The Best of the Bras d'Or Lakes

Highland Village Museum

4119 Route 223, Iona

Fàilte! You’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time 200 years, as costumed interpreters greet you in Gaelic and you explore the village buildings of this 43-acre living history museum, nestled in the Cape Breton hills.

Orangedale Railway Station Museum

Highway 105, Orangedale

All aboard! Climb onto vintage railway cars and explore the romance of the rails in a fine collection of artifacts and memorabilia at this 19th-century railway station.

Rita’s Tea Room

8077 Route 4, Big Pond

Stop in for a spot of tea and a taste of old-fashioned hospitality—the legendary Cape Breton songbird is as famous for that as she is for her music.

St. Peter’s Canal National Historic Site

Route 4, St. Peter’s

This 800-metre (0.5-mile) canal has been a busy gateway between the Bras d’Or Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean for over 140 years. Nearby, picturesque Battery Provincial Park offers a great view of the locks.

Wagmatcook Cultural and Heritage Centre

10765 Highway 105, Wagmatcook

Experience a story over 10,000 years in the making. Learn about Nova Scotia’s first people, the Mi’kmaq, through their music, storytelling, nature, food, language and spirituality, in a beautiful waterfront environment on the shores of the sparkling Bras d’Or Lakes.

Bald eagles on the Bras d’Or coast

About two hundred pairs of bald eagles choose the Bras d’Or coastline as their nesting and breeding grounds; look up, and you’ll often see these magnificent birds soaring aloft or perched on shoreline trees.

Kelly’s Mountain look-offs

Highway 105 winds steeply around the curve of Kelly’s Mountain, where look-offs provide breathtaking views of the Great Bras d’Or Channel and the Seal Island Bridge on one side, and the Englishtown Ferry traversing St. Ann’s Harbour on the other.

Marble Mountain Beach

William MacInnis Lane

Local hiking trail overlooks the unique marble-chip white beach and pristine blue green waters. Also a popular boating area with family day celebrations and boat poker rally held in August.

Farmer’s Daughter Country Market

9393 Highway 105, Whycocomagh

Stop by for an ice cream and a stroll through the garden centre. Pick up locally grown vegetables, fresh-baked bread, artisanal cheeses and other gourmet goodies.

Grey Seal Weaving

3810 Point Michaud Road, Lower L’Ardoise

Wrap yourself in the luxury of a beautiful shawl or scarf, hand-woven from silk, wool, linen or cotton.

Lamoore Designs

15–6 Alder Point Road, Bras d’Or

Artist Laura Moore redefines “precious” by crafting unique handmade jewellery from found objects like beach glass, seashells and preserved leaves and flowers.

MacIsaac Kiltmakers

4 MacAskill Drive, St. Peter’s

Wear your family’s tartan with pride: don a hand-sewn kilt or sash in your own Scottish colours, or choose from among a wide selection of Celtic jewellery, accessories and gifts.

Woodwork Art

Kempt Head

Using local fruit woods, birch and maple, artist Terron Dodd crafts functional spoons, utensils and bowls whose organic, flowing shapes curve with the grain of the wood.

Whycocomagh Summer Festival

Whycocomagh, July 11–17, 2011

This lively annual event features ceilidhs, a milling frolic, family square dances, canoe races, and lots of family and youth events ending with a Sunday Finale concert.

Nicolas Denys Days

St. Peter’s. August 1–7, 2011

This action-packed, week-long festival features activities including war canoe races, a chowder dinner, yachting, geo-caching, concerts and art auctions.

Highland Village Day

Iona, August 6, 2011

Pack a picnic blanket and your dancing shoes for the first Saturday in August, when this 50th annual outdoor summer celebration showcases the traditional music, song and dance of Gaelic Nova Scotia.

Féis an Eilein

Christmas Island, August 15–20, 2011

Learn to play the bodhran drum at the annual “Festival of the Island,” which offers Celtic music concerts, Gaelic language workshops, step-dancing and storytelling. The highlight is the annual milling frolic, a traditional activity in which newly spun wool is pounded on a table to the rhythm of Gaelic songs. Join in the fun!

Birdwatching

Just off the coast of Big Bras d’Or, the dramatic Bird Islands rise from the sea like rocky pillars. Book a boat tour to get up close and personal with thousands of nesting sea birds, including razorbills, kittiwakes and over 300 pairs of Atlantic puffins.

Cruise the lakes

Known for gentle, fog-free waters, beautiful anchorages and hundreds of coves and islands just waiting to be explored, the Bras d’Or Lakes are an internationally renowned cruising destination. So get out on the water: find a guided tour or sailing cruise to suit your taste, or rent your own small craft at the Baddeck marina.

Golf by the lakes

Fore! The incredible lake views will inspire you to play your best 18 holes, on the Robert Moote-designed championship course at Dundee Resort & Golf Club.