[paulcarver]

I have not seen this type of question here before but what the heck?! Has anyone ever traveled to Nova Scotia? I have been to Maine (very pretty) but never any further. I was planning a summer trip this year but talked with someone at work and they said that it was boring. I would love some comments concerning this area to see if I would want to go that far ..... 1600 miles.
Thanks.

 

[BostonX]

Highly Recommended!

If you liked Maine you'll LOVE Nova Scotia. Beautiful scenery, friendly locals and higher speed limits than in the States. I toured there via bicycle in 1984 and returned with my girlfriend (now my wife) on a motorcycle in the early '90's. If you don't want to drive all the way you can put yourself and your car on a ferry from Portland, Maine or a high-speed cataraman from Bar Harbor, Maine (do this!). The landscape is very similar to mid-coast Maine but there are fewer summer tourists.

Some highlights:

* The Bay of Fundy has some of the best scallops on earth.
* The capitol, Halifax, is a cool city with nice museums, parks, galleries and places that serve fine Canadian beer.
* Roadside stands sell french fries smothered in GRAVY(!).
* There's a secluded beach outside of Mahone Bay on the southeast shore with white sands and Gulf Stream waters (ask the locals).
* At the northernmost tip of Nova Scotia is Cape Breton island. I've never been there but I hear it is gorgeous.

Now you've got me thinking. If you go this summer, look for a Granite Green MDX with Massachusetts plates...

 

[paulcarver]

Thanks for the reply. I am actually doing this trip on a motorcycle.
Last year was Key West...the year before was the Rockies. I wonder why someone would say that N.S. was boring? No class??
However, if I do see a G.G. MDX I will wave!

 

[kenyee]

Well...

I wonder why someone would say that N.S. was boring? No class??

I should let you do the trip w/o warning you for that last comment

The biggest annoyance is that every interesting site is hours of highway travel away
If you get the chance, hike Cape Split (stay in Wolfville which has a small college community w/ decent B&Bs). It's an easy hike, but verrry long. The view at the end is very cool. Digby scallops are also the best; think awesome texture and taste, not like the bland frozen crap you get from the supermarket.

Cape Breton is nice from all the pics I've seen, but it's on the other side of the "island". Think "really big" island. Pull up a world map and compare the size of it to a few states in the US. We made it through the northwest quadrant of the island.

Anyways, post your experiences after you get back. Oh, and make sure you do it during peak season (July-Aug) if you're into local festivals. It's a little chilly the other times of the year and the locals seem to hang out w/ themselves more, which is ok if you're just doing scenery.

 

[nwaring]

You'll like it

I took a motorcycle trip to NS in the mid 80's. Unless things have changed a lot it was really nice. There is a highway that pretty much hugs the shoreline all the way around NS. The northern end is French and it was interesting ordering dinner and drinks. There are some nice beaches on the west side that actually get some effect from the golf stream and the water is warm enough to swim. If you do it, have a nice trip.