Saint Andrews & Ministers Island

Saint Andrews, also known as Saint Andrews by-the-Sea, was designated as a National Historic District in 1998 and is one of Canada’s premier seaside resort towns. The inviting main strip, Water Street, is draped with several century-old buildings, small-town shops offering retail options, boutique shops, food, drink, candy, ice cream and more. Stroll the King Street pier and get a view of Saint Andrews Harbour and soak in the small-town charm. Dining options are plentiful and for the full seaside dining experience, score a seat on a patio.

A few minutes north is where you’ll find the one-of-akind Ministers Island, which is interestingly, a part-time island. During high tide, it’s an island. At low tide, you can stand on the shore and watch as a sand bar emerges from beneath the water, then, amazingly, drive on and across it to experience the island, which is not an island at this point in the tides.

It’s about a five minute drive across, you’ll have to go slowly and stay to one side to keep in motion. Interestingly, when the tide is high, the “road” is covered with at least 13 feet of water.

This was the historic summer estate of Sir William Van Horne, an American who made himself popular and wealthy by overseeing construction of Canada’s first transcontinental railroad.

Take a tour, roam the grounds, and bring yourself back a century or so to imagine what life was like in this mega estate.

No dawdling here, though as the island is only accessible for a few hours a day due to the tide timing. Plus, the window of opportunity changes daily. Planning carefully and smartly will give you the best experience here, and you’ll get to say you’ve driven on and across an ocean floor.