A Tour of Cape Breton
An Easy and Fun Family Vacation
This year our family decided to vacation closer to home with a trip to Cape Breton. The last time we were in Cape Breton was 8 years ago – before the boys were born, so we were well over due! We are lucky to have such diverse geography, amazing scenery and fun things to do right in our own province!
Before the Trip: Doing the research before a trip is one of my favourite parts. I read the Doers and Dreamers Guide for Nova Scotia and talked to lots of friends. Some friends hail from Cape Breton while others have gone there for family vacations. Our trip is a combination of all this information!
Day 1: The Drive
Cape Breton is surprisingly a long drive! It took us about 4 hours to get to our destination. En route we stopped at Columbus Field in Antigonish for a picnic and for the kids to play at the splash pad there.
Want to find out what is going on in Antigonish? Check out the Antigonish Kid’s Corner, much like Valley Family Fun!
I booked a cabin at the KOA campground in Seal Island. This is about half-way between Baddeck and North Sydney. In retrospect, I should have booked at the Baddeck Cabot Trail Campground not because there was anything wrong with where we were staying, but it would have been closer to Baddeck and the activities we wanted to do there.
The KOA campground had basic cabins – bunk beds and a double bed, lights and electrical outlets. We brought our camping gear for cooking and eating and our sleeping bags. The bathrooms were across the road and had full showers.
In front of the cabin was mini golf and a playground so the kids were happy!
There was a small swimming area, however, it was full of jellyfish so we couldn’t swim there – but we did have fun exploring the jelly fish!
Day 2: Alexander Graham Bell Museum and Dalem Provincial Park
In the afternoon we headed to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum to learn about all the amazing inventions he made.
The kids also took part in a kite making workshop. Read my blog post to get all the details HERE. This was a definite highlight of the trip.
After supper we drove down the road to the Dalem Provincial Park. It had a freshwater lake (with no jellyfish) and a nice sandy beach.
We also hiked the 2.2km trail around the lake.
Upon recommendation of my friend’s son, we stopped to eat at the Cedar House. This is in Boulanderie right after the Seal Island bridge. This is a great family-style, home-cooked meal restaurant that serves breakfast all day. It was affordable, tasty and the kids were happy!
Day 3: Cabot Trail
No trip to Cape Breton is complete without a drive around the Cabot Trail! We drove from Baddeck clockwise around the National Park.
Our family does a lot of hiking, but usually shorter distances. Therefore, I selected all the hikes that were 1km or less and featured different ecosystems. Our “toughest” hike we did first – the Buttereau. It was 2KM and went along the coastline with great views! This ended up being our favourite hike.
We also hiked:
The bog trail
Green Cove
Lone Shieling
We ended our day at Ingonish Beach (take the turnoff to the Keltic Lodge). The waves were high, the beach was sandy and the water was warm. This was the boys’ favourite part of the day. They were tossed around in the ocean and had a blast. Don’t swim out too far because there is a riptide.
There is a short walk from the beach to a freshwater lake. It takes about 5 minutes. We did not try this, but hear it’s great to go between the two spots. There is also a canteen on site.
Day 3: Glace Bay and Sydney
We left our rustic campground and experienced the “riches” of the Hampton Inn in Sydney. It was nice to shower without the moths! We chose this hotel because it has a waterslide (not to mention that my cousin could also get us his employee discount there!).
Our first stop was the Cape Breton Miners Museum. This was another trip highlight. Here, you can experience life as a coal miner and go down in the mining tunnel! Read about the museum and our experiences in my blog post HERE.
This museum is not to be missed!
From here we went to the Open Hearth Park in Sydney. This park is built on the site of the former Sydney tar ponds, and is an incredible facility! It really is in the centre of an industrial park, so you think you are going the wrong way – but you aren’t. The park has walking paths, an incredible playground and splash pad.
Day 4: Louisbourg
As a child, this was one of my favourite places to visit. We arrived on site just as it opened and took the shuttle bus to the fortress.
Louisbourg was a thriving seaport and capital of Île Royale (Cape Breton Island). The Fortress of Louisbourg was one of the busiest harbours in North America and one of France’s key centres of trade and military strength in the New World. Today, the site is an exciting and entertaining lesson in history.
We spent about 5 hours walking the sites, visiting each of the locations and talking to the people who were dressed in costume on site. From these “characters” we learned about sea navigation and how a musket worked.
There were so many great experiences for the kids including dressing in period clothes from the 1700s,
and quill writing.
The kids also enjoyed filling out their Xplorer booklets which gave them things to look for onsite.
While there, we also got to watch a military procession complete with the firing of muskets and the canons, as well as a public humiliation of a woman accused of theft! We bought bread baked on site and learned what a soldier’s ration would be.
For lunch, we ate in the restaurant onsite. We were given one pewter spoon that was to be used for all parts of the meal, as they were not rich enough to have anything else! We were served on pewter dishes a fabulous home-cooked fresh meal with incredible desserts.
The entire day was one-long learning experience that was so much fun. By that point, the boys were too tired to do any more, so after 5 hours there, we headed back! It’s definitely a place I would visit again, and each time we can do more and learn more based on their ages.
The boys are 6 and 8 and were the perfect age to get something out of the experience and really learn about Louisbourg. If you are going with younger children, bring a stroller, snacks, and prepare to take lots of breaks!
Louisbourg is a quintessential visit for any trip to Cape Breton!
Dogs:
I had wanted to take our dog with us during the trip. Most of the hotels and cabins will take dogs. However, there was no place to leave a dog while you are visiting the museums. The kennel in the Baddeck area does not take “day” dogs, however there is one in the Sydney area that might if you book ahead. In the end, we thought it was safer and healthier to leave our dog at home at the kennel here.
Overall:
We had a great time in Cape Breton. Our experiences ranged from history to nature to food to all-round family fun! It Is definitely a trip that I would like to repeat in a few years.
What are your favourite things to do in Cape Breton? Where should we visit next?
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