234: Nova Scotia for the Holidays

Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast

Tamara is just back from a festive trip to Nova Scotia, Canada where she was able to experience small town holiday celebrations, the Halifax Evergreen Festival, and the Christmas Tree Capital of the World! Her trip was sponsored by Tourism Nova Scotia. All opinions are her own.

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Mentioned on the podcast:

• Tamara visited Halifax, New Ross, Mahone Bay, Lunenberg, Barrington, Liverpool, and Shelburne in Nova Scotia.
• While Nova Scotia is popular in the summer, it has plenty to offer in the winter for the holidays
• Many of the small towns feel like walking into a Hallmark Christmas movie set with a great small town, community atmosphere.
• It is a different vibe from big city holidays or German Christmas Markets, but it is perfect for those that prefer a small town environment.
• The Canadian dollar is also weak against the U.S. dollar so it is a good budget, off-season destination.
• It is only a 1.5 hour direct from Boston, but there are also direct flights to other cities on the U.S. East Coast.
• Downtown Halifax has an Evergreen Festival that includes an Evergreen Bright Trail, a small Evergreen Market with shops and fire pits, and other special events like a sports area with mini curling.
• Glow Gardens in Halifax is a great event for families featuring indoor light displays, bouncy houses, mini golf, roller skating, a Christmas train, live entertainment, and more.
• 2 days in Halifax was perfect.
• Museums in Halifax include the Pier 21 Immigration Museum and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which has a great exhibit on shipwrecks including fragments from the Titanic.
• New Ross is the Christmas Tree Capital of the World, which ships its Balsam Fir trees. You can visit the Ross Farm Museum or one of the cut-your-own Christmas tree farms. There is also a trail called Ruby's Trail that you can climb through the evergreens to a small chalet, which is home to "Twig the Elf."
• Mahone Bay had a Christmas festival with a small craft fair and a Christmas bells concert, as well as holiday decorations throughout the shops downtown.
• Lunenberg hosted a huge community arts and crafts fair for the holidays. The town of Lunenberg is very pretty, with colorful architecture and plenty of restaurants and shops.
• In Shelburne, Tamara stayed in a huge waterfront suite at Albert's Inn. Shelburne hosted Miracle on Dock Square with a walk-through Christmas parade, visit with Santa, craft fair, and various stands throughout town. It finished with fireworks over the water.
• Tamara also went searching for the lobster trap and buoy Christmas trees along the coast of Nova Scotia.
• Tamara finished her stay at the White Point Beach Resort, which has cabins, a lodge, and glomes (glamping domes). It was warm and cozy, with a great view and very nice, even in the winter.

Other Episodes You May Enjoy:

• Summer travel recap: New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island
• German Christmas Markets
• European Christmas Markets