EXCURSIONS À TERRE

Board your motor coach and brace yourself as you set out on a South Shore Adventure of Nova Scotia! Visit Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg and Mahone Bay and discover their colourful houses, museums, art galleries, souvenir shops, cafe’s and restaurants. This tour will demonstrate the beautiful diversity of the South Shore and allows you free time to plot your journey at each location, whether you want to savor the local foods and atmosphere in one of the cafe’s/restaurants, buy souvenirs, or just mosey along viewing the impressive sites and taking pictures, the choice is yours!

At Peggy's Cove, discover why this picturesque seaside village with its stately lighthouse has been an inspiration to artists and writers for generations. It is here that the power and majesty of the Atlantic Ocean truly comes to life along the granite shores of the Cove - worn and shaped through the crashing surf.

Continuing on, you will arrive at another extraordinarily scenic area, Old Town Lunenburg. Established in 1753, it is North America’s best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement. The original layout and appearance has been retained so faithfully that UNESCO designated Lunenburg a World Heritage site. During free time, you can explore the brightly colored Old Town, which is easy to navigate because the streets follow a rectangular grid pattern designed in Britain. You can expect to see 18th-century wooden buildings and perhaps a replica of the Bluenose, Canada’s legendary racing ship that was launched here in 1921. Finally, we will visit Mahone Bay, considered to be one of the most attractive towns in Canada. This small and friendly community is renowned for the view across the Bay of three prominent churches. Take time to explore the many varied and local offerings along lovely Main Street before relaxing on the return drive to the Port of Halifax.

Learn about the famous explorer Captain Cook during this informative tour that traces the coastal route he explored over 250 years ago. Before going on to discover New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii, Captain Cook learned his skills as a navigator and captain in Newfoundland. The route you will follow today includes delightful fishing villages inhabited by people of English, French, and Aboriginal ancestry. Among the highlights you will enjoy are the rugged coastal scenery and inland forests, along with the possibility of sighting some seals and other wildlife.

A stop will be made at Lark Harbor where you will be treated to a sampling of Newfoundland flavors with a coffee/tea break served by the friendly locals. This visit in the small community of Lark Harbor always proves to be a high point of the tour and gives participants a chance to meet the genial residents.

Before returning to the pier, you will stop at the dramatic lookout site of Cook's Look-out National Historic Site.

Admire the natural beauty surrounding the Bay of Fundy by visiting a coastal park full of hiking trails, lookouts and historical buildings from the years when this area was logged.

After departing from the pier, you will settle in for a relaxing drive to St. Martins, a lovely coastal village settled in 1783. It is known for its twin covered bridges, which you will view from a vantage point that allows you to capture both bridges in one spectacular shot. Continuing on, you will travel the winding Fundy Trail Parkway, passing forest lookouts, more beautiful beaches and the spectacular Bay of Fundy that rims the park.

At the Big Salmon Interpretive Centre, you will watch an enlightening video about the park’s history and the modest lodge that newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst built nearby. You will then have free time to enjoy the attractions that interest you most. You might meander the hiking paths, cross the suspension footbridge that spans the crystal-clear Salmon River, and explore the replica sawmill.

Be sure to see Flower Pot Rock, a tall thin rock tower that the pounding sea has shaped over time. The bay’s rising tides have also created sea caves in the red sandstone, which you will see on the return to St. Martins. While totally submerged during high tide, the caves are easy to reach at low tide and make for a memorable photo any time. Following lunch at a restaurant that overlooks the caves, you will return to Saint John.

Discover the history of the privileged Bar Harbor area by driving through town and around gorgeous Acadia National Park before heading out to sea on a 151-foot schooner. After departing from the pier, you will settle in for a scenic and enlightening drive through Bar Harbor. The town became one of New England’s most exclusive destinations at the turn of the 20th century, attracting the likes of the Rockefellers, Carnegies and Vanderbilts, who built opulent summer “cottages” on Frenchman Bay. At Village Green, you will see Bar Harbor’s iconic cast-iron town clock and 19th-century bandstand. Continuing into Acadia National Park, you will follow the 27-mile road that loops through the spectacularly beautiful park. Back in town, you will board the Margaret Todd, a spacious four-masted schooner and head into Frenchman Bay for a closer look at the offshore wonders. As you sail around the immensely scenic island-dotted bay, you will hear commentary describing the points of interest and wildlife such as porpoises and bald eagles.

Cruise to nearby Peaks Island for a traditional Maine lobster bake with all sorts of delectable side dishes at a quaint New England inn.

After a short walk from the pier, you will board a ferry bound for Peaks Island, which lies just three miles offshore. Although it will only take about 15 minutes to reach the island, the crossing of sparkling Casco Bay will be wonderfully picturesque.

You will pass the 19th-century Bug Light Lighthouse, an elegant cast-iron lighthouse with Corinthian columns that was modeled after a monument that stands near the Acropolis in Athens. You may also spot Fort Scammel on neighboring House Island, which was erected prior to the War of 1812 to protect Maine’s coastal communities.

First settled by the Abnaki Indians, Peaks Island started to flourish in the late 1890s, as Portland’s population grew, hotels and cottages were built and an amusement park went up. It is hard to imagine, but Peaks Island was once called the “Coney Island of Maine.” Today, the population is about 1,000, and the lifestyle is low-key and quintessentially New England.

Upon arriving, you will walk to the nearby Inn on Peaks Island, a seasonal lodging that features outstanding views of the sea and classic Maine cuisine. Here, you will enjoy a traditional lobster bake that will include New England clam chowder, steamed mussels and sides such as corn on the cob. If you wish to stretch your legs afterwards, there will be time.

This mostly panoramic tour gives you a great overview of Corner Brook. Boarding your bus, you will head out for a scenic drive to Captain Cook's Look-out historic site. From here, you can see out over the beautiful Bay of Islands.

Your tour will also include seeing the dramatic settings of Corner Brook's parks and magnificent vistas, all the while learning interesting facts about this picturesque logging town that is perched at the mouth of one of the world's great salmon rivers. Hear tales of 40-pound salmon, the buried treasure of Shellbird Island and the many wonders of western Newfoundland. Of course you will also get better acquainted with the world-famous Captain Cook and have a look at the forests that lured North America's first European visitors, the Vikings.

After a photo stop at the scenic Old Man in the Mountain viewpoint, you will enjoy a picturesque drive back to the pier.

OVERVIEW

Discover why Bar Harbor attracts so many foodies by sampling a variety of delectable dishes and treats made with locally sourced seasonal ingredients. As you walk about a mile or so around the Village Green in the heart of the city, you will sample imaginative and classic Maine dishes at four different venues. Your guide will be local and the entrepreneurs will be happy to share the histories of their businesses, so the experience will be enlightening. One of the most fascinating aspects is learning how Bar Harbor’s cuisine has evolved yet kept true to its roots. Maine’s official berry is the wild blueberry, so it may well be used in some of the signature dishes and treats. You can also expect to learn about Maine’s thriving lobster industry during this epicurean experience. You might hear how lobsters are caught and how their numbers are sustained to ensure that the industry continues to flourish.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sample classic Maine delicacies at four venues around the Village Green.
• Discuss the details of the dishes with the entrepreneurs, who will happily share the recipes.
• Realize the importance of wild blueberries and lobsters to Maine’s cuisine.
• Gain an historical perspective of Bar Harbor as you walk downtown.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Enjoy the best of what the Saguenay region has to offer. Your tour begins with a scenic drive through La Baie, where you’ll discover the importance of the Saguenay Fjord – deeply chiseled in the Laurentian Mountains. The Fjord Museum will explain the creation of the fjord and the mysteries it conceals. You’ll pass the Ha! Ha! Pyramid, a monument to the great flood of 1996 that devastated the region and proved to be one of Canada’s greatest natural disasters.

A visit will be made to Arthur Villeneuve’s Place, where guests are invited to see the impressive frescoes done by the local barber-painter that cover almost every square inch of his home. Your final stop will be to Le Chevrier du Nord, a small family run goat farm that produces goat mohair wool.

After departing from the pier, you will settle in for an extraordinarily scenic and circuituous drive through the countryside and around the northern edge of Passamaquoddy Bay. Upon reaching the town of Saint Andrews at the tip of a peninsula, you will board a Zodiac boat and zip off toward the Bay of Fundy.

Over the next few hours, you will watch for the abundant marine life that come here to feed. Although a dozen or so species of whales are found here during the summer, the most commonly sightly whales include humpbacks, minkes and finbacks.

Humpbacks have huge appetites and are named for the way they arch their backs out of the water before diving to feed. You may also spot them spy-hopping with their snouts and eyes vertically out of the water and slapping their fins on the water’s surface.

Minke whales are much smaller, ranging between 15 to 25 feet, and are easy to identify by the white strip across each flipper. Finback whales are the second largest of all whales and are generally solitary and have a distinct dorsal fin. The crew will help you identify the whales, elaborate on their behavior and answer questions.

Following this magnificent adventure, you will enjoy free time in Saint Andrews to shop and perhaps enjoy lunch on your own.

A wonderful outdoor adventure, this tour features leisurely walks through the nearby woods where views include a cascading waterfall, meandering stream and open parkland. Boarding your school bus at the pier, it's a brief drive to the scenic Corner Brook Stream trail system, where you will have the pleasure of hiking its serene paths, parts of which wind through the city. The trail follows the stream itself, which eventually flows into the bay. Along the way, look for songbirds warbling in the trees, wildflowers blanketing the forest floor, and clusters of ripe berries in the bushes.

To enhance the experience and take full advantage of the ever-changing topography, there are pedestrian bridges, staircases and platforms that offer dramatic views of the countryside. Next you will be shuttled to the Glynmill Inn Trail, much of which also runs parallel to Corner Brook Stream and Glynmill Inn Pond. Mill workers originally constructed the pond as a dam to supply power to the city's paper industry.

Following your hike you will stop at a local café for a tasty treat made with Newfoundland berries before driving back to the pier where your tour concludes.

View rolling farmlands, stunning seascapes, tiny villages and bustling harbors along Blue Heron Drive as you get ready to meet Anne of Green Gables and actual descendants of Lucy Maud Montgomery. First stop is Silver Bush and the Anne of Green Gables Museum, here you’ll tour the museum, explore the beautiful grounds with many flower beds and gardens and share some Raspberry cordial with Anne herself!

Next, it's off to Cavendish, the old farm site that inspired L. M. Montgomery's first novel, Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Highlighting some of the finest attractions on Prince Edward Island's breathtaking north shore, this is definitely the ultimate Anne experience.

If you want to see and do it all in one day, this is the tour for you! Combining the best of the region’s rich history and heritage with natural beauty, this tour features the Top 10 things to see and do in Saint John and the Bay of Fundy.

Discover favorites of locals and visitors alike, including Reversing Falls Rapids, a fishing village with a working harbor, the Bay of Fundy beach and sea caves of St. Martins, scenic vistas of the shoreline, charming covered bridges and chatting with local vendors at the Saint John City Market. Hear about the rich military history as your tour takes you past key sites such as the Carleton Martello Tower and Fort Howe, see parts of North America’s first Geopark, named Stonehammer, take in the Victorian architecture of the historic district and enjoy a taste of Moosehead Beer at an Irish Pub.