Tourism on the Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia) facts for kids

Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum

The Eastern Shore is a beautiful area in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It's a popular spot for visitors and helps bring in money for the province's tourism. One special part of the Eastern Shore is a group of islands called the 100 Wild Islands area.

Fun Museums and Attractions

The Eastern Shore has many interesting places to visit. You can learn about history, see old buildings, and even explore how people lived long ago.

• Shearwater Aviation Museum
  • This museum in Shearwater shows the history of CFB Shearwater, a Canadian air force base. It also covers other Canadian aviation sites.

• Acadian House Museum/L'Acadie de Chezzetcook
  • This museum in West Chezzetcook is like a living museum. It shows how Acadian people lived on the Eastern Shore in the 1800s.

• Musquodoboit Valley Bicentennial Theatre and Cultural Centre
  • This theatre in Middle Musquodoboit has 230 seats. It's a restored community building that hosts music, dances, and plays.

• Moose River Gold Mine Museum
  • This museum and park tells the story of gold mining in the area. It also shares about a famous gold mining disaster and rescue from 1936. It's near Moose River Gold Mines.

• Icelandic Memorial
  • This trail, log cabin, and memorial are on the site of an Icelandic settlement from the 1800s. You can read signs that explain the history.

• Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum
  • This museum in Musquodoboit Harbour explains the history of the local railway. It also shows the trains that used to travel on the tracks.

• Fisherman's Life Museum
  • This Nova Scotia Museum shows what life was like for the Myers family in the early 1900s. It's in the fishing community of Oyster Pond.

• Memory Lane Heritage Village
  • This living history museum in Lake Charlotte shows what rural life was like in Nova Scotia in the 1940s. The museum also hosts community events.

• MacPhee House Community Museum
  • This museum in Sheet Harbour shows what home life was like on the Eastern Shore. It's in a historic building that was once a house and a hotel. There's also a nature trail and park nearby.

• Goldenville Gold Mining Interpretive Centre
  • This gold mining museum is in an old church in Goldenville. It tells the story of how this small Nova Scotia community became a major gold-producing area.

• Sherbrooke Village
  • This large living museum in Sherbrooke shows what life was like in the 1800s. It's part of the Nova Scotia Museum.

• Saint Mary's River Salmon Museum
  • This museum shows the history of salmon and other wildlife in the Saint Mary's River. It also covers the Sherbrooke region.

• Baird's Tradesman Museum
  • This museum in Aspen, Nova Scotia has many rare antique tools. These tools are from different trades in the community and some are up to 200 years old.

• Port Bickerton Lighthouse Interpretive Centre
  • This lighthouse and information center teaches people about lighthouses in Nova Scotia. It also focuses on the Port Bickerton lighthouse.

• Goldboro Interpretive Centre
  • This center tells the local history of Goldboro and its gold mining past. Goldboro is also home to Nova Scotia's first natural gas plant.

• Out of the Fog Lighthouse Museum
  • This lighthouse museum shows what it was like to live in a light station. It also shares local history of Half Island Cove.

• Canso Islands National Historic Site
  • This Parks Canada site shows the history and battles at the Grassy Island Fort. It also covers local history of Canso. You can take a ferry to get there.

• Whitman House Museum
  • The Canso museum shows the local history. This includes wars and battles that happened in the small town.

• Prince Henry Sinclair Monument
  • This granite monument with an information center is in Halfway Cove. It also has a lookout point.

• Chedabucto Place Performance Centre
  • This community theatre in Guysborough hosts many town events. Many Nova Scotian musicians perform here.

• Mulgrave Road Theatre
  • This second theatre in Guysborough has created some of Atlantic Canada's best plays.

• Old Courthouse Museum/Old Court House 1843
  • This museum is in an old courthouse. It shows Guysborough's history and the heritage of the courthouse building.

• Mulgrave Heritage Centre
  • This heritage center and information center in Mulgrave provides details about the town and its history.

Great Outdoors: Beaches and Parks

The Eastern Shore is full of amazing outdoor places to explore. You can find beautiful beaches and peaceful parks.

• Rainbow Haven Beach Provincial Park, Cow Bay
• Conrad's Beach, West Lawrencetown
• Lawrencetown Beach Provincial Park, East Lawrencetown
• Lake Echo Beach, Lake Echo
• Porter's Lake Provincial Park, Porters Lake
• Sandy Point Beach, Porters Lake
• Long Beach/Lower East Chezzetcook Provincial Park, Lower East Chezzetcook
• Petpeswick Lake Beach, Gaetz Brook
• River Oaks Golf Club, Meaghers Grant
• Dollar Lake Provincial Park, Wyse Corner
• Elderbank Waterway Provincial Park, Elderbank
• Musquodoboit Valley Provincial Park, Middle Musquodoboit
• Moose River Gold Mines Provincial Park, Moose River Gold Mines
• Martinique Beach Provincial Park, East Petpeswick
• Clam Harbour Beach Provincial Park, Clam Harbour
• E&F Webber Lakeside Park, Upper Lakeville
• Coastal Adventures, Tangier
• Taylor Head Provincial Park, Spry Bay
• Spry Bay Provincial Park, Spry Bay
• Marie Joseph Provincial Park, Liscombe Mills
• Sherbrooke Provincial Park, Sherbrooke
• Stonewall Leisure Park, Sherbrooke
• Lochiel Lake Provincial Park, Lochiel Lake
• Salsman Provincial Park, Country Harbour
• Tor Bay Provincial Park, Tor Bay
• Black Duck Cove Provincial Park, Little Dover
• Queensport Beach, Queensport
• Osprey Shores Golf Resort, Guysborough
• Boylston Provincial Park, Boylston
• Port Shoreham Beach Provincial Park, Port Shoreham

Awesome Trails

If you love hiking or walking, the Eastern Shore has many trails to explore. They offer beautiful views and a chance to enjoy nature.

• Salt Marsh Trail, Cole Harbour to West Lawrencetown
• Atlantic View Trail, East Lawrencetown to Seaforth
• Crowbar Lake Hiking Trails, Porters Lake
• Blueberry Run Trail, Porters Lake to Seaforth
• Gaetz Brook Greenway, Musquodoboit Harbour to East Chezzetcook
• Musquodoboit Trailway, Musquodoboit Harbour
• Oyster Pond Trail, Oyster Pond
• Liscombe River Trail System, Liscombe Mills
• Port Bickerton Lighthouse Beach Park Trail, Port Bickerton
• Loyalist Trail, Country Harbour
• Chapel Gully Trail, Canso
• Barrenland Trail, Queensport
• Guysborough Nature Trail, Guysborough
• Guysborough Waterfront Trail, Guysborough

Cool Art Spots

The Eastern Shore is also home to several places where you can see and buy local art.

• Old School Gallery
  • This gallery is in a historic elementary school in Musquodoboit Harbour. It's open during certain times of the year.

• Clipper Gallery
  • This small gallery is above a barber shop and lawyer's office in Musquodoboit Harbour. It shows local art and photos of the community.

• Eastern Shores Gallery
  • This art and gift shop has a weekend market and flower shop. It sells locally-made gifts and crafts from over 40 artists. You can find it in the Forest Hills Shopping Centre in Head of Jeddore.

• Black Sheep Gallery
  • This art gallery is in West Jeddore. It's in an old fish factory that has been changed into a gallery. It features over forty different folk artists from the province.

• Barry Colpitts House
  • Barry Colpitts is an artist who lives in this house in East Ship Harbour. The house is highly decorated with art and is an attraction itself.