May 2012
If you're ever in the Halifax area and have time to rent a car to go on a road trip, be sure to visit Nova Scotia's south shore. I was able to make it to Mahone Bay, Lunenburg, Bridgewater, and Peggy's Cove and back to Halifax in one day. If I had more time I would have loved to travel all the way along the south shore to the west of the province via the Lighthouse Route.
Mahone Bay is a picturesque town filled with neat little shops featuring local artisans. The most popular scene is of the trio of the Anglican, Lutheran, and United churches. The best site to photograph the quaint main street and the churches would be from across the harbour on Edgewater Street or Oakland Road.
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| mahone.bay |
Lunenburg is designated a UNESCO world heritage site for being one of the best-preserved examples of a typical British colonization area. It is home to the Bluenose II (on the Canadian dime) and unique architecture; nearly all of the buildings in Lunenburg are constructed from wood and are painted with rich and vibrant colors. Some of the activities tourists can participate in include a whale watching tour, a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, or a wander through the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.
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| Lunenburg |
While planning my drive, I found a ton of information on things to do and see in Mahone Bay and Lunenburg, but not much for Bridgewater. I figured that since it's a larger place, there must be more to do and see, but it wasn't the case. It had a more urban and commercial feel to it due to things being more spread out and to the abundance of big box stores. If you're pressed for time on a day trip, I would suggest skipping Bridgewater.
Peggy's Cove is a must-see. It's home to North America's most photographed lighthouse and the Swissair Flight 111 memorial. A tip: one of the first parking lots you'll see when pulling into Peggy's Cove is at the visitor information centre. That parking lot is still a short walk away from the lighthouse, so if you didn't want to enjoy a scenic walk through the town site, I would suggest that you keep driving until you get to the Sou'Wester Restaurant where you'll be right next to the rocks leading up to the lighthouse. Since the goal of my trip to Peggy's Cove was to take pictures of the lighthouse at sunset, my drive back to Halifax on the (very) loopy and windy road was completely in the dark. However, I've been told that this would be a lovely drive during the day!
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| peggy's.cove |
This was my first time out on the east coast and I can't wait to go back to explore more of Nova Scotia and the other maritime provinces!
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