Nova Scotia travel tips

"Hi everyone. My name is Laura. I'm a doctor from Nova Scotia, Canada, and a fun fact about me is that even though I'm here alone,  I just got married last month."

It was 2:38 p.m. on August 21, 2017, when day turned to night. That was the precise moment in Greenville, South Carolina, when the moon, passing between the sun and Earth, fully blocked our view of the sun.

Anticipation builds as you make the eight-mile drive across Canada’s longest bridge, which links New Brunswick in mainland Canada to the country’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island (PEI). The island's red hue intensifies on approach; the coastal cliffs, rich in iron oxide, tumble down to rust-tinged sandy beaches. During sunset and sunrise, the landmass seems to glow upon the silky expanse of the Gulf of St Lawrence, often frozen in winter. Inland, the scenery unfurls like a pastoral landscape, with rolling hills blanketed in colourful swaths of lupins come summer.

Nova Scotia is a landscape of a thousand views—from the dramatic tides in the Bay of Fundy to the rolling vineyards of Annapolis Valley—you’ll see it all. Here, over one million shore birds migrate through every summer along with some of the rarest whales in the world. While nature tends to steal the show don’t let that distract you from Nova Scotia’s vibrant locally infused culinary scene, fueled in large part by this island’s naturally abundant provender. Farmer’s markets feature bins piled high with brussel sprouts, broccoli, apples and squash while distilleries and breweries deliver on the local libations. And, while fresh and local are just part of the experience, it is also worth noting that most every restaurant, winery and coffee shop is a boutique family-owned and operated affair.

Among the provinces and territories, Nova Scotia recorded the highest October occupancy level (75.0%), which was 6.3% below 2022. 

Over the centuries, Sierra Leone has been a place of refuge. The Limba peoples were drawn by whispers of a land untouched by turmoil in Africa’s Sahelian kingdoms, and other tribes set out for there too, including the Mende, Loko, Susu, Fula, Temne and Sherbro. It was a place that embraced diversity, setting the stage for a journey of culinary exploration and growth that’s shaped the food history of Sierra Leone — or ‘Salone’ as many of its people call it. 

Icelandair is coming to Pittsburgh.

Ahead of the new year, we’ve crossed the world to find the 30 most exciting destinations for 2024, from Norway to Nova Scotia. With landmark hotels opening, ambitious rewilding projects under way and new train routes making travel easier than ever, there’s a lot to choose from for your next trip — whether you’re looking to connect with nature in Norway, scale Himalayan peaks in Sikkim or savour the culinary stars of Lima.

Delta Air Lines is growing its North American network with the addition of a route-map pin.

American Airlines is gearing up for the new year with several new flight routes to popular summer destinations in 2024.

“Chowder has always been here,” says Emily Haynes. “It isn’t just a dish for Nova Scotians — it’s who we are.” The executive director of Taste of Nova Scotia, an association that promotes businesses that champion local ingredients, Emily is taking me for a blustery coastal stroll along the Bay of Fundy. “Chowder was shipboard food,” she says as we pass fishing boats stranded on the bay’s muddy bottom; the Atlantic inlet between the Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is home to the world’s highest tides. “Fishermen would cook salt cod or fresh catch with salt pork in hot water, then ship’s biscuits were added as a thickener. It was a tasty meal that could feed a whole ship from one pot.”

A passenger on a United Airlines flight that dropped 28,000 feet in around 8 minutes last week told The New York Post that she sent a text to her daughter because she thought she was going to die.

An eastern peninsula swimming with history, culture, and a vibrant art scene, Halifax is much more than its caricatured seaside fishing town. While, yes, you’d be doing yourself a disservice to opt out of the fresh seafood and seascapes while you’re in town, there are also handfuls of world-class and drinking dining to be done in the city.

If you’re a game-enthusiast, you should continue reading to find out some of the best destinations you should visit when you travel to Canada.

Michael Smith, chef, and co-owner of Prince Edward Island’s The Inn at Bay Fortune, raises a glass of sparkling wine as he welcomes the guests gathered on the front lawn. Behind him, the glassy bay is sparkling pre-sunset and there’s a faint aroma of wood smoke from the array of oysters, salmon and Arctic char tails roasted in the back garden for Oyster Hour just before. A six course menu including seafood chowder, wood fired halibut, smoked beef brisket, hanger steak and vegetables from the garden in artistic preparations is set to be served next in the dining room nearby. This is the hotel’s nightly, in demand FireWorks Feast, an epicurean fantasy and emblem of one of the main attractions of this Atlantic Canada island.

This year our national neighbors to the north celebrate their 150th anniversary and we’ll be celebrating with them as they do. Each month we’ll focus on one part of their magnificent country and share it with you. From the sky-high trees and brown bears in British Columbia to the kitchen parties and codfish-kissing in the Maritimes, our toast to Canada will give you well over 150 reasons to make this the year you take the trip. This month we’re exploring ocean floors and maritime friendships in New Brunswick.

A solar eclipse is a rare event—not just on Earth, where a total eclipse only occurs in the same location once every century or so, but also in the whole universe. Thanks to the relative size and distances of both the sun and the moon, the fact that we can experience an eclipse at all is a cosmically improbable coincidence. So, if you’re feeling bad for missing a chance to watch 2017’s solar eclipse that spanned across the U.S., I’m here to validate your FOMO.

Operated by VIA Rail, “The Ocean” strings together 13 cities and towns in Atlantic Canada. Originally “The Ocean Limited” this 800-mile journey has provided a scenic, comfortable, and sustainable method of getting from Montréal, Québec, to the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, since 1904.

Twenty years ago the facades of the wood-built buildings in Lunenburg, a UNESCO-listed fishing town in Nova Scotia, were white with black trimming. The only exceptions were the red buildings down by the wharf.

Canadians are a friendly bunch; in fact according to Twitter analysis (so it must be true) Canucks are the nicest people in the world. And Canada’s friendliest city? Halifax, says a recent poll, which placed the Nova Scotian capital among the fifteen friendliest on the planet. Another confirms it’s one of the world’s least snobby.

Rugged and vast, Canada is a road-tripper's dream. Driving gives you the freedom to travel at your own pace – pull over and take in the scenery along the way or break up the journey with hiking and kayaking.