Massive cities might provide the razzle dazzle of the vacations with Christmas bars, parades, and sprawling Christmas Markets, however typically the heartwarming appeal of a small-town Christmas is what you should recapture the vacation pleasure. That was precisely what I discovered in Nova Scotia this December.
Strolling by means of the Miracle on Dock Road celebration in Shelburne, I felt as if I’d stumbled onto the set of a Hallmark Christmas film. Mingling with the locals, I saved ready for the traditional scene to unfold earlier than my eyes of the small-town woman coming back from the large metropolis and bumping into her highschool love or the same Christmas meet-cute situation.
Throughout me, neighbors gathered within the chilly, with children bundled up in snowsuits and stuffed into wagons and strollers, lining as much as meet Santa whereas the teenagers clustered round fireplace pits. Pedestrians wandered down the blocked-off streets, taking a peek on the community-decorated floats that made up the walk-through Christmas Parade.
The farmer’s market was remodeled right into a Christmas craft truthful and bake sale, the place a neighborhood group was handing out sizzling canines and sausages in return for a voluntary donation. Think about that, a vacation celebration that hasn’t been changed into a industrial cash maker!
Earlier than too lengthy, your entire city gathered on the waterfront to soak up the Christmas fireworks, an ideal capstone to a magical night. Toes chilly, coronary heart warmed, it was a brief stroll again to my gorgeous waterfront view room at Albert’s Inn.
Simply as Nova Scotia is just not a one-season vacation spot, Christmas in Nova Scotia is just not a one-stop celebration. This Maritime province is a well-liked summer season vacation spot for beachgoers, street trippers, and cruise passengers, however it is usually surprisingly festive for the vacations.
From mailing a letter from the city of Christmas Island to exploring the “Christmas Tree Capital of the World” in Lunenburg, there are many methods to have a good time in Nova Scotia.
7 Methods to Have a good time Christmas in Nova Scotia
Editor’s word: This submit was written in partnership with Tourism Nova Scotia. My journey was hosted by the Tourism board and I used to be compensated for content material creation however all opinions are my very own.
Halifax Evergreen Pageant
Halifax sparkles with vacation lights that line the Evergreen Shiny Path, which wraps its means alongside the waterfront. Begin your go to with a scenic stroll by means of the peaceable Public Gardens and do some vacation buying alongside Spring Backyard Street. When you get chilly, heat up on the Halifax Central Library or one of many many stops alongside the Evergreen Cocoa Path.
Alongside the waterfront, you’ll find a few of Halifax’s prime points of interest, together with Pier 21, the Canadian Museum of Immigration, the Artwork Gallery of Nova Scotia that includes the folks artwork of Nova Scotian artist Maud Lewis, and the family-friendly Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which has an interesting shipwreck exhibit together with fragments from the Titanic.
Whenever you get hungry, this space can be dotted with eating places and bars, a lot of that are a part of the Nova Scotia Lobster or Chowder Trails, similar to The Cable Wharf, Drift, and Waterfront Warehouse. Or, you possibly can seize a candy deal with at COWS Ice Cream or Peace by Chocolate, a premium chocolate firm began by Syrian refugees.
For a really distinctive present, guide a perfume-making session on the 7 Virtues Atelier. This clear fragrance firm sells its merchandise by means of Sephora in 19 nations, however Halifax is at present the one Atelier location the place you possibly can create a customized mix. Based by Nova Scotian Barb Stegemann with the preliminary objective of offering a path out of opium and into orange blossom oil for Afghan farmers, the corporate stands by its social justice roots with a give attention to empowering women and girls by ending interval poverty.
When the solar goes down, the town begins to twinkle with the lights of the Evergreen Pageant. This four-week-long vacation celebration features a small Christmas Market that includes native makers, a stage for dwell leisure on choose nights, a winter sports activities zone, and comfy spots for cocktails, just like the Merry & Shiny Patio on the Marriott Halifax Harbourfront Resort.
Snuggle up below the lights on the fireplace pits within the Evergreen Market and toast marshmallows for s’mores whereas sipping sizzling cocoa (or one thing stronger!) Or, strive your hand at mini-curling, warmth up in a waterfront sauna, or discover your means out of the dockside gentle maze. There’s something for everybody to take pleasure in.
The place to Keep: The Marriott Halifax Harbourfront Resort has an ideal location for exploring the waterfront and spacious rooms with stunning views.
Glow Halifax at Glow Gardens
In case you are visiting Halifax with children, you possibly can’t miss Glow Halifax. However earlier than you wander by means of the million lights, make a cease on the Mic Mac Mall to pay a go to to Woody the Speaking Christmas Tree. Yearly between mid-November and December twenty third, Woody wakes up for Santa’s grand arrival and consumers younger and previous line up for a fast chat. Woody is such a neighborhood legend that there’s even a store upstairs for Woody souvenirs.
Because the solar units, it’s time to head over to the Halifax Exhibition Centre for the magical lights experiences at Glow Halifax. There are photograph alternatives galore with a maze of brightly lit big ornaments, gentle tunnels, magical timber, and winter characters. Little children will enjoyment of vacation play with inflatables, arcade video games, mini golf, a Santa prepare, curler skating, and even an enormous swing journey.
Reside music for adults or youngsters, meals stalls, and mini-bars serving up native beers and spirits are scattered all through the exhibit house. This yr, kids will take pleasure in looking for Santa’s elves with a brand new “Jolly Jumble” theme.
New Ross “Christmas Tree Capital of the World”
New Ross is called the Christmas Tree Capital of the World, with native tree farms delivery its fascinating Nova Scotia Balsam Fir timber as far-off as Europe and California. Nova Scotia even sends a Christmas tree to Boston yearly as a thanks for the assistance the town offered after the devastating Halifax Explosion in 1917.
On the primary weekend in December, the New Ross Christmas Pageant gathers tons of of individuals for a group supper, adopted by a Christmas Tree lighting. The weekend is crammed with craft gala’s, home-cooked meals, caroling, Christmas tree u-picks, youngsters’s enjoyable, and magical leisure with singing and dancing.
A spotlight is mountaineering up Ruby’s Path by means of the evergreens to take pleasure in expansive views of the village and rolling hills past. Even higher, you’ll find Twig’s Chalet. “Twig” is a captivating elf clad in Nova Scotian tartan who got here to life when an errant pinecone fell off Santa’s sleigh and landed in Nova Scotia. Through the vacation season, you’ll find Twig in his woodland cottage, watching over all of the Balsam Fir Christmas timber in Nova Scotia.
If you are on the town, make a cease on the Ross Farm Museum, a dwelling museum of agriculture that is still largely the identical because it was within the 1800s. It gives every day actions like wool spinning, candle making, and ox shoeing, and you may chat with costumed interpreters, hike the scenic path, take a wagon journey, meet the animals, and even take pleasure in a winter sleigh journey.
The Season of Father Christmas, Mahone Bay
The walkable, waterfront city of Mahone Bay is charming year-round, however the festive Christmas shows and vacation lights make it additional particular — significantly the do-it-yourself gnome decorations (My Gnome Bay – Mahone Bay, get it?) The Father Christmas Pageant takes place from late November by means of Christmas Eve and contains all the things from church luncheons to family-friendly actions.
On the night I visited, Kedy’s Touchdown was serving up sizzling cider, cookies, and s’mores by the fireplace pits, whereas a number of the group gathered at St. James Parish Corridor for Ye Olde Christmas Market & Celebration, with handmade crafts, dwell music, and baked items. In a while, there was music and extra at St. John’s Church, with a bell choir and swing band.
Different competition actions embody a group tree lighting, vacation markets, story occasions, a toy boat brigade, concert events, a enjoyable run, a Christmas cookie stroll, a teddy bear parade, images with Santa, and extra.
Mahone Bay additionally has loads of cute retailers to your vacation buying wants, such because the Teazer Present Store, Tea Brewery, Suttles and Seawards, and Amos Pewter, the place you possibly can watch the artisans in motion on the open studio. There are many drink and eating choices too from the Saltbox Brewery to Mateus Bistro (scrumptious pork stomach tacos btw) or Betty’s at The Kitch.
The place to Keep: Kitch’Inn is a small mattress and breakfast inside strolling distance to downtown with spacious and classy rooms.
Lunenburg Christmas Craft Pageant
Lunenburg is a picture-postcard Nova Scotian city with colourful buildings and former mansions with fascinating structure from Gothic towers to elegant verandas. Outdated City Lunenburg is a chosen UNESCO World Heritage Web site, with a historical past that dates again to 1753 that dabbles in rum working and shipbuilding. With retailers and eating places, breweries, and distilleries, Lunenburg is a vacationer’s dream.
On the waterfront, you possibly can see Nova Scotia’s well-known racing schooner, Bluenose II (which can be featured on the Canadian 10-cent piece.) Additionally it is the place you’ll find a towering lobster entice Christmas tree in the course of the holidays.
For the vacations, Lunenburg additionally hosts the biggest Christmas Craft Pageant I’ve ever skilled. Through the first weekend in December, tons of of Nova Scotian Artisans and Crafters collect on the Lunenburg Christmas Craft Pageant, which takes place throughout the Lunenburg Group Centre, Curling Membership, and Bluenose Academy. A $5.00 charge good points you admission to all three and a $5.00 voucher that’s accepted by many distributors.
You will discover handcrafted pottery, woodcarvings, glass, sculptures, wreaths, and extra, together with meals distributors providing fudge, preserves, dips, and baked items, plus quite a lot of native wines, spirits, liqueurs, and ciders to place you within the Vacation spirit.
Driving into city within the morning, I noticed teams of individuals strolling in the identical path. I believed to myself, all of those individuals couldn’t presumably be going to the craft truthful, and I continued on to seek out nearer parking. Certain sufficient, the parking tons had been full and I quickly was a kind of individuals parking additional away and strolling by means of the chilly to the craft truthful corridor bursting with individuals.
It is a city that it would be best to spend time in…at any time of yr. In the summertime you can even go to the close by fishing village of Blue Rocks, with its lighthouse, blue slate rocks, and dealing fishing vessels.
Miracle on Dock Road, Shelburne
As I described above, Miracle on Dock Road is a candy vacation competition that’s simply dripping with small-town appeal. Plan a go to throughout this weekend occasion and benefit from the stationary floats of the walk-through parade, store on the craft distributors on the Shelburne Guild Corridor Market, roast marshmallows over the fireplace pits dotting the streets, and cease for decent chocolate, heat chowder, and even oysters (that is Nova Scotia in any case). Youngsters can go to Santa on the Dory Store, watch an out of doors Christmas film, or stroll by means of Who-ville in Atlantic Home Park.
Snap a household photograph in entrance of the wooden barrel tree exterior of the Shelburne Barrel Manufacturing unit after which collect on the waterfront to observe the fireworks that shut out the evening.
Within the morning, you possibly can discover the fascinating historical past of this Loyalist stronghold, which turned a boomtown in the course of the American Revolution when Loyalists decamped New York Metropolis and landed in Shelburne. Close by, you possibly can drive out to see the Sandy Level Lighthouse, which sits on a sand bar on the entrance of Shelburne Harbour and at low tide, you possibly can benefit from the sandy seaside and stroll out to the lighthouse.
Additionally it is lower than a 30-minute drive to Barrington, which is the Lobster Capital of Canada, and an ideal spot for recent seafood. I’m a purist with regards to lobster and like mine recent, steamed, and dipped in butter. Usually different preparations style fishy to me. However not at Captain Kat’s Lobster Shack. You may as well meet Lucy the Lobster, the native climate prognosticator, however because it was raining once I visited, I used to be extra keen on consuming the lobster than assembly one.
To struggle off the chilly, I began with lobster chowder, with recent chunks of tasty lobster and never a hint of fishiness. I used to be tempted by a full lobster dinner however that was greater than my pockets or abdomen may deal with, so I attempted the lobster grilled cheese with low expectations that had been blown out of the water. As soon as once more the lobster was recent and juicy, the bread crisply toasted with completely melted cheese and even a lobster butter sauce for dipping.
On day, you possibly can stroll the close by white sand seashores, expertise top-of-the-line birding locations in Jap Canada, and take a look at the world’s greatest lighthouses. Through the holidays, you can even try the lobster buoy timber on the Northeast Level Seaside Gazebo or the Dennis Level Wharf.
The place to Keep: Albert’s Inn has a superb waterfront location proper in downtown Shelburne with private service and gorgeous rooms. My harbourview king suite was immense, extra like a loft condominium with a front room, eating desk, kitchen, whirlpool tub, walk-in closet, and wrap-around water-view home windows.
Winter Glamping, White Level Seaside Resort
For a novel option to have a good time the vacations or ring within the New Yr, why not strive winter glamping? Sound chilly? It’s not. White Level Seaside Resort is perched on the coast, with a shocking stretch of seaside. This full-service resort has been welcoming friends for over 90 years and gives lodge rooms, cabins, trip properties, and luxurious glamping domes (or glomes).
The glomes provide privateness, the place you possibly can go to sleep to the sound of water and wake to gorgeous sunrises, but you could have the facilities of a resort, together with a full calendar of actions, only a quick stroll or drive away. The Glomes characteristic a king mattress, gasoline fire, heating (and air-con in the summertime), kitchenette, and a full rest room. Every Glome has a personal deck with a grill, sizzling tub, and Adirondack chairs dealing with the water.
I’ve stayed in lots of glamping resorts, together with a dome in New Brunswick, and this was my coziest keep ever, regardless of the chilly and wet climate exterior.
This go to to Nova Scotia for Christmas confirmed two issues in my thoughts: 1) Canadians simply know how one can do winter the perfect, and a pair of) vacation journey can rekindle Christmas pleasure.
Visiting Atlantic Canada? You may additionally be keen on:
Tamara Gruber is the Founder and Writer of We3Travel. A former advertising and marketing government and journey advisor, Tamara is an award-winning journey author and acknowledged professional in household journey. Tamara is a member of SATW, NATJA, IFWTWA, and the Journey Journey Commerce Affiliation, and serves on the Board of the Household Journey Affiliation. She can be the writer of YourTimetoFly.com and the co-host of the Trip Experts journey podcast.
