by trade) so I've done a lot of research on the area. BUT... you know you can never get all the info you really need unless you talk to folks who live or have already traveled there.

To that end, if any of you have any tips about what I should plan for or see while there, please share them.

[Little_Kopit]

That WAS the Campground Owners Association having cat fits because some rvers wanted to use their dumps without staying over and and coffing up the $. Or that was the way I understood it started.

Common Sense won and lives today.

😉

[Gruffy]

I seem to recall Nova Scotia had some pretty severe laws regarding overnight parking / boondocking. Anyone know where that stands right now????

[Little_Kopit]

I think I forgot to mention the longest covered bridge in Hartland, NB

:C

[Rex_Roamer]

Thank you all for these fantastic suggestions. I was trying to take notes in my travel log, but I ended up just printing them all out - LOL!

This is a really terrific forum. Glad I found it.

[JJ_Spectre]

I'm Nova Scotia born and raised, and have live in both Halifax and Sydney. It's great to hear all of the positive comments about home now that I am living away. 🙂

Peggy's Cove and the Citadel are must-see in the Halifax area and if you arrive at the Citedel in the late morning you can watch them fire the noon gun.

I do know that Louisbourg is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year, so if you are going to make a run to the island (Cape Breton), it would be a good year to do it.

Some advice on driving in Cape Breton. If you are not used to very twisty roads with sudden elevation change, avoid the Route 4. Hwy 105 on the west side of the island is much more RV friendly and there are several look offs from both sides of Kelly's Mountain that are pretty spectacular.

Enjoy NS!

[wsfurrie]

We have been twice, once for 2 weeks and the next time for 2 months. Everyone is correct, there is so much to see and do. The most friendly people in the world and great music festivals. My only advice is don't try to rush, if necessary come back again. Get to know the locals, you will like them, they are great NASCAR fans. Have a great time.

[Little_Kopit]

Ok, just to make sure:

- do you know about searching by domain location ie, search engines with .ca ending. www.google.ca

- Do you know the locations which have only source for the planet-
Fundy Tides are highest in the world.
& I'd sort of like to put in Fortress at Lousibourg too, ie. the French 1st point for defense on this continent.

When you have a couple of months to visit Newfoundland & Labrador, it has a couple more of those 'only loc. for planet' - L'Anse Aux Meadows & Gros Morne National Park

& you'd better do some part of Cape Breton Highlands National Park this round, 'cause if you did Gros Morne before that, you'd be disappointed in Cape Breton - IMHO, there is no comparison.



& I'm not even tempting you with PEI sites.

:B

[Bob_N_]

Hi Rex,
We made the Nova Scotia trip several years ago and found it delightful. We took the ferry from Bar Harbor, Maine to Yarmouth,NS and found it to be a very nice 4 hour ride. We toured NS, went to Prince Edward Island, then drove back through New Brunswick to Maine.
If you are in Maine, don't miss Acadia National Park at Bar Harbor.

[splinter7]

Five Islands PP, NS is also a great place to see tide changes, walk on the bay floor.

Since you posted this in Class B, I assume you have a smaller rig. A night or two at Corney Brook Campground in Cape Breton NP overlooking the water, swimming if you dare, might be nice.

Sue

[AsheGuy]

We toured the Maritimes in summer of 2008. Check our blog (in signature) beginning May 25, 2008 in Canada, but Nova Scotia portion is June 7-16 I think. Blog archive can be found on right of blog window. Some highlights:
- Cape Breton
- Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, NS
- Halifax's Public Gardens
- Peggy's Cove
- Swissair 111 Memorial site just up the coast from Peggy's Cove
- Port Royal
- Hall's Harbor (dramatic tide changes on Bay of Fundy)
- Cape Split
- Windsor - Claims birthplace of hockey
- Not in Nova Scotia, but a New Brunswick must see - Hopewell Rocks

Hope you have a great trip.

[CloudDriver]

IMO the Hopewell Rocks are the best place to experience the Fundy tides. We were lucky to arrive just at high tide to see that condition. After lunch and some time in the Visitor Center we were able to go down to walk around the teapot rocks as the tide receded.

Fortress Louisborg on Cape Breton is a must see.

We were disappointed in the scallops in Digby. We had much better in Camden ME on the way up.

If you are interested in Celtic music, stop at the Celtic Music Interpretive Center in Judique. They should be able to tell you who is playing where.

[Rex_Roamer]

Thanks davehardy0101 and NCwriter. I have printed out your posts and included them in my "trip log."

That Titanic idea is great, and the "scallop capital of the world" is a MUST for us - LOL.

[NCWriter]

Halifax is well worth a visit, and Shubie Park Campground is convenient, inside the metro area. If you have any interest in Titanic history, head for the Atlantic Maritime Museum and also visit Fairview Lawn cemetery where many who perished were buried. Also be sure to go to The Citadel fort on top of the hill - wonderful military museum there.

Major roads can run you over to Halifax very quickly, even if you spend more time elsewhere. We enjoyed Cape Breton Island a lot, including Louisbourg, the Cabot Trail and the Alexander Graham Bell museum in Baddeck.

Hard to go wrong in NS. It's so scenic, people are friendly, and we found that visitor services were very efficient and well run.

[davehardy0101]

When are you going? Halifax has the International Tattoo from June 30-July 7. We have our tickets for the 7th. If you like scallops, Digby, NS is known as the scallop capitol of the world. Canso has the StanFest Folk Music Festival in July. Lunenburg has a winery. Try to see (or ride) the tidal bore. The tides on the Bay of Fundy are awesome. Lots of lighthouses. The people are friendly and the food is good. Lots of fiddlers, pipers and flutes and singers.

We love going to NS and NB. Will be spending about a month this year. Are also doing a windjammer cruise out of Camden, ME. There are cruises out of Rockland also. A fun sail with a lobster dinner one night.