Canada is a popular destination for people who wish to enjoy some fresh air, open space, and stunning natural scenery. Tourists flock to Vancouver, Toronto, Niagara Falls, and Montreal, but most fail to add the Maritimes to their itinerary. Tucked away in the east of Canada, the Maritimes are three small Atlantic coast provinces — New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. After Newfoundland, the Maritimes were the second part of Canada to be settled by Europeans and are home to the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet First Nations.
1. The Imposing Fortress of Louisbourg
The Fortress of Louisbourg, located on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, is the site of the former French colony of Île-Royale. Designated a National Historic Site in 1920, the settlement at Louisbourg was founded by French settlers in 1713. Louisbourg was a major fishing and commercial port, and the fortress, built between 1713 and 1740, was strongly defended.
The settlement was an important part of France’s overseas empire until it was abandoned after 1760. While active, it played a crucial role in the colonial conflicts between France and Britain. The settlement’s structures were destroyed over time, but in 1961, the Canadian Government began a reconstruction of around one-quarter of the original town. Buildings, streets, gardens, and yards were recreated to look as they had in the 1740s. In addition to the ruins of buildings and fortifications, millions of artifacts were uncovered during the reconstruction that paints a clear picture of what life was like in Louisbourg.
When visiting the fortress, stop in at the Mi’kmaq Interpretive Center, where you can learn about the indigenous Mi’kmaw people who called the region home long before European settlement. The Mi’kmaq supported the French community at Louisbourg by sharing their knowledge and supporting their army during sieges. The Mi’kmaw chiefs and French officials had a strong relationship at the time, which continues today. The center is an excellent place to learn about Mi’kmaq history through traditional songs, drumming, images, artifacts, and storytelling.
2. Peggy’s Cove: A Quintessential Maritime Scene
Peggy’s Cove is home to a classic Maritime scene: a white lighthouse perched on the rocks overlooking the water, next to a quiet fishing village. Though there are many lighthouses in the Maritimes, the one at Peggy’s Cove is the most famous. In fact, it is the most photographed lighthouse in Canada! Peggy’s Cove is the name of the adjacent fishing village, which sits on the eastern shore of Saint Margaret’s Bay around 43 kilometers (27 miles) southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Peggy’s Cove village, founded in 1811, was likely named after Saint Margaret’s Bay. The bay was named by Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer who founded various colonial settlements in the region and named the bay after his mother Marguerite Le Roy.
In 1811, the Nova Scotian government offered the land to six families of German descent. Those settlers made their homes there, relying on fishing and farming. The community had a schoolhouse, a general store, a church, and a lobster cannery.
Following World War II, Peggy’s Cove became a destination for travelers, with its popularity growing as road infrastructure improved. Today, it is still an active fishing village that has maintained its rustic appearance, giving visitors an authentic feel for Maritime life centuries ago.
Visitors to Peggy’s Cove can explore the rocks along the shoreline, but the ocean around the cove is dangerous. The waves are unpredictable and can splash up over the rocks even in calm weather. So, if you add Peggy’s Cove to your itinerary, stay safe!
As a bonus, Titanic buffs can add a stop at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, where 121 victims of the shipwreck are buried. The Titanic sank around 750 miles from Halifax, and after the bodies were recovered, they were buried here. Interestingly, the graves are arranged in the shape of a ship’s hull.
3. A Piece of History Within a Bustling City: Citadel Hill
Citadel Hill is an 18th-century fort located on a hill overlooking the Halifax Harbor. The first citadel on this site dates back to the 1749 arrival of Edward Cornwallis, along with over 2,500 other colonists, from Britain. They were drawn to the area in response to French colonists who had a stronghold at Louisbourg. The British were also threatened by the colonial Acadians and the indigenous Mi’kmaw people.
A series of fortifications were built, and the British named the settlement after their patron, the Earl of Halifax. The fortress provided strong protection to the city, thanks to its vantage point overlooking the water. The fortress was raided and attacked numerous times by the Acadians and Mi’kmaw, backed by the French.
The cold, rainy weather of the region caused the fort, which was made of wood, to fall into ruin by 1761. By then, area residents were fearful of an American invasion. A new, larger, fort was built, but it never saw battle and was also in ruins by 1784. Renewed hostility between British and French forces led to yet another reconstruction beginning in 1796. This fortress, again, never saw battle and was unusable by 1825.
Construction on the final (and current) citadel began in 1828 in response to mounting tensions between Britain and the U.S. The British believed U.S. forces would attempt to take Halifax, and this time, they built a permanent fort.
The final version of the fort, as it exists today, is star-shaped. This fortress also never saw battle, but it found a new purpose as a soldiers’ barracks and command center for Halifax Harbor Defenses during World War I. The site was declared a National Historic Site in 1952.
Today, the Citadel sits at the center of the bustling city of Halifax. Visitors can watch living history programs, learn about the original residents of the region, the Mi’kmaq First Nation, or visit the Army Museum.
4. Canada’s Quaint Birthplace
The next site, Province House, is in the city of Charlottetown, on Prince Edward Island. Though a relatively small city, Charlottetown is the birthplace of the Canadian Confederation. Completed in 1847, the Province House was designed by local architect Isaac Smith in the neoclassical style. The building was to house the provincial legislature and administrative offices and also held the Island’s Supreme Court until 1872. The structure was considered an architectural triumph — this small Island community had constructed and furnished a public building comparable to those in other British colonies in North America.
In 1864, the Province House hosted the first conference on colonial union, called the Charlottetown Conference. In attendance were delegates from the nearby colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. They met in the legislative council chamber of the house, and their discussion led to Canada’s confederation in 1867. This confederation was led by a man who would later become Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald.
The Assembly of the Island continued to hold sessions in the Province House until 2015 when it closed for conservation work. The Government of Canada has spoken out about its intention to acknowledge those who were left out of the shaping and governing of Canada — the First Nations peoples, when the house reopens.
To reach Prince Edward Island, drive across the Confederation Bridge. At eight miles in length, it is Canada’s longest bridge and the world’s longest bridge to span across ice-covered water. While on the island, literature lovers can also stop at the Green Gables Farm, the setting of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s beloved 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables.
5. The Turning Tides at Fundy National Park
Next, we’ll move on to New Brunswick’s impressive Fundy National Park, located near the village of Alma. The park is primarily famous for its natural scenery, which features a rugged coastline and impressive rock formations. Most notable, however, is that the Bay of Fundy is home to the world’s highest tides. Park visitors can visit the Hopewell Rocks and walk on the ocean floor at low tide. At high tide, during which the water can rise by as much as 53 ft, visitors can then paddle in kayaks among the rocks.
The area that is now the Fundy National Park has historical significance as well — it was at one point inhabited by people from the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet First Nations. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, the area was settled by the Acadians, an ethnic group descended from the French. The area was part of the New France colony, which stretched across parts of Canada and the U.S. Most descendants of Acadians today live in the region of Acadia, in the northern part of New Brunswick.
As immigrants from England, Ireland, and Scotland arrived in this area, they drove the Acadians away. The coastal villages in the area were prosperous in the early 1900s, with economies based on fishing, sawmills, and small shipyards. However, logging eventually led to the depletion of wood resources in the area, and most residents left. In 1927 it was proposed that the area be established as a national park to protect endangered animals in the region, and the park was created in 1948.
Visitors to the park can visit the golf course, swimming pool, and campgrounds. They can hike or bike on the network of trails that stretches for over 62 miles and leads visitors through forests, bogs, and impressive waterfalls. In the winter, visitors enjoy cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and tobogganing. The area is also the base for several scientific projects monitoring the park’s ecology. Finally, those who are willing to explore can also visit a unique covered bridge at Point Wolfe.
6. The Colorful Village of Lunenburg
Lunenburg, a town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, is considered the best surviving planned British colonial settlement in North America. The town was founded in 1753 and was one of the first British attempts to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia. The town has maintained its original layout, appearance, and architecture, and is one of just two urban sites in North America to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lunenburg was named after the Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, who became King George II of Great Britain. Initially, around 300 Mi’kmaq people lived on the site, and French colonists, later known as the Acadians, settled in the area around the 1620s. The two groups co-existed peacefully, conducting trade and intermarrying.
When Britain and France brought their military conflicts to the New World in the 1700s, France ceded the area now called Nova Scotia to the British. This was when they built the fortress at Citadel Hill in Halifax, as protection from Mi’kmaq, Acadian, and French attacks.
After the Acadians were made to leave, British settlers made Lunenburg their home. It wasn’t all peaceful, however, and the town was raided in 1756 by Mi’kmaq and Maliseet raiders. The town was devastated, and attacks continued until around 1760. Lunenburg was also raided by privateers during the American Revolution, and as a result, was fortified at the start of the War of 1812.
The economy of the town relied on offshore Atlantic fisheries, and during Prohibition in the U.S. (1920-1933), Lunenburg was a base for rum-running. Additionally, the area was also home to a shipyard that built many boats, including the famous Bluenose, which is featured on the Canadian 10-cent piece.
Today, a visit to Lunenburg will take you back in time. The original architecture was maintained, with colorful wooden houses sitting on a slope overlooking the harbor. Visitors can walk the quiet streets, shop for local handicrafts, visit galleries, and enjoy seafood. The town also boasts the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic and historic fishing schooners.
