Jost Vineyards

Off Route 6, Malagash

Taste some of Nova Scotia's signature award-winning varietals while relaxing on a sunny patio overlooking the lush vineyards.

Creamery Square

Creamery Road, Tatamagouche

Creamery Square offers an engaging blend of activities, culture and heritage experiences including the Saturday morning farmers' market, kayak rentals and the new Heritage Centre.

Sutherland Steam Mill

Off Route 326, Denmark

Restored to its 19th-century glory, the mill displays the woodworking machinery the Sutherland family used to supply their community with dressed lumber, wagons, sleighs, windows and doors.

Balmoral Grist Mill

660 Matheson Brook Road, Balmoral Mills

Watch grain being ground the same way it was in the 1880s, under huge water-powered granite millstones. Inside, examine the oat-drying kiln; outside, explore beautiful grounds overlooking the rushing Matheson's Brook.

Nova Scotia Museum of Industry

Highway 104, Stellarton

Interactive exhibits, costumed interpreters and fascinating artifacts—including the nation's oldest steam locomotives—tell the story of Nova Scotia's early thriving industries.

Hector Heritage Quay

33 Caladh Avenue, Pictou

Learn about the 18th-century Scottish migration to the New World and how Pictou became known as the "Birthplace of New Scotland." Dockside, a full-size replica of the ship Hector helps to make this one of Nova Scotia's most important heritage attractions.

Northumberland Fisheries Museum

Pictou

Explore a rich array of artifacts from shipwrecks, a lighthouse and an operating lobster hatchery featuring an aquarium with rare coloured lobsters.

Magic Valley Family Fun Park

Highway 104, Greenhill

Nova Scotia's original family amusement park features rides, waterslides, mini-golf and live animals.

Swimming at Melmerby Beach

Rated as one of Canada's best beaches by 50 Plus Magazine, here you can bob in salty water that averages more than 22°C.

Riverside International Speedway

Highway 104, James River

Feel the need for speed? Take in the excitement of professional stock-car and Nascar racing, along with truck and tractor-pulls, at this short-track course just west of Antigonish.

Tidnish Suspension Bridge

Spanning the Tidnish River, this picturesque swinging suspension bridge forms part of the 4-km Henry Ketchum Hiking Trail leading from the Visitor Information Centre toward a stunning view of the Northumberland Strait.

Balmoral Grist Mill

660 Matheson Brook Road, Balmoral Mills

Capture the 19th-century rural charm of this water-powered grist mill, nestled in a deep gorge of Matheson's Brook near Tatamagouche.

Greenhill Provincial Park Lookoff

209 Dan Fraser Road, Greenhill

Pack a picnic lunch, binoculars and your camera, and take in the magnificent view.

Cape George Point Lighthouse

152 Lighthouse Road, Cape George Point

On a clear day, you can see Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island from the steep seaside cliffs.

deCoste Entertainment Centre

Water Street, Pictou

One of the finest venues for the performing arts in Eastern Canada features, among a “who's who" of the entertainment world, a program of traditional Scottish ceilidh music.

Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre

Bauer Theatre, St. Francis Xavier University

Professional live theatre all summer long, presenting over 100 performances of a dozen different shows, from high drama to family comedy.

Glasgow Square Theatre

155 Glasgow Street, New Glasgow

Offering comedy, music, ceilidhs and year-round community events, all overlooking the river.

Tantramar Theatre

98 Victoria Street East, Amherst

Three local theatre companies share this downtown stage, offering live musicals, dinner theatre, brown-bag lunch perfor­mances and children's matinees.

Pugwash Farmers Market

10222 Durham Street, Pugwash

902-243-2918

Tatamagouche Farmers' Market

41 Creamery Road, Tatamagouche

(902) 657-2762

Sugar Moon Farm

221 Alex MacDonald Road, Earltown

1-866-816-2753

The Pork Shop

RR#5, Denmark

(902) 657-3400

Pictou County Weekend Market

66 Caladh Ave Pictou

(902) 485-6329

Antigonish Farmers' Market

James Street

(902) 867-7479

Deanne Fitzpatrick Hooked Rugs

33 Church Street, Amherst

Richly detailed and brimming with vitality, Fitzpatrick's one-of-a-kind hooked rugs each tell a story about life in Atlantic Canada. Collectors of her rugs include the art galleries of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, as well as the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The shop also offers hooking kits, patterns and supplies.

Basic Spirit

9828 Durham Street, Pugwash

Shop for uniquely Nova Scotian home décor accessories and giftware made of lead free pewter. Handcrafted in their seaside studio, inspired by their surroundings, Basic Spirit designs and creates products to touch the heart and delight the spirit.

Sara Bonnyman’s Pottery

Route 246, Tatamagouche

The true joy of handmade pottery is in holding it. Wrap your hands around one of Sara's one-of-a-kind bowls and feel the spirit of the clay. Hand-thrown pots, mugs and sushi plates are available in blueberry, sunflower and contemporary seaside motifs.

Antigonish Highland Games

July 7-14, 2013

A tradition since 1863. Visitors can watch teams of the world's best heavy-events athletes compete for national pride, and take in the highland dancing, piping and drumming, a military tattoo, parades, concerts and ceilidhs—even learn a few words of Gaelic.

Pictou Lobster Carnival

July 5–7, 2013

The close of fishing season brings to Pictou musical performances, a beer garden, a parade and antique car show, boat races, family activities—and, of course, lots of lobster.

New Glasgow Riverfront Jubilee

August 2–4, 2013

The Jubilee offers music lovers an eclectic lineup of rock, blues, folk, country and East Coast music from a roster of award-winning performers and rising stars.

Festival of Tartans

New Glasgow, July 18-21, 2013

A kilted golf tournament, massed pipe bands, highland dancing, caber tossing, live Celtic music and the famous Haggis Luncheon are sure to bring out the Scot in everyone!

Wild Blueberry Harvest Festival

Central Nova Scotia, August 16– 31, 2013

Celebrate the harvest of Nova Scotia's provincial berry with live music, community dining experiences, farmers' markets, bake sales, pie-eating contests, processing tours and more.

Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival

Amherst, October 15–19, 2013

Need a little fibre in your creative diet? Check out this five-day festival that celebrates the art of knitting, quilting and rug hooking with workshops, exhibits and lots of hands-on demonstrations.

Birding on the Wallace Bay Wildlife Trail

Pack your field guide: over 168 species of birds have been recorded around Wallace Bay, where tidal inlets and salt marshes create superb habitat for waterfowl and migratory shore birds. Nature trails wind through wetlands, woodlands and open fields.

Cycling at Trenton Park

One of the largest recreation parks in Nova Scotia, at Trenton you can mountain bike a 6.5-km trail through hemlock stands, past a beaver colony and stocked ponds.

Seaside Golf anyone?

Book a tee time at Pugwash's Northumberland Links, Fox Harb’r Golf Resort & Spa or Ocean Links in Brule Point, to take in a round on the green with a spectacular oceanside view.

Hiking the Wentworth Valley

The Cobequid Mountain Trail system offers hiking opportunities for all fitness levels, along with glorious leaf-watching in the fall and cross-country skiing in winter.

Rockhounding at Arisaig Provincial Park

Look for fossils, some dating back four hundred million years, in the layered sedimentary rock along the shore. Interpretive panels describe how the fossils formed so long ago.

Kayaking in Antigonish

An estuary of the Antigonish Harbour puts paddlers up-close-and-personal with osprey, eagles and ducks in the wildlife sanctuary.

Ziplining

Get a bird's-eye view of the forest canopy and French River from atop MacGrath Mountain, zipping along on Anchors Above Zipline's 610 metres of rigged cable—not for the faint of heart!

Antigonish Heritage Museum

20 East Main Street, Antigonish

Housed in the station built by the InterColonial Railway in 1908, the museum's exhibits depict the cultural heritage of Antigonish town and county.

Cumberland County Museum and Archives

150 Church Street, Amherst

An art gallery, genealogical archive and industrial exhibit trace the history of Cumberland County.

Hector Exhibit & Research Centre

86 Old Haliburton Road, Pictou

Dig up your family roots with help from this extensive genealogical archive, which includes church, cemetery, census and shipping records, community histories and preserved newspapers.

McCulloch House Museum

100 Old Haliburton Road, Pictou

In this early 19th-century doctor's home, you'll find an engaging experience about ships, kilts, and how Scottish immigrants influenced the development of the province (see page ***).

Wallace and Area Museum

13440 Highway 6, Wallace

The former home of a 19th-century shipbuilder shares the stories of the native Mi'kmaq as well as Acadian and Loyalist settlers with art exhibits and heritage gardens.