We had an absolutely wonderful trip to Nova Scotia last July. It was one of our favorite trips ever, totally surpassing our expectations in every way: food, scenery, outdoor activities, culture, artwork, music, natural beauty. We would definitely return and I recommend it highly, especially to families with kids. I’ll try to recreate it, though some time has passed, so some nuance of the meals will be lost, but we didn’t have one bad meal. The abundance of fresh, local seafood is just incredible, at prices that we just couldn’t believe.
Church Brewing - Wolfville
Really cool old building, an old church, as the name suggests. The kids’ menu is amazing - my daughter got a perfectly fried piece of haddock and a side of their seafood chowder. We shared a salad and more seafood chowder. My husband approved of the beer. We came back another time and had sandwiches, of which there is no photographic evidence since we were so ravenous.
Real scoop - Wolfville
A Coldstone-type local scoop shop that has creative mix-ins available with four base flavors. My daughter loved the swing seats in the store.
Halls Harbor Lobster Pound - Halls Harbor
Really cute place with a beautiful view of the beach and Bay of Fundy from the top level of the outdoor dining area. You can pick your lobster to be cooked, but we opted to order off the menu. More local fried fish for my daughter, this time in the form of tacos, and a seafood pasta for my husband. I went for a lobster roll, which was a steal compared to NY prices. We walked on the rocky beach after at sunset.
Noggins Corner Farm Market - Near Wolfville
Absolutely loved this farm stand, which has great local produce and food products (including the best oatcakes we found in Nova Scotia) and crafts/gifts.
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After a quick stay in Wolfville, we headed up to Cape Breton.
Seagull Restaurant - Ingonish
This is a super simple, no frills spot that had me very skeptical when we walked in, but the seafood was fresh and it’s got a beautiful location right on the water. Straight up Kraft mac and cheese for the kid (to their credit, it’s billed that way on the menu, so you know exactly what you’re getting!) and mussels, a simple fish sandwich with baked potato for me, and fried shrimp with poutine for my husband. Food options are quite limited in Ingonish but this filled our bellies nicely.
Groovy Goat - Ingonish
Absolutely delicious gelato (made with cow’s milk, despite the name) and incredibly friendly staff. They have a local woman who makes knitted crafts that we fell in love with. And speaking of falling in love, we also fell in love with the animals out back, especially the donkey.
Rusty Anchor - Pleasant Bay
One of our favorite meals, hands down, the entire trip. Come early for lunch to get a seat by the window. Friendly service and impeccable seafood. Fresh oysters, seafood chowder, fishcakes and beans (!!! YUM), another gorgeous lobster roll, and The Burger that ate Cape Breton -
(From the menu- Deep fried haddock, sweet n spicy thai mayo, baby shrimp,bacon, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, red onion/ toasted bun/ fries - absolutely amazing)
THis place was completely packed by the time we left, and for good reason.
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I loved the Rusty Anchor!
I miss Nova Scotia.
Glad you had such an amazing trip.
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More to come! I’m piecing it together day by day.
@digga This trip seems like it’d be right up your family’s alley- not sure you’ve been before.
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I was just about to chime in that although we’re fairly close to NS here in Greater Boston and we love visiting Canada, we still haven’t visited NS (one trip pre-kid got diverted to somewhere…not sure why). We’re making our summer plans now and will keep NS under advisement. Thanks for reporting back—belated or otherwise!
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Every now and then I map the drive from NYC and Halifax, and that’s just about as far as I go. Always been intrigued by the seafood. Maybe its time. I presume summer is the best time?
We went in late May years ago. I still remember the howling freezing wind at Peggy’s Cove near the lighthouse and where Flight 111 went down. So yes, summer is best.
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The seafood was outstanding - and inexpensive by NY standards or even New England standards. (Not sure if that has changed since or will change.) July was a perfect escape from sweltering NY temps. We did have two very very hot days while in Lunenberg, and our lodging didn’t have a/c, and none of the restaurants did, but we beat the heat at the beach and on the water. Based on what the locals said, those hot days were unusual, but it’s certainly possible, so make sure you book lodging with a/c if that’s important to you. Last year was the second year in a row we spent time in Canadian national parks in July (Banff in 2023) and we found them well managed, clean, not overly crowded, and absolutely beautiful.
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Also - we flew - but if you like road trips, I can see it being nice to make some stops in Maine on the way, maybe even Acadia.
I think Cape Breton is a must, but it is a ~5 hour trip from Halifax area, and that may not be feasible if you’re already driving all the way from metro NY area to Halifax.
Lobster galore!
So much lobster! I was in heaven!
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I would be, too!!!
What a beautiful report! The food looks outstanding! I just put Google pins on Halls Harbour, Wolfville and Pleasant Bay.
I would love to follow in your footsteps!
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Thanks. We really liked our Acadia trips, hence the constant thoughts to extend to Canada one day. But I think we’ll just fly
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Did you try Butterscotch Pie?
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Love this! I’m thinking about a similar trip this summer with our young preschoolers, so would love to hear how your kids’ experience was. Could you share some activities that you enjoyed too?
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Yes definitely, I will try to finish the trip report tonight and I’ll add a quick list of non-food activities. Happy to PM you more details also!
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