Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

We last visited Nova Scotia in 1991, so I can't tell you much about current lodging or eating options, but I can suggest some worthwhile places to visit:

• Halifax has a splendid harbor (with a tour boat), the Citadel, the
  Public Garden, and an excellent maritime museum that includes
  artifacts from the Titanic. Stay somewhere near the waterfront if
  you can.

• Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg are famous, perhaps too famous, for
  scenery, lighthouses, rocky shores, etc. You can find similar scenes
  in other harbor towns strung along the ocean side of the province.

• Cape Breton National Park is a world-renowned park at the north end
  of the province, and the Cabot Trail one of the most scenic drives in
  North America. We stayed at The Markland on the north side of
  the park and liked it very much. I'm sure it has changed but the
  website suggests it's still a good place to stay (where there are few
  other choices). We enjoyed a whale-watching trip out of remote Bay
  St. Lawrence nearby.

• Baddeck is a town on the Bras d'Or Lakes where Alexander Graham Bell
  spent much of his life. I believe there's a museum about him.
  Scenic and interesting.

• Louisbourg, in the northeastern part of Cape Breton Island, is a
  restored French colonial fortified settlement with good costumed
  interpreters and interesting exhibits. Well worth a visit for
  history and authenticity.

Sadly, 2015 was the last season for the Portland-Yarmouth ferry. We
had memorable crossings, including a return on the edge of a
hurricane that doubled the length of the trip and left us wondering
how well the lifeboats would fare. It was a fun (absent hurricanes)
way to save a lot of driving and time. However, the long drive
though coastal Maine and New Brunswick is still beautiful.

My last visit to PEI was in 1959 and I won't even try to guess what's to see there now, besides Green Gables. Have a good trip!

The previous poster hit the highlites of a trip to Nova Scotia. There are lots of scenic drives along the coast. Fossils in Joggins and on Cape Breton, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the reconstructed Fortress Louisbourg, the Annapolis Valley.
It is too bad you don't eat seafood as both provinces are renowned for it.

I have attached a link for the N.S. Doers-Dreamers Travel Guide.

https://tourismns.ca/intouch/2015/01/2015-doers-dreamers-guide-now-available

Wonderful! We spent a week in 2012 in the southwestern part, around Digby and Yarmouth, and another week in 2014 in Cape Breton. Both in July. We flew into Halifax, spent a day there, and rented a car.

Halifax is a great city. In 2012 we saw the Tall Ships. The farmers market on the harbour is worth going to. I'd like to spend more time in Halifax next time.

The Bay of Fundy was interesting. We're from a landlocked area, and we had not really considered the tides. We thought that when we wanted to go to a beach, we'd do that. No. If the tide is in, the sea is up to the rocks, and when it's out, it's waaaayy out. We did a whale watching tour that we loved. There were lots of orchards and fruit in that part. In Yarmouth they talk like pirates. Yaaarmouth.

Now, I know they say Peggy's Cove is touristy, and it is. But it is pretty cool. One local woman in Halifax said she just likes to go and sit on the rocks. We didn't go to Lunenburg, but pictures look pretty.

In 2014 in Cape Breton, we stayed near Mabou for a few nights, and then at the Telegraph Hotel in Baddeck. We slept in the Alexander Graham Bell room. You'll find lovely beaches on the north shore of CB, and they are warm enough for swimming. We did not do the Cabot Trail. None of us wanted to be in a car for that long, and one person gets car sick. So that was out.

In Cape Breton, signs would be in English and Gaelic, and then would switch to English/French. I heard French spoken with a Scottish accent. I heard Gaelic spoken quite a bit. They have lots of music, the famous ceilidhs. Nice, but you'd better like fiddle music.

Weather- It's cool there, which I liked. It got up to maybe 80, with sunny skies and nice breezes. Down into the 50s at night. One day in Baddeck, it was at most 68, but overcast and humid. The hot weather was the talk of the town. One woman said there was nothing to do for it but to go to the beach. So take layers, and a rain coat.

Food- I'm glad neither of you eat seafood. I hate the stuff. I have such an aversion that I say I'm "pre-allergic." But I went with four people who love it. They couldn't get enough lobsters, mussels, oysters, haddock. I ate at a lot of seafood restaurants, and I ended up eating chicken strips. My advice- if you find a place that looks good for you, stop and eat then. Don't expect you'll find another soon. There were lots of farmers markets, and they often had cooked food. Don't go to Baddeck Lobster Suppers. They have lobster. In Baddeck. At suppertime. Also, don't expect spicy food. But you'll find pasties.

It's a great choice for you. You'll find all of your favorite things. History included the War of 1812, the Highland Clearances, and the expulsion of the French Acadians. The fishing boats are very scenic, even if they do bring back seafood.

Even with two weeks, there's a lot to cover. You might skip the Yarmouth end, although we enjoyed ourselves. CB is probably more unique.

(Where's Nicole from Truro? I'm sure she has input!)

I did a driving tour of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in 2005.

If you are driving all the way from Philadelphia, you could spend a lot of the two weeks just enjoying your way up and back along the Maine coast and into New Brunswick.

The Cabot Trail is a must. I stayed in Baddeck and did the drive in one very long day (including a number of hikes). You should probably go to a Ceilidh (I didn't, but I've heard it's a highlight.)

Some of the other places I enjoyed:

Campobello - FDR's vacation home at the very top of the Maine coast
Fundy National Park
Hopewell Rocks
Cape d'Or Lighthouse

I thought Louisbourg was a long way to drive and not worth it. I'd call it a tourist trap, but I can see how others might enjoy it.

I enjoyed the drive along the southern coast of Nova Scotia, but back then there was a high-speed car ferry from Yarmouth to Bar Harbour, ME. I'm not sure how I'd adjust my itinerary if I went again and that ferry wasn't running.

Nova Scotia is beautiful! I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet. I think the Kejimkujik National Park Seaside (as opposed to the inland site--which is okay but I didn't think as interesting) is a very neat place for a short visit. It's not a long walk around the park trail yet you go through several microclimates. I thought it worth the stop.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ns/kejimkujik/visit/seaside-bord%20de%20mer.aspx

Enjoy Green Gables! I still have a crush on Jonathan Crombie who sadly passed away in April.

We took the RV (our home) to Atlantic Canada, as it seemed to be called, in the summer of 2014. Others have already mentioned the national parks, which are lovely. One thing to note, Canada has a Parks Canada pass that is rather like our Federal Access Pass (National Parks and anything under the auspices of the Department of the Interior). As we were camping in Fundy NP, it was required that we have something, so we got said pass. It was great, as it got us into a host of places we might not have gone had we had to pay at each site.

One of our fondest memories is of an instructors ceilidh at the Gaelic College. It was on Wednesday evenings I think, and was all of ten dollars per person. Best darn ten dollars we spent. We went twice. There is also a modest museum in the building in which the program took place, leave some time beforehand for that.

We don't eat seafood either (vegans), but the freshly dug potatoes were excellent.

Donna

OK...July can get disgustingly hot here for the record. We invested in an ac unit about 5 years ago and it runs almost constantly from mid-July til mid-August...but on the sea you'll have some nice breezes.

One awesome thing to see, but it ends July 7 is the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.
http://www.nstattoo.ca/

The others gave some great advice. Cape Breton is gorgeous - I can't believe I live nearby and have only gone round the Cabot Trail 3 times in my life. Fortress Louisburg is cool if you like historical stuff, and the Alexander Graham Bell museum is cool too.

Halifax - make sure to check out the view from Citadel Hill. Love to wander the waterfront (try the Smokes Poutinerie shack - bacon poutine - nuff said - and the Beavertails shack on the waterfront - maple is my favourite).

Lunenburg and Mahone Bay are a few of my fav spots to visit. Never been to Chester but hear it is lovely. Peggy's Cove - you can see it without too many people if you get there early or after supper - we have nice long daylight hours in July, so you could even go at 7-8pm. They used to do kayak rentals in Mahone Bay but not sure if they still do.

I also enjoy Annapolis Valley - if you like zoos, Oaklawn Farm Zoo is nice - be there around 5-6 pm (it would say on their website) to see them feed the big cats! Wolfville is a nice little university town with some great eats.

Pictou is nice for a little Celtic culture - their lobster carnival is July 10-14. Antigonish has the Highland Games July 11-13. Halifax Jazz fest is July 4-12. You will be too late for the Buskers and Natal Day in Halifax which are at the end of July/start August. I have to stump a little for my hometown - Truro doesn't have a lot, but Victoria Park is a nice place to wander/hike for a few hours - some great trails. I love to show people around!

Oh - in Halifax, be sure to visit the gorgeous new library on Spring Garden Road - I know...a library you ask?! But the architecture is lovely and it was shortlisted for some awards. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/halifax-library-in-running-for-prestigious-world-architecture-award-1.2643130

There are lots of places to get great food. We enjoy Truckside - not much to look at from the outside, but you have to have poutine...and the burgers are great. Also can get seafood, Italian and Chinese/Asian. https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g154974-d7948176-Reviews-Truck_Side_Food_Truck_Food_Court-Dartmouth_Halifax_Region_Nova_Scotia.html

To find some great food recommendations, check out the Bourgeois Gourmet column in the Chronicle Herald - it's how I discovered a few of my fav spots. But he isn't afraid to spend money... http://thechronicleherald.ca/tags/bourgeois-gourmet

We've done both the bridge and the ferry to PEI. The great thing is they don't charge you til you try to get off the island. We generally will take the ferry over (it is closer for us) and the bridge back. The bridge is a little cheaper (or it used to be). There can be some waits for the ferry at busy times (like July) but they run frequently from Pictou (if the weather is really bad, they may cancel them - ie - high winds). Haven't been to PEI since 2006, but we really enjoyed wandering Charlottetown and Summerside. Cavendish is a little overly touristy. PEI is very small tho, so even 3-4 nights there is usually fine.

Driving is pretty good. Halifax can be a bit of a bother with lots of one way streets (I won't even drive there...ugh...hubby can do that). People aren't too crazy driving, but some of the non-divided highways can get backed up because people drive under the speed limit (eg - on the way to the South Shore). You can generally be safe driving about 10kmh over the limit with no fear of tickets (shh - I didn't tell you that) but always drive for the conditions - fog, rain - drive accordingly.

Whew - I'll probably come back with a few more suggestions - sorry for the long winded!

PS - thanks for the shoutout Karen...lol. I was too busy watching TV last night ;)

Oh - and your American dollar is killing it right now! Enjoy the exchange rate!

When we did the Cabot Trail, we did it in a weekend (up Sat morning and home Sun afternoon). If you really wanted you could drive it in a day. But that's no fun! Lots of hiking. Lots of gorgeous scenic stops on the side of the road.

(Sorry - I will probably keep editing and adding more ideas)

Peggy's Cove - there is a Swissair memorial there for the victims of the plane that crashed off the coast (God, how many years ago now?)...just off the road - very moving.

Thank you all for your prompt and informative responses. I will be taking notes! I did look at both the official tourism web sites for NS and PEI, and I was given two guidebooks for Christmas. If anyone has an additional ideas, please post.

We stopped in Halifax and on Prince Edward Island on a cruise in the fall of 2014. (Montreal to Boston, and it was on the same ship as our 1999 honeymoon!) Ann of Green Gables site was a very nice visit even though I have no special interest in the books or movie. There was a nice hike kind of through the woods but i don't know how far it went because sure enough, had to pile back on the bus to return to the ship. I also don't have any special interest in maritime history, but the maritime museum in Halifax was spectacular. Not just because of the Titanic stuff, either—not remotely. It really tells a story and is nicely displayed. There are a couple of small ships moored outside that your ticket will get you onto as well. Actually that's about all we did in Halifax because we left the ship a little late. We must have spent three hours in the maritime museum and I have no regrets about that!

We are outside Philadelphia, we drove from Philly for New Brunswick and Halifax in summer 2012. Plan on two solid days each way between here and Halifax. There is a twice a day ferry from Saint John to Digby, but it won't save you any time, and not much mileage - unless you want to see the western end of Nova Scotia.

I will throw one more place in, it is in New Brunswick. Hopewell Rocks. It's maybe an hour detour from Moncton, which you have to pass through on the way into PEI or NS. Maybe the best place to experience the tides of the Bay of Fundy. Your entry is good for 24 hours, so you can walk on the beach floor at low tide, and then see this vanished when the tide is in (and if you like can get a kayak trip through the rock formations).
Ditto on Halifax's new library. And we loved the Henry House on Barrington Street there.

If you are driving from the states you will go through New Brunswick and the city of Moncton to get to either PEI/NS. The Hopewell Rocks are 30 mins outside of Moncton. The Hopewell Rocks is located on the Bay of Fundy which have the highest tides in the world. Fundy National Park is also about 30 mins from the Rocks and is a beautiful place to hike (tons of trails), camp or there are little hotels or cabins to stay in. There are sea kayaking groups (in town next to the Park-Alma) or around Hopewell Rocks if you are there during high tide. You may want to consider a couple days in NB (my home province) and it wouldn't be too much out of your way. If you like coastal beauty definitely check out Fundy!! If you stayed a night or two in Fundy Park you could check out the Hopewell Rocks on your way to NS/PEI.

You could always drive up the beautiful coast in Maine and cross the border in St. Stephen, NB/Calais, ME and check out St.Andrews (official name is St. Andrews-By-the-Sea) which is on the coast and is a really popular but not over crowded town. Lots of nice places to eat right on the water, whale watching and little shops to browse. You could easily stay here for a few hours and continue on your trip. From here you could drive to Fundy and drive along the coast of NB. If you did this you could check out New River Beach along the way which has a beautiful sandy beach and is amazing to watch the tide go in and out if you spent some time there.. it's impressive. If you're brave the water is a little chilly but swimmable.

In NS I think the highlights would be Halifax for a couple days and a side trip to Peggy's Cove. Halifax is a beautiful city. The Cabot Trail is also beautiful. There are lots of other nice places in NS like Lunenburg and the Annapolis Valley where there are wineries. Just take into account the driving times between each place. I believe there is a ferry from NS to PEI, or there is the Confederation Bridge between NB and PEI as well. It depends what route you take and I am not familiar with the ferry from NS.

In PEI I would suggest Cavendish and Charlottetown. In Cavendish there is a beach, Anne of Green Gables, and some other neat touristy type things if you like that. You could stay in Cavendish and tour around Charlottetown. Check out "Cows" ice cream too! July 8-10 in Cavendish is the Country Music Festival (this year a couple big names are Kenney Chesney and Blake Sheldon). It's usually pretty busy there during that time.

I'm assuming here too that you are driving from the states, but if you go through Maine it is so beautiful as well. There is Baxter State Park which has several hiking trails or if you are more adventurous some mountains to climb. There are really cute places to stay like little cabins on the lake. This would be on your way through to the border. Bar Harbor (and Acadia National Park) would be about an hour off the highway from Bangor and is usually pretty busy in the summer but I really loved it (went in Oct though so didn't see crowds), lots of hiking trails and nice places to eat and a beautiful town.

There are so many options in the Maritimes (and Maine)!