Authentic Seacoast 101

There are more that 101 things to do when you visit the Authentic Seacoast, so whatever your idea of the perfect Nova Scotia vacation is, you can find it here. The Authentic Seacoast™ Properties can keep you on the go for a week, or help you find a quiet place to simply breathe the fresh sea air and relax in the quiet of our nature.

To begin planning activities for your Nova Scotia vacation, start with our list of the 101 best things to do when you visit the Authentic Seacoast™ Properties on your Nova Scotia holiday.

For fall adventure, read about our Top 10 fall activities for an autumn getaway on the Authentic Seacoast.

Activities at DesBarres Manor Inn

Croquet, On the Manor lawn
Read, A good book on the Grand Deck
Romantic Dinner, By the fire
Afternoon Tea, In your spacious room
Board Games in the Parlour Room, We have the best ones!
Backgammon, With a glass of port
Card Games, There’s a rules book if you’re rusty
Wine Tasting, With cellar keeper Audrey
Yoga Mats, Strike a pose indoors or out
Private Yoga Class, For two in your superior room
Aromatherapy, Nap at the Chef’s organic herb garden
Cooking Class with Chef Zwarun, Learn East Coast cuisine
High Speed WiFi, Who says there’s no surfing on the Bay?
Taste of Nova Scotia, Afternoon guest reception

Activities at Osprey Shores Resort

Golf, Ocean views from every fairway
Shot Alert, Ball stealing foxes on the sixth green
Ring the Bell, The sixth tee
Swim, In our outdoor pool
Volleyball, On the lawn
Badminton, With your buddy
Horseshoe Pitching, Are you a ringer?
Night Golf, Helps your handicap
S’mores and More, Mussel Cove bonfire pit
Morning Coffee, Benches at Mussel Cove
Catch Fireflies,  Get a mason jar
Launch Your boat, Mussel Cove boat launch
Cycling, Take some bikes on the trails around the Village
High speed WiFi, Surf’s up in the Clubhouse

Activities in the Village

Old Courthouse Museum, Find your family history in the genealogy files
Workout, Chedabucto Place Fitness Centre
Tennis, Courts at the Fitness Centre
Main Street Shops, Find unique gifts
Afrikan Canadian Heritage Centre, Learn about Nova Scotia’s first Black settlers
Nova Scotia Crafts, Skipping Stone Crafts & Gallery
Jost’s Wharf, Check out the daily catch
Young Fiddlers at the Jost Chandlery in the summer
Sea Kayak, Coves of Guysborough Harbour

Festivals & Events

Stanfest, Three day folk fest celebrating the music of Stan Rogers
Guysborough Triathlon, Have a trio of fun
Antigonish Highland Games, Have a fling
Festival Antigonish, Get caught in the act
Guysborough Come Home Week, Everyone’s a local
Annual Rubber Duck Race, Under the Boylston Bridge
Festival Savalette, Acadian Festival in Larry's River
Nicholas Denys Days, Guysborough & St. Peters
Celtic Colours International Festival, Cape Breton’s celebration of Celtic Culture

Hikin’ & Bikin’

Get a backpack picnic basket at DesBarres Manor and discover:
Trans Canada Trail, Hike or bike mainland Nova Scotia’s first leg
Chapel Gully Trail, Hike the easternmost point of mainland Nova Scotia
Fox Island Beach, Ask a local how to find the trail to Black Point
Preacher’s Trail, Trek from Queensport to Cole Harbour
Little Dover Coastal Trail, Hike the boardwalk
Trench Road Trail, Hike to Three Mile Lake
Geocaching, Nova Scotia’s best caches are on the Bay

Catch the Big One

Atlantic Salmon Estuarial Fishing, Mouth of the Salmon River (watch for seals on the rocks)
Brown Trout Fishing, Low tide at the Salmon River and Guysborough Harbour
Annual Mackerel Derby, Late July
Trout Fishing, Donahue Lake

The Best Beaches & Coves

Get a beach bag picnic basket at DesBarres Manor and discover:
Secluded Beaches & Coves, Over 600 kilometres of shoreline on the Bay
Build a Sandcastle, Buckets at Skipping Stone Crafts & Gallery
Search for shells, Sand Dollars, Clam Shells, Periwinkle Shells and Polished Beach Glass
Bird Watching, Keep a lookout for Bald Eagles, Blue Heron, Osprey, Gannets and other Seabirds
Skip Rocks, Your inner kid is waiting
Paint, Memorable beach scenes await your canvas
Fogerty’s Cove, Whales and dolphins at the place that inspired Stan Rodgers
Tor Bay Beach, Expansive breakers and seals playing in the surf
Black Duck Cove, Wade in some of the East Coast’s warmest waters
Port Shoreham Beach, The best beachcombing

The Best Wharves

Whitman’s Wharf, Entrance to the historic town of Canso
Little Dover Fisherman’s Wharf, Strike up a conversation with an old salt
Canso Fisherman’s Wharf, You might see an 800 pound tuna being landed and dressed
Tickle Wharf, View Isle a Bec

Shutterbug Alert!

Sugar Islands, Molasses Harbour at Port Felix
Church at Port Felix, Commanding view of the Atlantic
Queensport Lighthouse, Read about its keepers
Chedabucto Bay Lookoff, Panoramic views of the Bay at Dort’s Cove

Along the Bay

Get a classic wicker picnic basket at DesBarres Manor and discover:
Cooks Cove, Explore the beach
Gaulman’s Point, At the end of Half Island Cove’s Wharf Road, look out on Fogarty Cove
Seaman’s Memorial, Pay your respects to those lost at sea on the way into Canso
Whitman House Museum, Climb the widow’s walk for panoramic views of Canso Harbor
Grassy Island National Historic Site, Take a boat tour to the Island
Commercial Cable Trans Atlantic Park, Learn about relaying messages from the Titanic
Glasgow Head, Mainland Nova Scotia’s easternmost point
Star of the Sea Parish, Overlooking Canso and the wide open Atlantic
Sea Kayak, Canso Islands

Take a Back Road

Dickie’s Brook Hydro Electric Station, Drive up the mountain road
Canso Coastal Barrens Wilderness Area, Catch the panoramic view from Lundy Fire Tower
Pick Blueberries on the Barrens
Black Duck Cove, Walk the boardwalk at and spot the native seabirds
Larry’s River, Take the Acadian Tour

On the Coast

Dover Shrine, Visit at the Catholic Church
Cable Ship Faraday Interpretive Display, Tor Bay Provincial Picnic Park
Whitehead Island Lighthouse and the old Whitehead Canal
Cole Harbour, Walk along the shore and smell the sea air
New Harbour Beach, Keep a lookout for the Moose!   

Up The Strait

Historic Chedabucto Bay Sailing Ship Photos, Connolly’s General Store in Boylston
Henry Sinclair Memorial, Incredible harbour view from Boylston Park
Scoop Coop, Sand Point’s famous ice cream stand
Eddy Point Lighthouse, Entrance to the Canso Strait (don’t forget your cone)
Mulgrave Port, See what ships are in for service at North America’s deepest port
Dive Tours, Discover the wreck Baleine at Red Head with Causeway Diver Supply
Pettipas Market, Meet the legendary Mr. Pettipas in Aulds Cove
Canso Causeway, Cross onto Cape Breton Island
Route 16, What Frommers calls “an uncommonly scenic drive”
Strait Tours, Get on the Strait with Ship Harbour Boat Tours in Port Hawkesbury
Arichat, Acadian fishing village on Isle Madame

Don’t Forget To …

Watch the sunrise on Chedabucto Bay
Take in the star filled sky
Breathe the fresh sea air
Gaze at the moon reflecting on the Bay
Embrace the quiet

For detailed information on planning activities for your Nova Scotia vacation, visit the DesBarres Manor Inn website for more information on touring Nova Scotia’s Authentic Seacoast from the luxury traveller perspective or visit the Osprey Shores Golf Resort website for information on great holiday ideas on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore, Cape Breton and Marine Drive.

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