Indian Harbour & Peggy’s Cove Area

Indian Harbour is a small fishing community of the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on the Chebucto Peninsula. It is located between the communities of Peggy’s Cove and Hackett’s Cove.Indian Harbour is located next to the popular tourist destination Peggy’s Cove and its famous lighthouse.There is also a lighthouse in Indian Harbour, located at the end of Paddy’s Head Peninsula.

The Peggy’s Cove Area of the region follows along route 333 from West Dover and includes the villages of Peggy’s Cove, Indian Harbour, Hackett’s Cove and Glen Margaret.

The historic lighthouse and stunning scenery in this area are the main attractions but there is enough to do here to entertain you for two or three days. Spend a day walking and shopping in Peggy’s Cove Village. This is a working fishing village with all that accompanies that activity. Fishermen come and go, lobster traps and fish nets decorate the wharves and roadside, and fishing boats come and go from the local wharf. Learn the geology and history of the Village as told on story boards scattered throughout the area. Shop for souvenirs at the gift shops,enjoy an espresso and cookie on the deck at Beales while taking in the view of the cove and be sure to stop for chowder and gingerbread at the Sou’Wester Restaurant.

Go hiking in the thousand acre Peggy’s Cove Preservation Area. Glaciers shaped the land thousands of years ago, ancient boulders,some weighing many tons, are scattered along the coast.

Grand Lake Area, Nova Scotia

Shubenacadie Grand Lake is a large lake straddling the Halifax Regional Municipality and Hants County. The lake itself is the seventh largest lake in the Shubenacadie Canal system. Shubenacadie Grand Lake boasts two beautiful Provincial Parks. Laurie Provincial Park and Oakfield Provincial Park.

Only minutes from metro Halifax/Dartmouth, Laurie Provincial Park is the perfect escape from the urban rush, yet the park is close enough for day trips in to visit the many attractions found in the metro area. The quiet lakeside setting offers a wide range of outdoor opportunities including camping, canoeing, water skiing, fishing, and swimming. Oakfield Park is popular for Picnics, swimming and boating in the summertime and has a wheelchair accessible boat launch.

Shubenacadie Grand Lake is situated between Fall River and Enfield, both popular, thriving, communities. Fall River has been expanding rapidly over the past 10 years with the construction of a large supermarket and surrounding shopping centre. Due to the increased presence of schools and retail, Fall River serves as a hub for neighboring communities. Enfield borders Hants County and Halifax County.

Area Schools:

Georges P. Vanier Junior High School
Enfield District Elementary School
Holland Road Elementary School
Oldfield Consolidated School
Ash Lee Jefferson School
Lockview High School
Fall River School of Performing Arts
Georges P. Vanier Junior High School

Eastern Shore, Nova Scotia: About the Area – An Outdoor Enthusiasts Paradise

Stretching from the edges of the Halifax Metro region to the Canso Causeway, Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore is a place where historically themed attractions, outdoor activities, comforting cuisine, and a natural paradise come together to create a one-of-a-kind travel experience. Outdoor enthusiasts will love this region. From Martinique Beach, Nova Scotia’s longest sandy beach, to Lawrencetown Beach, a popular year-round hot spot for surfing, this is the perfect destination for swimming, surfing, sea kayaking, or taking part in the annual sandcastle competition at Clam Harbour Beach Provincial Park. The seaside setting is home to numerous bird species, including eider ducks, great blue herons, Atlantic puffins, plovers, and sandpipers, making it a must-visit destination for birding enthusiasts. Hikers and cyclists will find numerous multi-use and wilderness trails to enjoy.

You can step into Nova Scotia’s past at one of the region’s living-history museums – the enduring, authentic late 1800s setting of Sherbrooke Village, or Memory Lane Heritage Village’s depiction of the province’s rural industries in the 1940s, including gold mining. See how a fisherman supported a family of fifteen in the tiny homestead that is now the Fisherman’s Life Museum in Oyster Pond.

The Eastern Shore is the ideal getaway for people looking to escape the urban way.

Eastern Shore Attractions:

Memory Lane Heritage Village, Lake Charlotte
Sherbrook Village
Port Bickerton Lighthouse, Port Bickerton
Fisherman’s Life Museum, Jeddore Oyster Pond
Lawrencetown Beach
Taylor Head Provincial Park
Clam Harbour Provincial Park
Coastal Adventures, Tangier

Duncan’s Cove, Nova Scotia

Read Duncan’s Cove Blog.
Duncan’s Cove is a small rural community on the Chebucto Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean on the Ketch Harbour Road (Route 349), 19 kilometers from Halifax. The community is located beside Chebucto Head, the prominent coastal headland.

History

Duncan’s Cove began as a small fishing community. The first recorded settler in Duncan’s Cove was Simon Duntoyn in 1752. The cove was named after Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan who defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Camperdown.

Overlooking the entrance to Halifax Harbour made it a strategic part of Halifax’s defense system in the 18th century. The Camperdown Signal Station, was built a few miles northward next to nearby Portuguese Cove in 1797, the first of a series of signal stations built by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. It later became a wireless station and was operational until 1925.

In World War Two, the area around Chebucto Head, including Duncan’s Cove, became a fortified coastal battery armed with three Elswick 6 inch naval guns. For these cannon, a four-story concrete director tower was built near the eastern shore of Duncan’s Cove with a longrange optical rangefinder installed on the top floor. By 1943, this range-finding apparatus had been supplanted by the latest radar artillery control unit. The battery complex was decommissioned in the 1950s but many bunkers remain, some converted into private residences.

After the Second World War two families of musicians who played with the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra moved to Duncan’s Cove. One of those families embarked upon a decades-long construction project of unconventionally shaped timber-framed dwellings, and even had a small private airstrip. By the late 1960s, fishing from the cove had dwindled and the community become known as an artists’ colony, with many symphony players, visual artists and theatrical actors residing there. The landmark gunnery director tower stood derelict for many years, until finally passing into private hands in the 1990s. The building is virtually unrecognizable today, having been radically converted into a luxury residence.

Nature Reserve

Duncan’s Cove Nature Reserve has one of HRM’s top coastal hikes, if not the best. Whales have been spotted in this area in the spring, bringing a pair of binoculars will increase your chances of seeing them, as well as getting a closer look at seals and shipping traffic beginning or ending their long Atlantic journey.This area is also the only known mainland Nova Scotia locality supporting the provincially rare Arctic Blueberry.

Leisure:

Duncan’s Cove is within easy reach of Purcell’s Cove Marina and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. The Squadron is home to close to 900 members from Canada, the United States, and international regions and offer instructional programs and on-water activities for all ages, with the largest learn to sail program in Atlantic Canada. One of Halifax’s best loved beaches is just a short drive away from Duncan’s Cove, Crystal Crescent beach is actually three whitesand crescent beaches located at the mouth of Halifax Harbour. Boardwalks to the first two beaches. Trailhead for a hike to Pennant Point, 10 km (6 mi) which provides interesting birding and wildlife viewing.

Area Schools:

Sambro Elementary
Herring Cove Junior High
William King Elementary
Central Spryfield School
J L Ilsley High School

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Dartmouth, founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia.

Located on the Eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the “City of Lakes” after the large number of lakes located in the city. The 23 lakes provide opportunities for kayaking, windsurfing,canoeing and swimming.

The Dartmouth waterfront has boardwalks that lead east and west from the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal, providing visitors with excellent views of McNab’s Island, George’s Island and the two bridges (the Angus L.
McDonald and the A. Murray MacKay). The Dartmouth Events Plaza accommodates a variety of special events, Such as the Multicultural Festival and Canada Day celebrations. Dartmouth has the oldest saltwater ferry system in North America.

Commuting to Halifax from Dartmouth is achieved by two different methods. You can drive your car or take a bus over either of two bridges or you can take either of two ferries that travel between Dartmouth and Halifax.

Dartmouth is also home to Dartmouth Crossing a CAD$280 million commercial development owned by North American Development Group.When it was first being developed, it was the largest retail construction project in Canada east of Calgary. It is comprised of 3 districts that include a “big box” retail area with large to medium sized stores, a “main street” district containing smaller, fashion-oriented stores, known as ‘The Village Shops at Dartmouth Crossing and an entertainment district containing restaurants and anchored by a 12-screen Cineplex Cinemas movie theatre.

Area Schools:

Shannon Park (PR-06)
Hawthorne (PR-06)
Prince Arthur (07-09)
Dartmouth High (10-12)

Distance to:

Stanfield International Airport – 29mins
City of Halifax – 11mins