Nova Scotia
Exploring what lies beyond Canada’s Ocean Playground & uncovering it’s hidden stories, histories, and geology.
Nova Scotia is a province whose history has been defined by the movement of people and shifting landscapes. Expansive coastlines, sheltered harbours, far-reaching rivers, and interior highlands have shaped how communities formed and how people have moved across the land for thousands of years. Well before European contact, the Mi’kmaq travelled, traded, and stewarded the land, leaving enduring cultural and geographic signatures on the landscape. Later, Nova Scotia’s eastern location at the edge of North America helped make it one of the earliest points of arrival for immigrants into what is now Canada. Settlers, merchants, and soldiers transformed shorelines, forests, and river valleys, shaping the map of Nova Scotia into what we see today. The cumulative effect of this history can now be traced through its communities, roads, ruins, and active landscapes.
Nova Scotia is widely known for its iconic destinations and scenic routes, from the rugged plateaus of the Cape Breton Highlands to the historic streets and waterfront of Lunenburg, and from the lighthouse-studded shores of the South Coast to the fertile Annapolis Valley. These places continue to draw visitors from around the world, seeking the province’s distinctive maritime character and pace of life and, of course, its friendly and welcoming people. Yet beyond these familiar landmarks lies a lesser-known Nova Scotia, where traces of its early industries and ways of life remain scattered across the landscape.
Our Stories & Adventures
Our stories, adventures, & favorite destinations in Nova Scotia
Sambro Island
Sambro Island, located at the mouth of Halifax Harbour, is home to North America’s oldest operating lighthouse and a rich tapestry of maritime and geologic history.
Teleglobe’s Mill Village Satellite Station
Nestled on a hill near the quaint community of Mill Village, the remnants of the Teleglobe Satellite Station stand as a silent testimony to Canada’s pivotal yet often overlooked role in global telecommunications.
Halifax Harbour Paddle: Africville to Wrights Cove
An evening paddle from Africville to Wrights Cove in Halifax Harbour.
Chasing Shipwrecks: Middle River, Nova Scotia
Exploring a shipwreck near the charming town of Chester, Nova Scotia.
Exploring the Ghost Ships of the LaHave River
An excursion to photograph three fishing trawlers on the banks of the LeHave River in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia.
While the movement of people which includes the Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotians, Acadians, and later European settlers, have shaped Nova Scotia’s identity, all have relied on the province’s natural resources for livelihood and as a place to call home. Today, remnants of past extractive and industrial activities can be found across the province, including mines, abandoned rail lines, derelict wharves, industrial foundations, and coastal fortifications. These features speak to centuries of economic experimentation and adaptation. Natural processes have reclaimed many of these sites, blending cultural history with the province’s notably diverse physical landscape. Wave-cut cliffs, extensive cave systems, fossil beds, waterfalls, and dramatic tidal environments reveal a world beyond human influence and tell the story of a deep geological past shaped by ancient seas, mountain ranges, and the collision of continents.
We have been fortunate to call this remarkable province home, and in our time here we have sought to look beyond the well-known and popular tourist destinations to explore places that are overlooked and off the beaten path. We invite you to explore Nova Scotia with us, moving beyond the familiar to discover its quieter landscapes and surviving fragments of the past, each offering insight into a deeper and more textured understanding of the province and its history.
Hidden Nova Scotia
125+ secret coves, wreck sites, abandoned armaments, and other off-the-beaten-path destinations
Building off the best-selling guidebook Hidden Newfoundland, Hidden Nova Scotia explores the historic province describing some of the province’s s most incredible places, how to find them, and how they came to be hidden or forgotten. If you are interested in secret waterfalls, peaceful coves, ghostly industrial sites, abandoned armaments, sinkholes, shipwrecks or just simply wishing to explore a little known place in Nova Scotia, then make sure you check out Hidden Nova Scotia: 125+ secret coves, wreck sites, abandoned armaments, and other off-the-beaten-path destinations.
Exploring Nova Scotia
Annapolis River Paddle: Meadowvale to Brickton
Rain-soaked and full of laughter, our kayak adventure down the Upper Annapolis River from Meadowvale to Brickton was an unforgettable journey of thrilling paddling and pure fun.
North Porters Lake
A short kayak around the picturesque north end of Porter’s Lake near Halifax.
Exploring the Ghost Ships of the LaHave River
An excursion to photograph three fishing trawlers on the banks of the LeHave River in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia.
Chasing Shipwrecks: Middle River, Nova Scotia
Exploring a shipwreck near the charming town of Chester, Nova Scotia.
Halifax Harbour Paddle: Africville to Wrights Cove
An evening paddle from Africville to Wrights Cove in Halifax Harbour.
Teleglobe’s Mill Village Satellite Station
Nestled on a hill near the quaint community of Mill Village, the remnants of the Teleglobe Satellite Station stand as a silent testimony to Canada’s pivotal yet often overlooked role in global telecommunications.
Sambro Island
Sambro Island, located at the mouth of Halifax Harbour, is home to North America’s oldest operating lighthouse and a rich tapestry of maritime and geologic history.