7 days
- Bay of Fundy & Annapolis Valley, Eastern Shore, Halifax Metro, Northumberland Shore, South Shore
In Nova Scotia, fresh and local isn’t a choice – it’s a way of life!
From award winning craft breweries, distilleries, cideries and wineries on our Good Cheer Trail to restaurants offering seasonal menus using the finest local ingredients, there are plenty of delicious ways to whet your appetite in Nova Scotia.
1 Day 1 : Halifax
Downtown Halifax has something for everyone… and the best place to start is the Halifax Waterfront, one of the most popular attractions in the province.
From fresh seafood on a restaurant’s waterfront patio to a lively boardwalk beer garden and food village, there is a perfect spot for everyone.
Experience Halifax’s exploding food and drink scene on a Halifax food tour with Taste Halifax Food Tours. Be sure to sample a flight of local brews at one of Halifax’s many breweries or brew pubs.
Seafood enthusiasts should visit one of the city’s oyster bars including Shuck Seafood + Wine Bar, Press Gang Restaurant & Oyster Bar, and Five Fisherman Restaurant & Grill to enjoy a few local oysters.
Enjoy dinner in one of Halifax’s unique local restaurants boasting unique menus and fresh local ingredients.
Spend the evening exploring the nightlife of Halifax’s Argyle Street in one of the pubs that offer live music. Be sure to cap off the night with a taste of Halifax’s official late night snack, the donair.
Don’t miss the city’s newest district, Queen’s Marque, for a variety of restaurants from casual café and dessert spot to upscale dining.
2 Day 2: Peggy's Cove
Depart for the South Shore and be sure to stop at the Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse. What better location is there to get a taste of lobster than in the heart of Nova Scotia’s most iconic fishing village. Enjoy lobster at the Sou’Wester Restaurant, just feet away from the waters where it was caught. Be sure to save room for their legendary gingerbread cake!
After exploring Peggy’s Cove, stop into Acadian Maple in Tantallon to stock up on their selection of maple products as you make your way through Chester and Mahone Bay on your way to Lunenburg.
Lunenburg
Visit the seafaring town of Lunenburg, a colourful waterfront town with narrow streets and captivating architecture that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lunenburg is home to the Bluenose II, an exact replica of the famous racing Schooner, Bluenose.
Take a tour of Ironworks Distillery in a transformed blacksmith shop where today they handcraft some of Nova Scotia’s most unique spirits.
Lunenburg is filled with top rated restaurants, such as Salt Shaker Deli, The Old Fish Factory, Beach Pea Kitchen & Bar, The Grand Banker Bar & Grill, and more. If dining on fresh seafood is on your must-eat list, Lunenburg will not disappoint!
Exploring this historical town is easily a full day adventure and if it is all you can fit into a day, Lunenburg is also home to many inns and bed and breakfasts.
3 Day 3: Shelburne, Barrington & Pubnico
Shelburne
Venture a little further along Nova Scotia’s South Shore and explore the Loyalist town of Shelburne to discover Shelburne’s Waterfront Heritage District which retains an aura of the 18th century. Worked up an appetite exploring? Visit Charlotte Lane (open seasonally), The Emerald Light Kitchen & Bar or Boxing Rock Brewing Company where you can taste a flight of their beers with your meal.
Unique Dining Experiences: Choose between Boxing Rock Beer School, where you explore style characteristics, the brewing process, and how to pair beer with your favourite dishes, and Taste of Birchtown where you hear the stories and learn about the lives of Black Loyalists who arrived at Birchtown Bay in 1783, during your visit at the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre before enjoying a craft beer tasting at Boxing Rock.
Barrington
Known as the Lobster Capital of Canada, Barrington is home to culinary experiences with the freshest seafood around. Looking for something deliciously different? Try a local favourite – creamed lobster! Capt. Kat’s Lobster Shack offers a unique atmosphere which pays homage to the lobster industry with their traditional and creative lobster dishes. Along with a live lobster tank, patrons get a first-hand lobster experience.
Dan’s Icecream Shoppe in Barrington Passage is the place to go for a tasty treat! Enjoy its 50’s style décor and great selection of ice cream flavours.
Pubnico
Continue to Argyler Lodge & Restaurant where you can go on a guided kayaking tour of Lobster Bay or take part in a hands-on lobster cooking class on the beach. Whether this is your first lobster or your fiftieth, you won’t forget this incredible culinary and seaside experience!
4 Day 4: Digby
Stroll along Digby’s Admirals Walk on the waterfront and explore the various shops, cafes, restaurants, and historical sites along the way. A visit to Digby is not complete without sampling their famous scallops. You’ll find these fresh and delicate morsels served in a variety of ways throughout the town’s restaurants and pubs.
Looking for a spa day or a round of golf to pair with your scallops? Be sure to visit Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa and top off your day with a delicious dining experience at the resort.
Hall’s Harbour
Visit the charming little village of Hall’s Harbour, home to the “Lobster in the Rough” dining experience at the Hall’s Harbour Lobster Pound and Restaurant where you can select and have prepared your own world renowned Bay of Fundy lobster. The experience is heightened by devouring this delicacy while seated in the waterfront dining room or on the patio overlooking the small harbour that shows off the dramatic Bay of Fundy tides.
Wolfville
Explore Nova Scotia ‘Wine Country’ when you visit Wolfville, a bustling university town that is perfectly nestled amongst the majority of Nova Scotia wineries in the Annapolis Valley. Looking to visit a winery or two? The Magic Winery Bus is the perfect hop on-hop off option to travel between wineries! Guided winery tours can also be booked as well for a more exclusive experience.
Stop for a bite at one of the cafés, bistros or pubs on Wolfville’s Main Street while browsing boutique shops. Many of the restaurants in Wolfville are dedicated to creating fresh, seasonal dishes from local produce and seafood.
Spend the night in one of the Victorian houses in the town which have been converted to historic inns and bed & breakfasts or continue on to nearby Grand Pré.
Grand Pré
Plan a stop at Grand Pré Winery to taste wines, stay for a meal at their onsite restaurant, Le Caveau, and if you don’t feel like leaving – don’t – and book your stay at the Inn at Grand Pré Winery. A short distance away, The Evangeline offers a luxurious stay with incredible dining at their restaurant, Longfellow.
Don’t leave Grand Pré without taking in the amazing sights and smells of unique herbs and fruits at the award-winning Tangled Garden. The property features the owner’s private home along with an extensive herb garden, a labyrinth, art gallery and shop.
5 Day 5: Burntcoat Head, Masstown & Advocate Harbour
Enjoy a once in a lifetime culinary experience unlike any other when you take part in the Dining on the Ocean Floor experience at Nova Scotia’s Burntcoat Head Park, home of the world’s highest recorded tides, near Noel Shore.
The experience begins by learning about the wild edibles of Nova Scotia, followed by a lunchtime seafood feast where you meet the chef and enjoy beer and wine pairings. Enjoy a guided tour of the ocean floor, then take a seat at a dining table with a view of the incoming tide for an intimate 3-course dinner on the ocean floor; all followed by a campfire as the tides return.
Masstown
Be sure to stop at Masstown Market, a popular stop just off Highway 104 near Truro. The market has large, bright displays of the finest fruits and vegetables, daily, made from scratch, baked goods, famous chowders, soups and sandwiches on their fresh breads, locally made ice cream, gift shop, garden centre and more! Climb to the top of the lighthouse for a panoramic 360° view of the mouth of the Bay of Fundy before sitting down on the deck for a meal of fresh fish and shellfish from the take out restaurant in the boat alongside the lighthouse.
Be sure to visit the Masstown Butchery & Creamery across the road for fresh local meats, local and imported cheeses, local milks and more!
Make your way to the next stop, That Dutchman’s Cheese Farm. This thriving cheese-making business is a don’t miss on your culinary hit list. Pick up some cheese and be sure to visit their assortment of farm animals along their onsite walking trails.
Advocate Harbour
Cape d’Or Lighthouse is a great spot to witness the Bay of Fundy’s impressive tidal rips and towering cliffs. Enjoy a meal in the restaurant located at the edge of a cliff and next to the Lighthouse on Cape d’Or.
For a delicious, locally sourced meal served overlooking the world famous tides of the Bay of Fundy, visit Wild Caraway Restaurant & Cafe in Advocate Harbour. The owners source all ingredients locally and grow as much as possible to provide an amazing dining experience.
For a unique accommodation, visit the Lightkeepers Kitchen & Guest House. The Guesthouse, located just a few steps from the Cape d’Or Lighthouse, is the converted Lightkeeper’s residence.
6 Day 6: Tatamagouche & Pictou
Tatamagouche
Head to Sugar Moon Farm and enjoy an all-day maple brunch in their log restaurant. Take a tour of the sugar camp to learn how it is made and hear the Sugar Moon story before finishing the tour with a taste of maple sugar on snow.
Get a taste for the local craft beer scene with a stop at Tatamagouche Brewing Co. then travel a few minutes north of Tatamagouche to Malagash to visit Jost Vineyards.
Pictou
Sample some of the best shortbreads in the country at Mrs MacGregor’s Shortbreads. For the cook or chef in your life, visit the home of the famous Grohmann Knives at their factory store in downtown Pictou.
Pictou offers a number of accommodations including bed and breakfasts, inns, campgrounds, and cottages nearby.
7 Day 7: Arisaig & Guysborough
Arisaig
Stop by Steinhart Distillery, an award winning distillery including one for the ‘Best Gin in the World’, near the university town of Antigonish. Distiller Thomas Steinhart has made his passion for distilling a reality and shares this passion through tours, tastings and distilling sessions for those interested in trying their hand at the process.
Interested in making gin? Take part in Steinhart’s GINstitute by the Sea, a year-round spirit distilling experience where you will get to make gin with the distiller himself.
Guysborough
Visit Authentic Seacoast Distillery, Brewery & Vineyard, home to Authentic Seacoast’s award-winning spirits and craft beer. Visitors get an opportunity to learn more about Nova Scotia’s proud rum heritage.
Take part in a culinary class and dine at the award-winning DesBarres Manor Inn, who use fresh ingredients from their gardens to create their seasonally-inspired menu. For a different stay – check out the Authentic Seacoast: Yurts in the Vineyard!
Just outside of Guysborough town, in the village or Charlos Cove, you’ll find delicious meals and cozy accommodations at Seawind Landing Country Inn. Dine on fresh seafood dishes while watching the local fishing boats that just delivered their catches to the nearby fishing wharf.
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