I’ve been fielding more and more questions about Nova Scotia lately (keep them coming – I genuinely love my role of de facto, pro bono travel advisor for Tourism Nova Scotia). And, it seems Cape Breton is on many of your minds. I promised How to Money Matt’s mother-in-law (Hi, HTM Matt’s MIL) a post on Cape Breton, so here it is!
Despite growing up in Nova Scotia, I’m ashamed to admit that at one point I didn’t even realize Cape Breton was part of the province! Separated from the mainland by a causeway, that short stretch of rock and asphalt marks a dramatic shift in landscape and topography. Geographic ignorance remedied, I traveled to numerous other provinces — and outside Canadian borders — long before I found my way to Cape Breton.
It was worth the wait!
Back in 2021 (which simultaneously feels like forever ago and yesterday), we took a family trip to Cape Breton over a long weekend.
Here are the highlights! I’d only visited Cape Breton once before (for a 2-day/1-night drive around the Cabot Trail), so I’m clearly not an authority on this part of Nova Scotia. No doubt I’m missing countless hidden gems.
TRIP PREPARATIONS
I didn’t do much research beforehand. We traveled during the Thanksgiving/fall foliage peak season (at the tail end of COVID restrictions), so accommodation options were limited. We didn’t book a whale-watching excursion, sample fresh seafood, or stay overnight in a yurt (all things you can do on Cape Breton). Despite these omissions, it was still an amazing family trip.
Before we even got out the door, our trip hit a major snag. Somehow, despite it being a last-minute vacation, we managed to book our accommodations for the WRONG weekend. A few days after booking, John woke one morning with the vague sense something was wrong. With good reason — we had selected the wrong dates! *Facepalm*
Aside from one of our accommodations, we were able to switch reservation dates…although that one change ended up being quite memorable (and not for the best of reasons).
DAY ONE: The World’s Largest Fiddle
We picked the kids up from school at lunchtime on a Thursday. We ate lunch in the car en route (I packed a bento-style, self-contained lunch for each of the kids) and then we stopped for a picnic supper at Jerome Point Lighthouse.
I’m not sure what inspired them to adopt their stance, but I think it’s adorable, even if it does look staged!
Next up was Sydney. Not to be confused with Sydney, Australia which does happen. There have been some very confused people that have landed at a tiny, rural, Nova Scotian airport looking for kangaroos and koalas.
We arrived around 6:00 pm, checked into our hotel, and decided to explore the waterfront boardwalk and visit the World’s Largest Fiddle (60 ft!), which we could see from our hotel window.
It was chilly and on our way to grab coats from the car, Indy tripped in the parking lot, scraping his hand and embedding some rock shards for good measure. Poor fella. I grabbed First Aid supplies from the front desk, and John and Belle went on ahead while I tended to the walking wounded. Indy recovered quickly, although his hand was sore the rest of the weekend.
We picked our hotel for its advertised waterslide. Naturally, the kids were beyond excited. Due to COVID restrictions, we had to book a specific pool time, and when the moment finally came, our excitement fizzled. The pool was freezing. Oh, and the waterslide was off-limits, and the hot tub was drained. After 15 minutes of shivering, we gave up and went back to our room for showers, popcorn, and a movie. Let’s be honest, that’s the kids’ favourite part of these trips anyway!
DAY TWO: Louisbourg
Friday morning we woke up early, tried for a second time to visit the giant fiddle together as a family (success!), and then spent the rest of the morning at Louisbourg.
Louisbourg Lighthouse is, after Peggy’s Cove’s, probably the second most iconic in Nova Scotia. It was stunning, and the views of the fortress across the harbor were fantastic. The kids had fun climbing rocks (all they typically need for a good time), and we wandered around the remnants of the original lighthouse. For anyone interested in these sorts of things, it was the first in North America to be built with fireproof materials!
Next we headed to the Fortress of Louisbourg. While pandemic restrictions had put the kibosh on most of their usual demonstrations, we were impressed by the size of the facility and had a great time exploring. Founded by the French in 1713, Louisbourg switched hands between the French and British for decades so there is lots of history.
Next up: the Cabot Trail!
The drive from Louisbourg to Ingonish took us on the famous 300-km stretch of coastal highway.
Before heading to Cape Breton, I stumbled across an interesting tidbit; there was a lighthouse converted into an ice cream parlour. We like ice cream! We like lighthouses! The Google page was a bit unclear about out-of-season hours but we took a chance.
When we arrived, it was closed. This was a major bummer.
We salvaged the trip by going for a hike on the Middle Head Trail, starting at the Keltic Lodge. The kids were delighted when we randomly came across a geocache, and it felt great to stretch our legs after so much car time.
The Cabot Trail doesn’t have that many places to eat or sleep, and we had trouble finding a spot for supper. After a long search, we ended up with takeout pizza (I ate the homemade food we packed), and retreated to our motel.
Now, speaking of the motel…remember when I mentioned we had to rebook after the date fiasco? There was a reason it was still available. The water stains in the bathroom, bugs on the floor, and doors that didn’t close properly didn’t inspire much confidence. (In fact, when we arrived, the door to our room was WIDE OPEN.) But, we were tired, and there was nowhere else to go. How bad could it be?
When we turned on the shower the next morning, it ended up flooding the entire motel room floor. Literally! We were ankle-deep in water. John informed the front desk and they didn’t seem remotely surprised, as if this sort of thing happened all the time. Needless to say, we won’t be returning there! (It was the Glenghorm Beach Resort and was the only available option. Learn from our mistake. Don’t stay here. To be fair it has become Belle’s FAVOURITE story to share about our travels.)
DAY THREE: Skyline Trail
Saturday was a big day — we were set to hike the Skyline Trail, arguably the most famous hike on the Cabot Trail. The ~8 km loop offers dramatic, panoramic views of the coastline and highlands.
We’d had some drizzle and fog earlier in the day, but we timed it right. When we arrived about 10:30 am, the parking lot was mostly empty. When we returned it was absolutely jammed with cars!
It was an easy trek for the kids and the main trail is accessible by stroller. The viewing platforms are not – there are a lot of stairs that would be treacherous if conditions were wet or windy. We were all very glad to have warm coats and ear protection and I kept a close eye on the kids at all times.
It really was the view of a lifetime, and I’d love to return for a sunset someday. From what I’ve seen, they are spectacular. But even on a drizzly, chilly day, the view we were rewarded with wasn’t half bad, especially when two cute kiddos filled up part of the frame.
Later, we stopped in Cheticamp to visit an extra special lighthouse, complete with a built-in slide. The kids loved it! John and I tried it, too — it was steeper and faster than it looked. I ended up with bruises (actually) and a very sore backside, but the kids were fearless!
We walked the Inverness Boardwalk, passed through Margaree Harbour, and ended the day in Port Hawkesbury. After a good night’s sleep, we debated about going to the hotel pool (after the disappointment of the previous one), but when we did, it was wonderful. Warm, private, and exactly what we needed to unwind. The kids had a blast.
The next morning, after a final stop by the quarry alongside the causeway joining Cape Breton to the mainland, we made our way back home! There was a lot of driving, but the kids were fantastic (and we let them watch downloaded videos on the longer stretches).
WHAT WE MISSED
There’s so much we didn’t have time for — dozens of hiking trails, lots more lighthouses, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, whale watching, beautiful golf courses…
Your turn.
- Hotel pools — yay or nay? (For me, it’s a nay without kids in tow.)
- Have you seen any “World’s Largest” anything? I’ve also seen New Brunswick’s World’s Largest Lobster.
- Tell me about your funniest or most memorable travel mishap. Anyone else have a flooded motel room?
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Susanne
Such beautiful places! The buildings at Peggy’s cove are stunning, and those trails… I’d LOVE to walk there.
There’s something special about lighthouses. We have a few in my area but you can’t visit most of them. The most fascinating one is the old signal station (the actual lighthouse is built on a rock in the ocean).
Travel bummers happen! In 2011 we went to Italy with my parents and I had booked a small apartment/b&b type of place outside of Trieste because my impression was that my stepdad doesn’t like big cities. When we arrived it was closed! It was in August, the official holiday month in Italy but we had had a conversation by e-mail about the booking! My husband looked up a hotel in the city so off we went. It actually turned out my stepdad was very happy about it because he likes to sit on a balcony or by a window to look at people. So this bummer turned out to be a quite good one.
That’s cool about the big fiddle! I assume in the middle of Covid there was no opportunity to hear any fiddle music? There’s a fantastic fiddle tradition at Cape Breton.
Elisabeth
I will admit I always feel a bit frustrated by lighthouses off shore. They’re tantalizingly close…but without a boat, unreachable. Sigh. But when I stop to think about the hundreds (thousands) of lives each lighthouse saves it’s quite sobering.
Love how your “bummer” turned into a highlight. Sometimes the things that go wrong make the best memories or even turn out to be better than what was originally planned.
Alas, we didn’t hear any fiddle music, but it is known around the world for its fiddle heritage!
Catrina
Oh wow, this sounds amazing! The perfect mix of family chaos and unforgettable moments – that motel flooding story is pure gold!
I loved the kids’ lighthouse antics and those fearless slide adventures (bruises and all, ouch!).
The Skyline Trail views look breathtaking, even with a little drizzle to keep things dramatic.
You nailed it balancing history, hiking, and kid-friendly fun despite the curveballs.
Every time I read about beautiful places like this, the FOMO hits hard – so much to see, so little time! Thank goodness for storytellers like you who make us feel like we’re right there.
Elisabeth
Belle loves recounting this specific story probably more than anything else in her entire childhood. She has gotten VERY good at stringing a long tale about how run-down this place was, and then she crescendoes with enthusiasm about the flooded floor.
I don’t think I’ve ever had bruises from a slide. It was SO steep and so fast and the spots where the pieces of the slide were joined together left bruises on me. Ouch. But the kids weren’t phased.
Bijoux
Your photos are gorgeous, as is your lovely family! I appreciated the map at the end. We have the largest rubber stamp in Cleveland. Another biggest thing I’ve seen is the basket which was the Longaberger headquarters. Fun stuff!
I’ve seen plenty of hotel mishaps over my life. We were in a hotel fire when I was about 9 years old.
Elisabeth
The largest rubber stamp. Ha. Where DO towns come up with these things. But it makes for fun pit stops. Now that we’re running out of local lighthouses, maybe our next family “thing” could be travelling to World’s Largest items.
The hotel fire – that sounds positively horrific. I do hope everyone escaped unharmed. That’s terrifying.
Maria
I’ve been to Cape Breton, over 20 years ago! My older sister studied the Celtic harp and won a competition and the prize was a scholarship to go to Gaelic College on Cape Breton. She was 14 so obviously couldn’t get there alone so we all drove there from Pennsylvania. While she was at the college for a week the rest of us explored Cape Breton. I don’t remember a ton, but I remember enjoying it and swimming in the giant and very cold Bras d’Or lake. So. Cold.
Travel mishaps – other than things involving cancelled and delays causing missed flights none that I can really think of. We’ve hand camping trips that were just nonstop rain, including when we were in Shediac and saw the world’s largest lobster statue. So to answer your question, yep I’ve seen the world’s largest of something!
Elisabeth
Water on the East Coast is cold!
Rain on camping trips is so demoralizing and you can’t keep anything dry after a certain amount of time. I will admit this is one reason I basically refuse to tent anymore. I liked it as a kid, but I’m not at all interested in doing it as an adult.
Nicole MacPherson
One day! We will go there one day for sure.
Wow, the kids have grown in four years! It’s a really incredible difference.
The giant fiddle! I love stuff like that, it’s all over the prairies. You’re probably too young to have watched Corner Gas but my favourite episode of that show is when they were going to put in the world’s biggest hoe in order to get more tourism. Hoe…ho.
Beautiful photos and scenery, I’d love to hike around there.
Elisabeth
I think you and Rob would LOVE the Cabot Trail. So many beautiful hikes. Rex would be in dog heaven. Lots of things to sniff and see.
Lisa’s Yarns
I can’t get over how young your kids look in these photos! What a beautiful area. The female sales person I traveled with in Cleveland went to this area last year for a golf trip! It made me think of you when she mentioned the trip.
We have never stayed in a hotel with our kids! We have only done airbnbs. We have used the outdoor pools at the airbnbs, though. I am staying at a hotel with Will in June when we go to Chicago (using hotel points). It is in the heart of Chicago so there is no pool which I am fine with. I loved hotel pools as a child, though!!
I have seen the largest ball of twine. I saw it when I drove from Minneapolis to a friend’s wedding in South Dakota many years ago!
Elisabeth
I know. They look so tiny to me now. I really cannot get over I could still carry Indy. Now that feels forever ago because he’s sooooo long and lanky.
I hate hotel pools, but the kids love them so I try to meet somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I get in, other times I just cheer them on from the side. I dislike being all wet and smelling like chlorine.
Jenny
I love this! It could have been described as The Trip Where Everything Went Wrong (hotel pool, closed lighthouse/ice cream parlor, terrible hotel room) but instead it all sounds super fun. Your kids are GREAT travelers! And… of course this all looks incredibly beautiful.
It seems like I’ve had many flooded hotel bathrooms, including the AirBnb we just stayed at in Waco. There is obviously some sort of shower curtain issue in hotels (our wasn’t as bad as what you’re describing, though- the water wasn’t up to our ankles!)
Elisabeth
Some things definitely did NOT go to plan, but we made good memories and just today Belle brought up the hotel incident, so all is not lost.
Oh no! You’ve had many flooded bathrooms. That sounds terrible, Jenny. My biggest pet peeve these days is the half-pane of glass in showers so there is literally zero way to contain the water from the shower. Why? Who designs these. I am utterly perplexed.
Birchie
Gorgeous! I am dying over the lighthouse slide. Never have I ever gotten in a hotel pool as an adult without the kids, but I remember the sheer joy of hotel pools when I was a young ‘un. The best was a Holiday Inn with an indoor/outdoor pool where you could swim between the inside and outside.
When I started my local travels, I assumed it would just be a bunch of “world’s largest” things, which has not been the case. My only trophy in that department was driving past the Lonaberger building in Somewhere, Ohio. The building is in the shape of a Lonaberger basket.
Elisabeth
Swimming between the inside and outside sounds SO fun. I’ve never done that ever!
Suzanne
As usual, the photos and scenery are stunning! Oh, how I hope Nova Scotia is part of our travel plans one day soon! It was so fun to see the kids looking so young! They really grow up a ton in four years.
The pool story really took me back to those scary, dreary Covid times. What a bummer of an experience. My kid LOVES to swim, so hotel pools are definitely a plus when we travel with her, but frankly I think they are gross. (I think all pools are gross, though.)
Elisabeth
They really have matured/changed so much. At the time I’m sure they felt big to me, but now they seem positively tiny.
I agree. Pools are gross. I hate the chlorine. I hate the wet, cold water sitting on the tiles. Ugh. But the kids love them, so I make the most of it for their sake!
Alexandra
Wow, that’s a lot of lighthouses and walking, though it’s true, the countryside is rugged and stunning and I can image all those beaches to visit too. And I guess pools are a must with kids in tow. My parents always made sure we had access to water where ever we went. But personally, as an adult? No thanks.
I think giant things is definitely a North American thing, I don’t ever remember seeing anything giant on my travels elsewhere. Other than mountains and vistas.
Oh, and while I’ve stayed in and slept (fitfully) in a few shady places, no, no deluge unless you count cockroaches (upstate NYC).
Elisabeth
COCKROACHES. Part of me wants to know more and then the other part of me adamantly does not.
Alexandra
I’ll save you the details, needless to say, it wasn’t a motel any of us (at the time) were ever going to recommend to anyone then, now, or ever. The term ‘seedy’ comes to mind with a shudder whenever I think of the place.
Allison McCaskill
Agree about hotel pools, although my husband loves a hot tub.
Love the giant fiddle. Cape Breton has a statue of my ancestor, the Giant MacAskill. Matt and Angus visited it when they were there playing in the Canadian finals for the Little League World Series.
I love an ocean view.
Elisabeth
To me a hot tub and a pool a very different things. Though I’d definitely prefer to be in a friend’s hot tub where I know everyone who is using it.
That’s so cool about the statue. I don’t think we saw that, but I’ll be sure to look another time.
Joy
What gorgeous scenery! I’d love to visit someday.
No to hotel pools unless with the kids.
I was once in a hotel that was hit by straight line winds, causing the the fire prevention water system to flood the hotel rooms on one side of the hotel. I was fortunately on the third floor so “only” had water pouring through the bathroom ceiling and was able to rescue my stuff from being flooded. People on higher floors had a tough time getting their stuff out before it got wet. A night to remember!
Elisabeth
The views are spectacular (though it does take quite a bit of time in the car driving to get to them).
Oof. Your hotel flood definitely trumps ours. Yikes. That sounds positively horrid and with so many people impacted. I can’t imagine all the hassle for the hotel and insurance, too. Water is so damaging to infrastructure!
Janae
Stop it. I am booking my trip now to these spots. STUNNING PHOTOS, ELISABETH!
ccr in MA
What a fun trip! Great photos, as always.
The only thing I know of Cape Breton from is an old YA book, Another Shore by Nancy Bond, in which the young woman is doing re-enactment at the Fortress and goes back in time to when it was occupied. I know, odd concept, but I loved that book.
Elisabeth
That sounds fun – a bit like the I Survived books my son is currently loving where they travel back in time to a historical event!
It was a really lovely facility and I’d love to go back outside of pandemic times to see some of the reenactments and other activities.
Daria
Oh, how lovely all the pictures are! What a beautiful place! Tony introduced me to Breton music- and I loved it. His nana is from Canada with Breton roots but now lives in Maine, has lived for years now.
I would LOVE to visit that neck of the woods! I wonder how far it is from Maine…