Lissette & Tim: Nova Scotia Road Trip

September seems to be the perfect time to go just about anywhere. This past fall, we ventured to Nova Scotia. We drove from northern Virginia to Portland, Maine. From Portland, we ferried to Yarmouth and then continued to drive all through Nova Scotia. Total miles driven in my mom's fairly new car, 1200+miles.

First, Nova Scotia is beautiful and I want to go back. A week was really not enough to visit all the wonderful sites of Nova Scotia. But what we did see, we LOVED! So where did we go and what did we see? We went to many beaches and lighthouses toured a winery, national historic sites, museums and gardens and chatted up with local boat builders. Every place we ate at was a delight. Tim was most excited to see so many boats, see them being built, talking with the boat builders and of course witnessing the highest tides in the world. That was really amazing.

Shelburne and Carters Beach

Our Nova Scotia road trip started off at Yarmouth, the southern most tip of Nova Scotia. From the belly of the car ferry, we drove north along the coast up to Shelburne, home of the Dory Shop Museum. Tim carefully researched all the places that made Dories, his favorite kind of fishing boat.

Shelburne

From our quick stop in Shelbourne, we headed to Carters beach, a top contender for Nova Scotia's most beautiful beach. I can't resist a beautiful beach.

Carters Beach

Old Town Lunenburg

Final stop of the day was Lunenburg, where we stayed for two nights. By far, this was my favorite place to visit in Nova Scotia. The entire town is picturesque whether viewed from the steeply banked streets in the center of town or from across the harbour. Colorful historic homes, cute shops and restaurants line the streets. I could have spent days and days shopping and eating at every restaurant. I loved the quaint and charming atmosphere surrounding this town.

The Boats

Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove

The next stop on our drive was Halifax. We took the scenic route and stopped at the towns of Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove. More shopping, boats, boats and good food. Mahone Bay is known for the three churches. From left to right: St. James Anglican Church, 1887, St. John's Lutheran 1869, and the Trinity United church built in 1861. There were at least three house boats on the bay, all colorful and adorable.

Mahone Bay

Peggy's Cove

Note the crystal clear water in the bottom pictures. Yes, you can see the aquatic life below the surface! Amazing!!!

Halifax

We were in Halifax only for one night and we spent the following morning at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. More boats, all types of boats, just boats.

The Annapolis Valley and Yarmouth Area

The last places we visited on our road trip were Grand-Pre/Evangeline Beach, Halls Harbour, Annapolis Royal, Annapolis Highland Vineyards, Cape Sable Island and Cape Forchu. We made a quick stop in Grand Pre/Evangeline beach which overlooks the Minas Basin. Here we saw the basin at low tide. At high tide, the water reaches the rocks where we were sitting at. That is a lot of water! Across the view is Blomidon Provincial Park which we got to see the following day.