Culinary
Luckett's Vineyards, Avondale Sky Winery and Warner Vineyards are Nova Scotia’s newest wineries located in the Annapolis Valley. They join our 12 other wineries to create unique touring opportunities representing over 25 years award-winning wine making in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia wine industry is valued at $10 million and currently consists of 17 farm wineries, with another one in development, and 30 grape growers operating vineyards. There are approximately 475 acres of land in grape production!
The Winery Association of Nova Scotia will officially launch its signature, regional, ultra-preium white white ... Tidal Bay. This wine consists of 100% Nova Scotia grown and produced grapes and also meets regulations concering winery and vineyard practices. Tidal Bay is lower in alcohol, a little bit off-dry, aromatic and has a crisp acidity.
The Taste of Nova Scotia Prestige Awards are a celebration of excellence to honor producers and restaurants that provide Nova Scotia culinary products and experiences. 2011 Award Recipients include:
* Fleur de Sel, Lunenburg: Chef Inspired Fine Dining
* Charlotte Lane Café, Shelburne: Chef Inspired Casual Dining
* The Red Shoe Pub, Mabou: Essence of Nova Scotia Dining
* Schoolhouse Gluten-free Gourmet's Pumpkin Muffins, Mahone Bay: Consumer Choice Product of the Year
* Sledding Hill Lavender Syrup, Bear River: Innovative Product of the Year
* Meadowbrook Meat Market, Berwick: Producer of the Year
* Chef Alain Bosse (The Kilted Chef): Culinary Ambassador of the Year 
Celebrate the season’s bounty at the 1st Annual Harvest Feast at Fortress Louisbourg on September 15th. Enjoy a meal in the beautiful setting of the 18th century restaurant with food grown organically from within the fortress.
The Masstown Market has opened its new 50 ft. lighthouse that features a Bay of Fundy AV interpretation, fish market & chip boat with a wharf dining deck.
Golf
Already deemed as “Canada’s next great golf course”, Cabot Links opened its first 10 holes in 2011 with the remainder scheduled to open in 2012 as well as new accommodations, where every hole and room will have an ocean view. Located in Inverness, this walking-only, oceanfront golf course on the West Coast of Cape Breton Island is designed by Canadian architect Rod Whitman and will start in the town of Inverness and roll gently down to the beach. 
In 2012, golfers will witness the result of an effort to restore Stanley Thompson’s masterpiece, his “Mountains and Ocean” course, the
Highland Links located in Ingonish Beach. Scenic vistas have been opened up, sand bunkers restored to their original look and green speeds increased.
Attractions & Authentic Experiences
The Tall Ships return to Halifax July 19th-23rd as one of the official race ports in the Tall Ships Challenge. This year’s event will commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812. A new component this year will provide visitors with an introduction to the best of our Maritime cuisine. Several ships will also visit others ports in the province July 24th-30th. 
Nova Scotia's famous sailing ambassador, The Bluenose II, is undergoing a major rebuild to ensure its legacy for many years to come. The project is taking place at the Lunenburg Shipyard, site of the construction of the original Bluenose in 1921. The public is invited to see and learn about preserving this important piece of Nova Scotia's heritage.
The Bay of Fundy was Canada’s only finalist in the Official New 7 Wonders of Nature contest. Experience for yourself what makes the home of the world’s highest tides so special: tidal bore rafting, walking the ocean floor, kayaking along giant sea cliffs, going whale watching or discovering 300 million year old fossils.
2012 commemorates the 100th anniversary of one of the most memorable marine tragedies … the voyage of The Titanic. Halifax played a key role during the tragedy’s aftermath and this history is detailed through a number of key locations around the city:
* The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is thought to have one of the finest collection of wooden Titanic artifacts in the world. This year, the Museum will compliment its Titanic exhibit with a display on the history of the cable ships and crews who were dispatched in response to the disaster.
* Ambassatours Gray Line offers the “Titanic 100 Year Experience Tour” where you are guided through key sites in the North End of Halifax on the way to the Titanic Burial Site to learn about the lives the people buried there and the role Halifax played in the days after the sinking of the Titanic.
* At the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, you can view an exhibit on what the Titanic looks like today on the oce
an floor.
Join in an unforgettable, exhilarating, action packed 2 or 4 hour tidal bore rafting experience in versatile Zodiacs as you ride the roller coaster rapids of the Shubenacadie River. Check out these operators for your adventure like no other: Shubenacadie River Adventure Tours, Shubenacadie River Runners, Tidal Bore Rafting Park or Whitewater Adventures.
I ♥ Bikes is Halifax’s new bicycle rental service where customers can experience the best that Halifax has to offer through five carefully crafted routes bringing together different aspects of the city including nature, food, architecture, art and history.
The Studio Glass Economuseum, located in Maitland, has a new hands-on fused glass workshop for visitors where guests can create their own Nova Scotia souvenir.
Nova Scotia’s historic Sable Island will be protected forever as one of Canada’s National Parks.
Eskasoni First Nations and Iona’s Highland Village have collaborated to develop “Eskasoni Cultural Journeys”, a unique multi-cultural tour that reflects on the parallels and common threads linking Mi’kmaq and Gaelic.
The Mi-Carême Centre, located in Cheticamp, is an interactive interpretive centre that offers the opportunity to discover and experience the Mi-Carême tradition of mask making and rug hooking! Short theatre pieces permit glimpses of aspects of this rich cultural celebration.
Lunenburg Town Walking Tours, under new ownership, had added evening lantern tours to its regular lineup of authentic and entertaining strolls through the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Pictou’s Hector Heritage Quay will reopen in 2012 with enhanced visitor experiences.
Glooscap Heritage Centre will present Aboriginal theatre in 2012. They will continue the popular hand drum welcome for motorcoach visitors and provide increased hands-on culturally focussed interpretation.
Joggins Fossil Cliffs & Interpretive Centre have introduced a new 30-40 minute beach tour call the “Logan Tour”.
The Canadian Tourism Commission has launched it’s Signature Experiences Collection®. This collection of travel experiences will show the world what Canada is all about. In Nova Scotia, the following experiences are part of the growing members nation-wide: Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery; Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada; Freewheeling Adventures; Shubenacadie Tidal Bore Rafting Park & Cottages; and Celtic Colours International Festival.
Fortress Louisbourg has introduced a number of new programs:
* A new way of discovering and learning about the ruins at the Fortress is a hand devise that gives you detailed information about the ruins through voice recording, pictures and videos.
* Visitors can have a new hands-on experience by helping to build a boat. Learn first hand the technique of building an 18th. century style boat.
* The launch of the Xplorers Club is a new national program of exploration and fun activities specifically designed for children aged 6 to 11 and their families.
* Geocaching is available year round at the fortress, who have six traditional geocaches. A great new way to experience this very special place!
* Continued again in 2012 the popular ‘Public Archaeology Program’. This program offers amateur history buffs the chance to sift through the sands of time to uncover actual artifacts from the original settlement of Louisbourg.
Accommodations
On November 12, 2011, the hospitality industry in Nova Scotia was dealt a heartbreaking blow when the historic Main Lodge of White Point Beach Resort was destroyed by fire. The property is closed temporarily (with the exception of the Vacation Club Units) however it will be returned to its former glory, better than ever, in the fall of 2012. Stay tuned as we watch the rebirth of White Point Beach Resort!
The Old Parsonage Artists’ Retreat B&B in Selma has purchased a neighboring church to renovate for corporate retreats and art workshops.
Don't Miss Events
Halifax, by fate, has connections to the Titanic like no other place in North America has. It's arguable that after Belfast (where the Titanic was built) - Halifax is the second most important Titanic city in the world because of her Titanic assets: the 3 Titanic cemeteries, it's 24 Titanic sites including the recovery locations, the morgues, locales for the 1997 movie, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's exhibit and the Titanic scientific exhibit at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, which has done ground-breaking research on the Titanic. Halifax is the birth place of Samuel Cunard - the father of the ocean passenger trade and the ocean liner and 2012 will mark the 225th anniversary of his birth. Nearby, Yarmouth has the wreck of the Titanic's mystery ship - Samson. For this and many other reasons, various locations and operations across the province will commemorate this historic event with a number of events, activities and packages.
On the evening of April 14th, follow Twitter for the unfolding of the Titanic’s fate through the same wireless messages operators received in 1912.
The 2nd Annual Hammer In Fortress Louisbourg will take place October 12th-14th … watch blacksmiths from Cape Breton and around the Maritimes demonstrate their skills using various 18th - 21st century tools and techniques.
Long Pond Heritage Classic Hockey Tournament will take place February 11th. Long Pond, located in Windsor, is considered by many to be the site of the first hockey game played more than 200 years ago.
The Halifax Citadel National Historic Site will commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812 with a series of performances, displays and interactive activities to bring to life the role the Halifax fortification played in this pivotal period of Canadian history.
The 33rd Jeux de l'Acadie will bring together 1,200 Acadian and Francophone athletes from across Atlantic Canada to the Municipality of Argyle from June 29th-July 3rd, 2012 to compete in eight sports. The athletes range in age from 11-16 on nine teams from New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
New in 2012: the Annapolis Royal Ghost Town Festival, October 19th-21st.
Fort Edward National Historic Site in Windsor will relive history August 6th-7th with a military encampment and a sunset ceremony performed by the 84th Regiment of Foot 2nd Battalion (Royal Highland Emigrants). Learn about life in an 18th century regiment by interacting with the military re-enactors.
Celebrate the season’s bounty at the 1st Annual Harvest Feast at Fortress Louisbourg on September 15th. Enjoy a meal in the beautiful setting of the 18th century restaurant with food grown organically from within the fortress.
Arichat will celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Notre Dame de l'Assomption which was the original home of St. Francis Xavier University.