Smiths Cove is a part of Digby County, alongside the Evangeline Trail. Smiths Cove is located on the shores of the Annapolis Basin. Smith's Cove was at one time known by the Mi'kmaq as Seegeeguneegunk, which means "place of canvas tents." In 1783, British settler Joseph Potter Jr. exchanged grants with Joseph Smith, after whom the village is named. Local resident John Austin, in 1858, smoked finnan haddie for the first time commercially in Canada. Decades later in the 1880s, he began a factory and sold finnan haddie, smoked herring and apples. Today, Smiths Cove is mostly a tourism destination, and resides just 10.9 km (6.8 mi.) to the west of Digby.

The Smiths Cove Old Temperance Hall Museum is an informative museum of historical facts regarding past Smiths Cove residents, genealogical records and the overall history of Smiths Cove. The Smiths Cove Lookoff provides a glorious view of the Annapolis Basin and Bear River. Of course, Digby is a well known tourism hotbed situated just down the street from Smiths Cove, and provides an economic boost to the Smiths Cove economy. Smiths Cove is a delightful, scenic getaway.

Smiths Cove accommodations include inns, bed and breakfasts, cottages and campgrounds.