Nova Scotia: Yarmouth, Halifax, Cape Breton

We took a trip around New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with my 2 kids (ages 9 and 6 at that time). We enjoyed Halifax (stayed at an AirBnB): walking around the downtown area (cool maritime museum) and the Citadel. Parks Canada has an excellent kids's guide, which kept my kids entertained. It was pretty hot and we found a free city pool for swimming. We then drove around the peninsula, ending in Annapolis Royal and saw the Bay of Fundy tides. I want to go back and hit Cape Breton next time. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Lunenburg was a lovely maritime town we visited, and is also a UNESCO world heritage site. Peggy’s cove is also worth a stop.
Cape Breton is beautiful, we did several hikes, whale watching.
We took the 6 hr ferry from Bar Harbor, Maine and landed in Yarmouth. I thought it was a great way to go.
This trip was a frugal one for me, a combination of camping and cheap hotels.

Lots of points of interest between Yarmouth and Cape Breton -- that's the whole length of Nova Scotia! Coastal towns on either the Atlantic or the Bay of Fundy side, the city of Halifax, more (and less populated) coast beyond Halifax, and you could spend a week just in Cape Breton beyond that -- Louisbourg, Baddeck, and the Cabot Trail around the national park. Lots of outdoor fun for kids in the summer. Lots of other people visiting too.

Thanks for letting me know that there's ferry service again between Portland and Yarmouth. We took the old Scotia Prince both ways back in 1991, including returning during a hurricane which we skirted but still experienced. (Not an issue in July.) Looks like each way takes about half a day, would be a fun trip for kids. Of course flying to Portland and adding the ferry and then the drive to Halifax takes about a day longer than just flying to Halifax. You might prefer to give that time to Nova Scotia itself.

We have a regular forum contributor from NS, hopefully she will see this post and weigh in. It's a great place to spend time especially in summer.

I'm going to answer back when I have more time, but I'd recommend flying into Halifax. More than a few times last year the ferry had engine troubles and crossings were cancelled.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/yarmouth-portland-cat-ferry-crossings-cancelled-engine-problem-1.4231697

Things may run smoothly this year, but a lot of Nova Scotians just see the ferry as a boondoggle. I just wouldn't chance it. And the ferry is $$$!

From Yarmouth to Sydney:
Upper Clements Park, Annapolis Royal (amusement park)
Luckett Winery, Wolfville (winery)
Lunenburg (historic fishing town)
Peggy's Cove (famous lighthouse)
Citadel, Halifax (historic British fort)
Highways 7 / 211 / 316 / 16 from Halifax to Canso Causeway (coast road, if you have the time)
Sherbrooke Village (museum village showing old Maritime life)
Canso Causeway (shipping lock, nice little park for lunch)
Baddeck (beautiful town in Cape Breton, home of Alexander Graham Bell)
Cabot Trail (one of the world's most beautiful drives, do it clockwise)
Louisbourg (historic French fort)

Enjoy. You'll have a great time.

Advantage of Portland / Yarmouth ferry is you land in Yarmouth and see all the sites I listed between Yarmouth and Halifax, rather than landing in Halifax and having to double back.

Regarding which direction to tour the Cabot Trail, it depends on where you are coming from. Those approaching from Halifax it makes sense to travel clockwise through Margaree. If you are staying in Baddeck you have a choice to go through Margaree or start at Englishtown and do it counter clockwise. If you were to ask most Cape Bretoners (and I was born and raised there) they would recommend the counter clock-wise direction, reason being, you are always driving in the oceanside lane so it is more of a thrill though not at all dangerous.

I thought I should be more precise regarding Daren's post above about the turn off for the counter clockwise direction for the Cabot Trail.The turn off is at St Ann's.
Taking the coastal roads takes considerably longer and the ocean is not always in view.
In addition to Annapolis Royal in the valley there is also the Grand Pre National Historic park which documents the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia.
On the way to Cape Breton there is the NS Provincial Wildlife Park that would be interesting to folks of all ages.
In Cape Breton in addition to Baddeck, there is the Highland Village in Iona. The docents really get into their roles and the Village has a magnificent view.

Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove could be done as an easy day trip from Halifax. We always throw in Mahone Bay (because my husband's cousin lives there) and we've never been to Chester, but people like that spot as well. In Lunenburg (for food) we've enjoyed The Grand Banker, The Salt Shaker Deli, Kate's Sweet Indulgence (for fancy coffee/sweets). Big Red's is OK - kind of a family friendly place. Some nice shops in the area, and the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic...as well as cruises - you could luck into the Bluenose being there - you'd have to check the website for where it is gonna be. There are also horse drawn carriage tours - which we've never done, but they look fun. Mahone Bay has some nice shops as well - if you make it there, make sure to visit the Lahave Bakery and Jo-anns - conveniently side by side. Jo-anns has some AMAZING sweets - cream pies overflowing with whipped cream, cheesecake slices, my fav - lemon squares (or is my fav the raspberry squares...?), my husband's fav - giant ginger cookies...I always have a hard time deciding.

Honestly, I haven't been further west than Annapolis Royal in the Valley or Bridgewater on the South Shore - for ages. I think we may have gone to Yarmouth 30 years ago when I was a kid, otherwise, we never have had a reason to go. So to me, there isn't much of interest between Yarmouth and Bridgewater/Lunenburg area.

The Valley is out of the way for the direction you are going, but you could do it as a (long) day trip from Halifax as well. That's where you will find the wineries. Annapolis Royal and Grand Pre - as mentioned - are interesting. Oaklawn Farm Zoo has lots of big cats and other animals. Feeding time is interesting if you were there early evening. The Lookoff over Annapolis Valley is beautiful.

If you make it Truro way - take a little detour and head to Masstown Market - good place for lunch - they have a fish and chip take out (and other seafood), an amazing bakery (cinnamon buns...yum), soups, sandwiches, ice cream bar...and a lighthouse! Victoria Park in Truro has some nice (easy) hikes - to some waterfalls (which in July won't be very impressive unless we've had a big rain). It's about a ten min drive from Truro.

The Shubenacadie Wildlife Park is a nice stop off the highway between Hali and Truro. During the hottest part of the day, many of the animals are snoozing out of sight tho - morning or just after supper is usually the best time.

Halifax - Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Citadel Hill, the waterfront (You have to try a Beavertail - maple. And Smoke's Poutinerie has some delish poutine - they have food shacks on the waterfront). The Halifax Public Library on Spring Garden Road is a must see, throw in a visit to the public gardens just a short walk away. Natural History Museum. Discovery Center could be fun for the kids. If anyone is interested in Titanic lore, some of the victims of the Titanic are buried in cemeteries around the city. There are also harbour cruises and a Harbour Hopper. This is all fairly central (except the cemeteries), and you could see most/all of it in a day.

If you are interested at all in wildlife, you could stop into Hope for Wildlife, not too far outside of Halifax. We went to their open house a few years back and it's wonderful to see how they help rehabilitate and release local wildlife. https://www.hopeforwildlife.net/tours/ They actually have a tv series!

Sadly, I've only done the Cabot trail 3 times in my life! So I really don't have many recommendations for there - other than Fortress Louisbourg may be enjoyable. Hubby and I did counterclockwise on our last trip - but if you don't like feeling like you're gonna drive into the ocean, clockwise may be better...lol.

I just wanted to share a letter to the editor in today’s newspaper. I wish I could post a photo, but I’ll paraphrase.

Headline...Yarmouth a tourist desert. Longtime user of the Cat and prior ferries to Yarmouth. Last June, took the Cat and spent the night in a motel in Yarmouth. (He lists his location as New York and Chester, so he must have a summer home here). Asked at desk where to have dinner and was told only Tim Hortons was open. “Why can’t there be a Restaurant open to feed the arriving passengers”. And before there was someone on arrival giving out tourist info as thy drove out of customs. “Where is he/she now?”

I remember that there was more to Yarmouth when we arrived there after the overnight ferry years ago, though we didn't linger. We went up to Halifax on the Bay of Fundy side of the peninsula, stopping at Digby and somewhere else. We had bought a package that included the ferry plus a couple of nights at a Halifax hotel, and that worked well to start our longer trip. I was sorry to hear that the old ferry had stopped running some years ago and I'm glad there's a new one, faster, for those who want to go that way. It saves a ton of driving -- albeit scenic and interesting driving -- between Portland and NS. But this won't matter if you're renting the car in NS. So probably flying straight to Halifax is a more effective use of the OP's limited time.