This Annapolis Royal Museum is more the normal point-in-time display.  In this case, O’Dell House Museum is the former home of Nova Scotia Pony Express rider Corey O’Dell and his family. There is a guide who’ll describe the rooms’ various functions and what’s displayed from the Annapolis Heritage Society’s collection of artifacts. For me these museums help have a glimpse into the past as to how people lived. More information:  annapolisheritagesociety.com/odell-house-museum Where to Stay in Annapolis Royal

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On St. George Street in Annapolis Royal, on Saturday mornings from late May to early October, there’s a market with lots of local vendors. Plus the stores along the street are open.  We had a Town Crier join the festivities as we happened to be there on Canada Day and there was a new store opening. People were socializing a great deal as the locals often bump into each other at the market. My son picked up a hoodie with Annapolis Royal on it. For more information: annapolisroyalfarmersmarket.com Where to Stay in Annapolis Royal

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Because of Annapolis Royal’s long history (from the European perspective) dating back to 1605, it’s not surprising that you’ll find some old buildings. The Sinclair Inn is the 2nd oldest wooden structure still standing in Canada.  It’s now a museum, but it’s a museum of the building itself.  When the town was re-invigorating itself in the 1980s, they were trying to figure out what to do with the Sinclair Inn.  As they started looking behind the walls, they found that it was far older than they thought. There was a construction style used by the Acadians called wattle and daub, […]

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The people of Annapolis Royal sure know what they’re doing about baked goods.  It was the first morning and I was fairly jet-lagged and breakfast was at Arch & Po Bakery.  We were on a weekday and despite it being lunch time for locales, it was not too busy.  The baked goods taste as good as they look.  You go to the counter to order and self-serve coffee.  I had their breakfast croissant.  My wife had an almond croissant and a maple scone that were best in class. Because everything in Annapolis Royal feels like you are in an antique […]

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North Sydney is a small town located about twenty minutes from the city of Sydney.  The town is known mostly for being The Gateway to Newfoundland because the ferry terminal that houses the ferries that go back and forth between the two provinces is located in the town.  It is also known for being in a scenic area overlooking Sydney Harbour and for having plenty of things for visitors to do. The downtown area of North Sydney is full of restaurants, fast food joints and boutique shops.  The scenic waterfront area makes for a great place to take a break […]

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There is a song about it and there are countless stories about summer days and nights spent there.  I’m talking about The Mira River and the surrounding area known simply as The Mira.  Although the area consists of forest and countryside, a small year-round population and countless summer homes, Mira is only a mere twenty minutes or so from the city of Sydney in Industrial Cape Breton. Mira is mostly known for The Mira River upon which locals and tourists alike spend summer days swimming, boating and barbecuing along the banks.  Evenings are spent around bonfires along the river or […]

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The small village of Orangedale may have gained much fame with Celtic music lovers who are familiar with the song The Orangedale Whistle by the Rankin Family but not many people know where it is located or that it is even located in Nova Scotia.  Well, it is in fact located in Nova Scotia almost right in the center of Cape Breton Island. The roads leading to Orangedale are distinctly rural; mostly gravel roads through thick forest with the odd stream or field thrown in the mix.  In “Downtown” Orangedale, old buildings line the main street and this is where […]

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Louisbourg is probably the most visited town on Cape Breton Island because that is where a famous, reconstructed French fortress lies at the end of town.  The reconstructed version of The Fortress of Louisbourg is only a very small fraction of the original fortress that stood in the 18th century but it is still big enough to require at least an entire day to see the whole thing!  There are guides in period costume and you can choose to avail of one of these guides for a guided tour or you can explore the fortress on your own.  The grounds […]

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High up in the Highlands of Cape Breton is a place so remote, most people who have lived on the island have never heard of it.  The ones who have heard of it don’t believe there is such a place.  I’ve been to this mystical place and I can confirm that it does, in fact, exist. Cape Clear Look-off can be found by turning off the 105 Trans Canada and heading towards Margaree until you reach the turn-off towards Hunter’s Mountain.  This gravel road keeps going upward into the highlands of Cape Breton – quite literally on top of the […]

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I often call the Southern part of Cape Breton the neglected part of the island.  Isle Madame, L’Ardoise, Grand River and Framboise are just some of the small villages located in this part of the island that few people think to visit.  I’m not sure why that is; the area is vastly different from other parts of the island but the rugged and serene beauty rivals anywhere else in Cape Breton.  Framboise is most popular with locals as a fishing and hunting destination but it is also a great place to spend the day if you love being, quite literally, […]

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