I always knew I would visit Atlantic Canada one day but I reserved it for after retirement or with young children. With my sister moving to Moncton, NB, it was now the time to visit. 

We first flew to Toronto and spent a day and a half there. Then we flew to Halifax where my sister drove down to pick us up and we checked into Cambridge Hotel & Suites. 

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

We started the morning strolling the Halifax waterfront. There was a nice boardwalk and we ate lunch at Salt Yards, an outdoor patio with a variety of food kiosks. 

After Max’s nap, we wandered the Halifax Public Gardens, which was blooming with flowers. For dinner, I had the quintessential Halifax donair, a pita wrapped with spiced grounded meat, tomatoes and onions, and topped with a sweet sauce. I thought I would love a donair but it was too sweet for my liking. I prefer a good savoury shawarma instead. 

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

It was a cloudy with rain kind of day but we still visited the famous Peggy’s Cove lighthouse. It was windy and foggy but created a mysterious vibe. We wandered the town a bit before it started to rain which forced us to leave early.

Max took a long nap in the car ride back and due to the rain, we went indoors to Halifax Shopping Center and did a bit of shopping. 

Thursday, August 29, 2024

In the morning, we started driving towards Mahone Bay, a charming small town along the south shore of Nova Scotia. We made a pitstop at the local Tim Hortons to refuel ourselves before our main destination, Lunenburg. 

Old Town Lunenburg is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a small port town with charming colonial architecture. It’s not much to walk around but still picturesque with boutique shops and restaurants. 

We had lunch at The South Shore Fish Shack, a casual seafood spot by the water. Their market price for steamed lobster was $35.99/lb. Pricy but I had to indulge in lobster at least once on this trip! We also got their fried scallops and fish. It was a fantastic lunch and probably the best meal of this trip (given this wasn’t a food-centric trip).

Max napped in the car and we had an open afternoon. Given the perfect weather, we decided to visit Peggy’s Cove again for sunny conditions. We first stopped at Cranberry Cove lookout and had a quick little off-trail hike on rocks to view the lighthouse from afar.

Then, we took some great photos of the lighthouse in golden conditions. We ended the night with ramen and sushi at Tako Sushi & Ramen. 

Friday, August 30, 2024

We started the morning by visiting Dartmouth’s Shannon Park Lookout. It was a short easy hike to views of McKay Bridge and the Halifax Harbour. Next, we visited Ferry Terminal Park for views of Halifax and a small playground before having lunch at Pho Hoang Minh.

We started our 2.5-hour drive towards Moncton and timed it perfectly for Max’s nap. He’s been doing great with car ride naps where he’d just peacefully doze off for 1.5+ hours. We just had to extend some drives to make sure he got enough sleep. 

We stopped at the border of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs. We arrived in Moncton to check into our Airbnb and then ordered in Thai for dinner. 

Saturday, August 31, 2024

We only had one day in Moncton so we made most of it. In the morning, we visited the famous Shediac Giant Lobster for photos. It was not as kitschy as I expected, probably because it was more artistic and realistically painted.

We also visited the Shediac Lobster store for cooked local lobsters selling for $12.99/lb. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any locally caught that day but we did opt for the fresh but less local hard-shell lobster for $15.99/lb. I was worried it’d be hard to eat but it was easy to peel and very delicious. We ate it fresh at the park and I only wish we bought more! 

We started our drive towards the Bay of Fundy to visit the most famous landmark of New Brunswick, the Hopewell Rocks. Since we wanted Max to get extra shuteye, we drove to Alma, a little village at the foot of Fundy National Park. It was a great little spot to get famous sticky buns and a peek of the world’s highest tides. 

Around 5pm, we arrived at Hopewell Rocks during low tide to explore the ocean floor. It was neat to see these unique rock formations and the “chocolate” shore. 

This popular natural attraction was packed with tourists but the longer we stayed after 6pm closing, the more crowds dissipated. The lighting also evened out but it wasn’t golden lighting, given the rocks sit in shadows during sunset. 

Some parts of the ocean floor were extremely muddy but other areas were just small rocks and sand. I got stuck a few times and we had to backtrack to find an easy walking area. I did NOT want to fall given I was wearing Max in his carrier. My birkenstocks were soiled but the shoe and feet washing station up top was impressive for cleaning. 

I could have spent more time here to roam the floor but it was starting to get dark and we were all getting hungry. We headed back for homemade pasta and started to pack for our journey home the next morning. 

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With only 5 full days to explore, it was a short trip to get a sample of Atlantic Canada. I’d have to come back to visit Fundy National Park, kayak Hopewell rocks, and especially venture out to Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland for more natural wonders and maritime charm.