On Tour - Nova Scotia

August 4 - 9, 2026

With our free day at Arm of Gold campground, we opted to head over to Sydney, NS, about 25 minutes away. Our objective was a photo with the World's Largest Fiddle.  With that mission accomplished, we browsed around the portside markets, open because a cruise ship was docked. 

Our next tour stop was near Halifax. A bus tour the next day took us around Halifax with stops at the Fairview Cemetery where many of the R.M.S. Titantic dead were buried, Halifax Citadel and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

Then it was off to the Lunenburg area. On our way, Harold and I stopped at the Hooked Rug Museum of North America. We had a little time to kill enroute and thought that the museum offered something a little different from the usual enroute stops. We were impressed with the artistry, especially of the 3-D Noah's Ark. 

In Lunenburg, our group had a tour of the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. There were plenty of artifacts to see and the dangers of fishing in North Atlantic were emphasized in a special exhibit. However, with up to six tour buses in the waterfront area as well, the streets were a bit crowded for our taste.

We joined others of our group at The Ovens Natural Park just down the road. We walked along the shoreline and the cliffs, peering into the sea caves wherever permitted. Then we took a quick drive back to the Blue Rocks area. It too was crowded. At that point, we decided to skip Mahones Bay. 

We were hot and tired, especially Harold. He had spent several hours evening prior helping a fellow tour member fix his tow bar. 

Where Are We Going Next?

On Tour - Newfoundland and Nova Scotia

July 27 - August 3, 2026 

Our next stop in Newfoundland was in Bonavista. There we toured the lighthouse. Our photos were somewhat limited because of the fog. I was trying to remember if I had ever heard a foghorn in action. 

Perhaps the real reason to visit that area though is not the lighthouse, but rather the puffin nesting area in nearby Elliston. It's one of the very few places in the world where you can get near puffins without a boat ride. The braver puffins would come within a few feet of you. 

Our next stop was St. Johns, where over 60% of the Newfoundland population lives. We took a bus tour to Signal Hill and Cabot Tower, with a quick stop at Quidi Vidi. Lunch at a local restaurant was followed by a boat tour to see a large puffin colony. Signal Hill, before it was used by Marconi, was used to signal the town merchants as to which fishing boat was arriving. 

The next night was spent on the ferry. Thankfully Fantasy made sure we had cabins where we stood a reasonable chance of sleep.  We saw numerous people and families with sleeping bags and air mattresses claiming rows of seats for their overnight in the main cabins. 

Back in Nova Scotia, the tour stayed at the same campground as we did on our way to Newfoundland. Our next day was a tour to Louisbourg Fortress. It was a rebuilt site with period costumed employees. It's the largest rebuilt site in Canada and is pretty true to it's original layout thanks to copious original documents stored by the French. 

Where Are We Going Next?