Heritage and natural splendour abound

In Central Nova and the North Shore, where the warmest waters north of the Carolinas kiss beaches made for glorious summer, discovery is at your beck and call

By Alec Bruce

Ahundred thousand welcomes go out as the Antigonish Highland Games gets underway July 2 to 9. The games are a premier Northern Nova Scotia entertainment festival, a two-hour drive from Halifax and on your route to Cape Breton. With more than 150 years of history, the games guarantee fun and authentic Maritime conviviality.

Melmerby Beach.

Photo: Steve Smith, VisionFire

Begun in 1934, the Pictou Lobster Carnival, from July 7 to 9, has become a must-do in Nova Scotia. The three-day event features musical entertainment, a beer garden, a Mardi Gras parade, an antique car show, derby races, lobster boat races, a midway, boat races, fireworks over the water, a children’s parade, and many family activities.

Pictou Lobster Carnival.

Photo: Steve Smith, VisionFire

Pictou waterfront.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Sylvia Matzkowiak

The Ship Hector celebrations formally get underway in September, but people from all over the world are expected to drop by Pictou all summer long. In 2023, the town celebrates two major anniversaries: the historic 250th anniversary of the landing of the Ship Hector (and the relaunch of its lovingly restored, full-sized replica) and the 150th anniversary of the town’s incorporation. More than 20 community organizations will host events that acknowledge the past and celebrate how far the town has come.

Photo: Dennis Jarvis

Get ready for three more days of great music, Aug. 4 to 6, at the New Glasgow Riverfront Jamboree, set in an openair amphitheatre on the scenic East River. Here, the best East Coast music is jammed into one award-winning event. The Jubilee has hosted many East Coast Music Association, Music Nova Scotia, Juno, and Grammy award winners and nominees.

Speaking of festivals, check out Antigonish, Aug. 17 to 19, during Nova Scotia Summer Fest. Fuel up for your weekend of music at Columbus Field (121 Main St.) during the Thursday night Summer Fest Cookout before enjoying two days of music featuring Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy, Matt Andersen & The Big Bottle of Joy, Jimmy Rankin, Ennis Sisters, Dave Sampson Band, and more.

Put your feet in the sand

Life really is a beach along the Northumberland Shore, where some of warmest ocean waters north of the Carolinas, up to 22°C in the summer, gently roll. Pack your swimsuit, snacks, sunblock, and sand toys and head down to the ocean’s edge. There’s Bayfield Beach Provincial Park, near Antigonish, and Blue Sea Beach Provincial Park at Malagash Point. There’s Heather Beach Provincial Park at Port Howe and Melmerby Beach Provincial Park. Don’t leave out Pomquet Beach Provincial Park, Monks Head at Pomquet, and Northport Beach Provincial Park. Many of these are supervised during July and August, with boardwalk, change houses, flush toilets, salt-rinse showers, picnic tables, boat launches, and free parking.

Melmerby Beach.

Photo: Steve Smith, VisionFire

Old friends

The Cobequid Trail is an 18-kilometre network of walking and cycling trails in central Colchester County, at the head of the Bay of Fundy. Explore woodland paths and shaded brooks. Stroll beside farmland and Acadian dyke lands, beside the tidal Salmon River, and watch the tidal bore as it arrives twice daily. Discover We’kwampekitk (the Mi’kmaw name for the Truro area), which means “the bay runs far up.”

Cobequid Trail offers 18 kilometres of walking and biking adventure.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Hecktic Travels

Tidal Bore rafting on the Shubenacadie River.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia

Feel the rush of riding waves that can be up to four metres high as you go Tidal Bore Rafting in a Zodiac boat. In the Bay of Fundy, the world’s highest tides turn the Shubenacadie River into a water rollercoaster that’s unique to Nova Scotia. Guides take you cascading down rapids as the incoming ocean reverses the flow of the river. This fun-filled voyage, also named a Canadian Signature Experience, isn’t complete without mud sliding, too.

Experience the Age of Sail Heritage Centre.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Carolina Andrade

With several prime viewing locations of the world’s highest tides, visit the Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geopark, located along the north shore of the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, stretching from Lower Truro in the east to Apple River in the west, a distance of 165 kilometres. The Mi’kmaq were the first geologists of the Geopark, selecting rocks for their points and tools, and for ceremonial use in sweat lodges. The Cliffs of Fundy honours the ethical space of the Mi’kmaq and their oral traditions of cultural geo-heritage. Here, the Debert “Paleo-Indian” site, more properly referred to as Mi’kmawey Debert, is one of the most significant indigenous archeological sites in North America, representing the earliest human settlement in eastern North America dating back approximately 11,000 years.

Last words

Truro’s Colchester Historeum is a state-of-the-art exhibit gallery within a downtown heritage building. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the past and the perfect intro into what makes the area special.

Visit Tatamagouche Creamery Square for four attractions in one. Here, an award-winning waterfront heritage centre and archives, farmers’ market with large deck and picnic area, performing art centre and gallery, are located for your convenience just off the Trans-Canada Trail.

Finally, high upon a hill overlooking the Bay of Fundy is where you’ll find That Dutchman’s Cheese Farm. The products of time-honoured practices that are hard to beat for taste and texture, the Gouda is simply delicious. In addition to great cheese, enjoy the onsite animal and nature park.

Stroll through time on Mi’kmawey Debert Trail.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia

Find four attractions in one at Tatamagouche Creamery Square.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Acorn Art & Photography