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George room
My friend in front of the Bean Bank, Charlotte St.
Kitchen in the Cossit House
Syndey Waterfront
We are taking a cruise, and coming to each of these towns for less than a day. What are the "must sees'' for this time period?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hey, I will be around at Halifax for another 2 weeks. Did some 3 weeks of exploring.
When do you arrive, so I can show you around.
PJ
Not much in Sydney itself (a coal miner's museum one town away in Glace Bay maybe?) although if you had more time (two or three days) it would be an excellent departure point to get to other places on Cape Breton such as the Cabot Trail, the Alexander Graham Bell museum in Baddeck and the old fortress in Louisburg. The main ferry dock to get to Newfoundland is also in North Sydney, but it'd take a couple of weeks to cover Nfld properly.
From Halifax? Plenty to see downtown, including the Citadel (an old British fortress) Pier 21 (museum marking the former arrival point for immigrants from overseas) and the marine museum (extensive info on the history of Halifax, including the explosion of a munitions ship Mont Blanc in harbour during WW1 as well as the arrival of the coffins from the Titanic sinking).
There's also a public garden in Halifax which takes up an entire city block, as well as a major university (Dalhousie).
A week isn't long enough to see all of Nova Scotia - good luck trying to do so in two days!
Drive southeast to Fort Louisbourg, a late 17th century fort. After the British ran the French out of Nova Scotia, it became a British fortification. Now a 'living history' museum, in the summers local people live on-site and play historical characters in period costume. It's a great experience, one not to be missed if you're in the area.
This picture I provided here is not of Fortress Louisbourg. It's the waterfront at Sydney. I didn't make it to Fortress Louisbourg however I am going to try next time around. Here is just a quick description off of their web site.
The community of Louisbourg with a population of 1265 is located on the southeast coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. It is easily accessible by road and air. Louisbourg is located beside the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. Besides this interesting historic treasure, beautiful island and magnificent seascapes and beaches also await you in Louisbourg. The Cape Breton Highlands National Park and the Cabot Trail are also within easy driving distance as is the Alexander Graham Bell Museum at Baddeck.
We visited Sydney on our tour of Cape Breton Island. Sydney was founded in 1785 and was named in honor of Thomas Townshend, first Viscount Sydney. The group who settled here were mostly poor English citizens and disibanded soldiers. There was also a group of Loyalists from New York who came here after the American Revolution. The city is modern but also has a nice historic district. This picture shows St. George Anglican Church which is Sydney's oldest building from 1785. Sydney was first a garrison town laid out by the military engineers and the building of houses began along with barracks near here.
We drove to Cape Breton Island from Barrie, Ontario, Canada in July, 2001. We drove through Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to get there. We went for 11 days and had a fantastic time. It is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Canada. The scenery and wildlife was incredible and diverse. A photographers dream!
Check out my travelogue:
"Kevin's Cape Breton Travelogue"
We found out that the best way to travel throughout the east coast of Canada is by staying in bed and breakfasts. The people are great and extremely helpful, the food is delicious and I could go on and on.....
Our favorite place by far to stay was the small village of Mabou, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island. If you want to stay overnight (or a week in our case!), then the "Elmsdale Farm B&B" is an absolute must! It is a beautiful farmhouse located at the outskirts of the village in an area teeming with wildlife. We saw a bobcat and several eagles that sit in trees across the road from the farm. The photographic possibilities at the farm area alone would easily fill an entire day!
Heather and Harry Smith (the owners) were very nice and pointed us in the right direction when it came to visiting the area. Our trip would not have been the same without them. We were originally going to stay at their place for one night and then move on, but we fell in love with the town and stayed for a whole week!
I slept in the most comfortable bed I think I've ever been in, and breakfast will knock your socks off!
Oh yeah...If you are ever in Mabou don't miss an evening at the Red Shoe Pub. The local live music and food here can't be beat!
Here is a small sampling of what can be found on this beautiful island. If you go once, then you are sure to return as we are!
If you want to view my full collection of stories and photographs of this fantastic trip, then come to my website at:
"Kevin's Cape Breton Website"
It's a fairly large website and has links to my other trips as well. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for visiting!
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We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
Address: 480 Kings Road And Hwy 4, Sydney, NS B1S1A8
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