2 Week Nova Scotia Road Trip (PLUS A Little Slice of New Brunswick)

St Andrews, New Brunswick > Digby > Liscomb > Halifax, Nova Scotia

Back at the start of our #motherofallroadtrips, in June 2015, Josh wanted to visit his bucket list destination, Nova Scotia. Like a mermaid’s siren he was drawn to it. We made it to Moncton, New Brunswick with full intentions of venturing further east. But it never happened. Our ever-evolving path led west and, sadly, we never made it.

Fast forward to May 2016, merely one year since Josh heard the salty call, and Signature Resorts asked us to experience 3 resorts sprinkled around Nova Scotia and 1 in St Andrews, New Brunswick.

It was fate. Our time had finally come, and so with great anticipation we flew from San Francisco (hot off the heels of a California Gold-rush road trip) across the continent for a 2-week journey through Nova Scotia… and little bit of New Brunswick.

We arrived late at night in Saint John Airport, New Brunswick. After picking up our rental car we drove 50 minutes straight to the very luxurious Algonquin Resort in St Andrews, full of anticipation for our upcoming road trip.

The first 3 days were jam-packed full of fun activities, from a jeep tour with Turtle Shore Adventure to hands-on discovery at Huntsman Aquarium.

At the aquarium we happened upon some friends we met in Moncton last year that were driving up from a vacation in New York. They followed us back to Algonquin so the kids could enjoy the indoor pool and waterslide while us adults caught up.

Later that night Mia and Josh took a spooky ghost tour to uncover the mysteries of the Algonquin.

Other highlights of St Andrews included the historic Ministers Island, which you can only visit at low tide. Once the tide rises, the thin stretch of dry ground connecting the island to mainland is submerged.

We followed this with a quick visit to the Ross Memorial Museum and then Kingsbrae Gardens. The kids loved the gardens with its secret hiding places, a goat that thinks it’s a dog (yes, you read that correctly), and cute cubby houses. From the garden we spotted a massive wooden playground at the Vincent Massey Elementary School so we stopped in for a quick play.

Ross Memorial Museum

Playground

We totally fell in love with this seaside town and with Algonquin Resort, and could have happily stayed longer. But Nova Scotia was still calling so our adventure continued eastward.

Read more about our experience in St Andrews…

Not sure where Digby is? Chances are if you’re a seafood lover, you’ve tasted Digby’s delicacies before – this small seaside town is known as the scallop capital of the world.

We caught the very comfortable Fundy Rose from Bay Ferries across the Bay of Fundy, from Saint John to Digby, to stay at the gorgeous Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa. 

Our planned kayaking trip was cancelled thanks to the inclement weather, so we visited Admiral Digby Museum instead.

During our stay we ate more scallops than you can poke a stick at, went whale watching near Brier Island and took a fun nature tour at Point Prim discovering the fascinating ecosystem of Nova Scotia’s tide pools.

Read more about our discovery of Digby…

Scallops with risotto

Enroute to Liscombe Lodge we passed through Oaklawn Farm Zoo who had just welcomed a few baby goats and piglets. As my 7-year-old exclaimed, “totally adorbs”. 

That evening we had our first introduction to the world-famous Nova Scotia lobster. Did you know around 80% of lobsters consumed around the world come from Nova Scotia? This is a seafood lover’s paradise.

Liscombe is the perfect resort to find your way back to nature. We spent our days painting birdhouses, making birdfeeders, hiking the wooded trails, boating down the brackish waters of Liscomb River, and eating s’mores around the open campfire. We also got to witness the age-old preparation of salmon planking.

Soaking up the views and getting closer to nature near Liscombe Lodge

While in the area, we took a drive into nearby Sherbrooke to try our hand at making soap. Success! The kids dressed up in period clothing at Sherbrooke Village and we travelled back in time to the 19^th century.

Read more about our experience in Liscomb…

The scenic coastal drive to Halifax along highway 7 passed through quaint, colourful fishing villages. Along the way we stopped at the very cute 1940s heritage village, Memory Lane.

After almost 2 weeks of rural life, we looked forward to the excitement and convenience of city life again as we pulled into the Westin.

While in Halifax we took a ride on the Harbour Hopper, ate copious amounts of delicious food and learnt about the region’s history at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and Pier 21. Our kids’ favourite attraction was the Discovery Centre – we were compelled by our young‘uns to stay until closing time.

Read more about our adventures in Halifax…

Discovery Centre

Farewell Nova Scotia!

It was all over all too soon. Our 2-week road trip through incredible Nova Scotia was at an end. There was still so much we wanted to explore, like South Shore and Cape Breton, but we’ll have to save those for next time.

Nova Scotia’s distinctive unhurried vibe is like medicine for the soul. If you’re looking for a relaxing road trip to escape city life, this is the place to do it.

While I can’t say we are card-carrying lobster enthusiasts yet, Nova Scotia’s love of nature and the sea really captured our spirit.

One thing is for sure. It’s only a matter of time before we return.