My family and I aren’t typically the kind of people you’ll find on vacation, let alone a family road trip. We are homebodies at heart, which keeps us at home more than anywhere else. Even when we went into quarantine in 2020, we weren’t particularly displeased at having to stay home. However, even the most introverted of people can get a little claustrophobic when they are locked in their homes for a year.
Together we decided to go on a little impromptu road trip to Nova Scotia. It’s easier to travel within our own country because of Covid-19 restrictions. And we had never been to Atlantic Canada before. It was so exciting to imagine travelling to somewhere completely new!
Yet, because we aren’t travellers, we are not the best at planning them. My family and I ended up going on a spontaneous road trip more than a planned vacation. Still the best trip ever!
If you ever wanted to travel within Canada, I would highly suggest Atlantic Canada. It is absolutely beautiful!
Travelling to New Brunswick
To be honest, when we first started our trip, we had no idea what to expect. New Brunswick certainly came as a surprise. The entire province (or at least what we saw from the highway) appears to be covered in mountains and hills. (We used to flat land and man-made hills.) The beauty of New Brunswick was absolutely stunning! We loved driving the ups and downs of the roads. Though I have to admit, it did take some getting used to.
My family and I only had a few days to explore the wonders of New Brunswick, but what we saw was amazing.
Hopewell Rocks
Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy is a must-see when you visit New Brunswick! When we were first planning our family road trip, this was our ultimate destination. The Bay of Fundy can be visited both in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, but if you want to see the rocks, they are located in New Brunswick.
The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world. It really is amazing to see! (Learn more here!) There are two high tides and two low tides every 24-hours. The park provides you with the opportunity to walk on the ocean floor, which is a really great experience. You can see where the water has been and eroded the rocks over the years.
When we got there early in the morning, the tide was about halfway out. We took so many pictures among the rocks. And We all slipped in the mud quite a few times but it was really cool. The only advice I can give is to bring a pair of shoes you don’t mind getting dirty.
By the time we got back at low tide, you could see how much the water had gone down. We could now walk places we couldn’t beforehand.
On the day we visited Hopewell Rocks, the tide was supposed to be 40 feet high. When we came back closer to high tide, we could actually see the water moving in. Within 20 minutes, we saw it rise by at least 5 feet.
If I could choose any destination in New Brunswick to recommend, it would be this one!
Hartland Bridge
On the recommendation of a family member, we decided to detour a little to see the world’s longest covered bridge (with a roof). Hartland, from what we saw, is a cute town with the covered bridge as their main tourist attraction.
The bridge itself is really interesting, but look out! The traffic only goes in one direction. You have to wait for the other cars to pass before using the bridge.
Hartland has some other attractions though. They have a potato chip factory, which you can tour, called Covered Bridge Potato Chips. (They are really good by the way!). At the factory, you will also find the world’s shortest covered bridge according to the sign.
Though the bridge was made in 1898 and it is amazing to see, I wouldn’t have planned an entire vacation around it. But it was a great detour!
New Brunswick was a great destination for our road trip! I only regret not having enough time to see more of it.
Travelling to Nova Scotia
P.S.: Both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have prerequisites before you can enter their provinces during the pandemic, so be mindful of that before you plan a trip.
Nova Scotia is absolutely beautiful. The water and mountains in the province are exquisite and definitely worth a visit! If Nova Scotia isn’t already on your list of places to see in your life, it should be!
First, we stayed in Amherst. We didn’t stay for very long. It was just where we were staying the night. However, the old buildings in Downtown Amherst are pretty cool. Though we didn’t get to spend much time there, the buildings downtown were worth the short visit.
Canso Causeway
The causeway was an interesting bridge to cross. As we were crossing, it seemed like we were on a large stretch of rocks. As if someone had piled rocks over the water to allow them to build the road. It was something to behold!
We decide to visit a small beach on the side of the causeway named Ghost Beach. It gives you a lovely view of the causeway, the water, and the small cemetery at the top of the hill. The beach was nice, yet since I didn’t know the origins of the name, I was a little weary. (No ghosts for me please!)
I thought it was a cool destination, but there aren’t that many activities to do in town.
Nova Scotia is known for its lobster. We found out in Port Hawkesbury, the town near the causeway, that lobster is seasonal and we arrived just a little too late to try it. Oops! Still, we loved the view from the causeway and would recommend a short visit to see it.
Cabot Trail
The real reason someone visits this area of Nova Scotia is to see the Cabot Trail. Now that we have seen it, we can understand why. The trail is perfect for viewing the ocean! The views were amazing! The best views on our trip at that point.
There are a few things you need to know before you go. You drive the Cabot Trail, not walk, and it takes a few hours. So you should always be prepared to spend the whole day there. I would recommend splitting it into multiple days if you want to see everything. We only got to see a little bit of it with the time we had.
You should also know that in Nova Scotia when the sun goes down, it gets DARK. We figured it would but hadn’t planned our return trip to the hotel very well. It was so dark on the road, especially since we were one of the only cars travelling at that time. You should plan ahead, unlike us. (There are also moose warnings everywhere so it was an intimidating drive.)
We drove the larger trail and walked some beautiful walking trails that are littered all over the area. The most notable trail is, of course, the Skyline Trail. There is a wonderful boardwalk right in the middle of it with the most amazing ocean views. Heads-up, it got really cold when we were there and it was a LONG walk, so you might want to bring some extra layers with you.
We didn’t have much time to walk many of the other trails, but the view from the roads and the lookouts on the side of the road were so beautiful that we didn’t feel like we missed out.
If you are anywhere near this area, you have to go see the Cabot Trail. We were so amazed by all the views. It was definitely worth it!
Travelling to Prince Edward Island (PEI)
The favourite part of our family road trip was Prince Edward Island. I can’t explain to you why because we didn’t really do any activities in PEI other than beach hopping and driving, but we loved it! Being able to drive across the province within a few hours was something completely new (and kind of magical) to us. We are used to travelling over 10 hours to get across provinces, so being able to cross the entire province in 3 hours was amazing. (We didn’t travel that far, but we could have.)
Instead of the confederation bridge (which we took on the back), we took the ferry to the island. (By the way, I would not recommend the ferry for people afraid of water or boats. I discovered my fear after I got on the boat. What a lovely surprise! Not.) Everyone else enjoyed it though.
Driving in PEI was another new discovery for us. When you first get off the ferry, the land is pretty flat but the further you drive, the higher the hills get. It got to a point where we were going down hills that gave us almost enough momentum to get up the next hill and it just kept going. One of the weirdest driving experiences of my life (because I am used to flat land with no hills whatsoever). But I loved it!
But the thing we loved the most about PEI was the beaches, Thunder Cove in particular.
Thunder Cove
The best beach we saw on our family road trip was Thunder Cove. I found it online before we went and it was said to be a secret kept by the locals. I don’t think that’s true anymore. There were plenty of people there and it was cold at the time, so it is definitely well-known. We found lots of articles about this beach online too. However, I can see why someone might want to keep it secret. Best beach ever!
Thunder Cove has the red sand cliffs that PEI is known for. If you want to see PEI’s red sand, this is a great beach for that! It started to rain shortly after we got there, but I would still have wanted to go regardless. The water was beautiful and the sand was so soft beneath our feet. The sand even squeaked as we dragged our heels. There were plenty of amazing rock formations, like the teacup rocks.
If there were one beach I would recommend on Prince Edward Island, it would be this one!
When it comes to PEI, most of the towns are small but they are beautiful. (I wouldn’t say no if someone offered to move me to Prince Edward Island!) It helps that they have an amazing ice cream brand. (Shoutout to Cows!)
Our trip wasn’t long-lasting but everything that we did get to experience made this family road trip the best one we have ever had (not that we have many with which to compare). Atlantic Canada is my favourite part of Canada so far. I can’t wait to go back. I hope you get a chance to experience it at one point in your life. You will love it too!
