Maritimes trip help?

[rbalcom]

I am a Cape Bretoner, but call the South Shore of Nova Scotia my home now. I'm also an avid camper so here are my suggestions from lots of experience. First of all, go for the Miner's Museum. It is in Glace Bay and is really a trip back (or should I say Down) in time. Part of your tour is in the mine. Also catch a concert of the Men of the Deeps if your planning allows. They are incredible. They perform right at the museum.
The "Meat Head" is actually Meat Cove. My best bet for camping in those parts would be Ingonish Beach(part of the National Park system), but the water at the beach is freezing so you have to be the tough sort. This is located on the Cabot Trail, another must see, especially at that time of year. You can often catch views of whales from various spots along the trail. The Doers and Dreamers Guide from NS Tourism is really great for other camground suggestions and their rating system is quite accurate. Hope this helps.

 

[CdnMom2]

I'm so thrilled to get these "insider" responses. And the correction! I could have sworn I read "Meat Head" -- hence the giggling as I typed it. Pretty strong associations in my head I guess.

I searched on here earlier and was amazed how many Cape Bretoners on this board. Did you ever have a Dis-Meet?

Thank you SandraC also for your encouragement. Not a very Disney thread so ya worry a bit about reaction. The Disney part-of-it is it is the trip AFTER this one is a success.

Back to my 2003 Doers & Dreamers Guide. Please keep the advice coming....

 

[SandraC]

CdnMom2

Thank you for starting this thread! We have had several wonderful Disney trips. My kids are know 4 and 10 years old. We've done Disney "in a stroller". So we are enjoying a Disney break while anticipating a spectacular return when our 4 year old is tall enough for Spc Mtn. He has a couple of inches to go! I am also hoping to go when we can stay at FQ and see the new AK thrill ride in 2006.

We bought a new 10 foot Jayco tent trailer in August and had several great summer and autumn camping trip in Ontario. We are seriously considering a "down east" trip this or next summer. DH gets a lot of vacation so time is not an issue.

Keep the ideas coming! Thanks! Sandra

 

[MickeyMacks]

Best time to come is September. Atlantic Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta, Sussex, NB, always the weekend after Labor Day (www.atlanticballoonfiesta.com). Balloons launch from Wednesday of week before to well into week following. Beautiful pastoral valleys, winding rivers, covered bridges galore, balloonists love it. Also in NB: Parlee Beach in Shediac , Kings Landing (large authentic pioneer village near Fredericton), Bay of Fundy - "The Rocks" at Hopewell Cape and fossil cliffs across the bay at Joggins, NS.

In NS: Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax for Titanic relics and Halifax Explosion info; the whole town of Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Peggy's Cove and Swissair Monument can be done as a side trip on the way to Lunenburg. Cape Breton and Cabot Trail is beautiful (can be done in 8 hours). Fortress Louisburg on the other side of Cape Breton is an incredible day's adventure too!

PEI - Cavendish Beach of course, Green Gables, on the north side there's Greenwich Dunes, and beachside trail rides next to Crowbush Golf Course at Lakeside. DON"T MISS the Wednesday Night Ceilidh at Orwell Corner in Uigg, PEI an incredible Maritime experience.

Nfld is a 5-hr very expensive ferry ride from Cape Breton and day's drive to the northern tip for Viking stuff, all in all a 3-day return trip at minimum - you may want to do it on a separate Maritime trip. Many, many Maritimers have never been to Nfld as it's so expensive to go there. Costs as much to fly to Disney as to Nfld! I'd love to go though and see Gros Morne National Park and the fjiord!
Happy planning!

 

[MickeyMacks]

There is apparently a wonderful new whale interpretive center in Pleasant Bay in the northern part of Cape Breton, on the Cabot Trail, and many whale and seal watching excursions from Pleasant Bay and other villages nearby. There's a great Cape Breton tourism website I saw this summer but I'll have to check around for the link. There are many nice and affordable Bed and Breakfasts in the Maritimes, too - another option!

 

[MickeyMacks]

Found it! Go to www.cbisland.com for one of the best visitor information sites about Cape Breton. I believe this site also has distance calculators, and info on the Cabot Trail, whale tours, etc.

 

[SandraC]

Thanks! We went to the RV Show today ~ I can't wait to camp again! I think we'll venture out east next summer! Thanks! S

 

[Maritime Girl]

The Seal trail at the Irving Nature Park in Saint John, NB has an observation spot for seal watching.

Half an hour from Saint John is a place called St. Martins. If you go when the tide is out, you can walk out to have a look in the caves. It is my favourite spot in New Brunswick. There is a great seafood take-out restaurant there as well.

If you go another couple of kilometres to the Fundy Trail, and follow it all the way to the end, there is a short trail that has a suspension bridge over a small river with the name "Big Salmon river". Aptly named because you can sometimes see the fish swimming in the water. The water is so clear, you can see the rocks on the bottom. Have a great trip!