Exploring Nova Scotia

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Those who interpret the word “unique” in this book’s subtitle as a
promise of material not available from other tourist guides will be
disappointed. Nova Scotia has a lot to offer that is unique—the best
whale watching and the highest tides in the world, for example—and
these are standard fare in guides for visitors. What this book does have
is a slightly different approach to telling the reader about sights and
activities worth exploring—an approach that emphasizes content over
practical details. The book does not give hours of operation for
museums, admission fees for historic sites, specific dates for fairs and
festivals, or phone numbers for B&Bs; instead, it is an organized verbal
ramble around the province, following the traditional tourist routes. As
the narrative moves from beach to burger stand, from historic church to
underwear factory outlet, the reader is given a feeling for the area,
with enough information on attractions to decide if they’re of
sufficient interest to merit pursuing.

The guide covers both mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. For each
tourist area, Dunlop touches on beaches, museums, parks, special events,
shopping, accommodations, and dining. If relevant, he includes
information about birding, hiking, golf, cemeteries, historic sites,
walking tours, cycling, taverns, rock hounding, and ocean kayaking. For
most areas, there’s a section called “Off the Beaten Path,” in
which he references lesser-known locations that don’t always make it
into the glossy tourist brochures.

The book is most useful as a vacation planner. By reading it before
arriving in Nova Scotia, the would-be tourist can narrow in on the areas
of greatest personal interest.