Exploring the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal is Family Fun
Disclosure: Our family received a free pass to the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal in exchange for this blog post. We aim to tell you about more great places to visit with your family.
About the Historic Gardens
The Historic Gardens features 17 acres of amazing gardens in Annapolis Royal!
Historically themed areas tell the story of Nova Scotia settlement from an agricultural and horticultural perspective, showcasing gardening methods, designs and materials representing more than four hundred years of local history.
Read more about the Historic Gardens here
About our Visit
We spent over 1.5 hours wandering the paths and exploring the various areas of the gardens. Thomas is our resident map reader, so he took the map and carefully plotted out a route so we would discover everything.
We especially loved the areas around the ponds, and even heard a few frogs!
We took time to stop and smell the flowers, literally. We watched butterflies in the butterfly garden and learned about snapdragons!
We visited the Acadian cottage!
La Maison acadienne features the only archeologically authenticated replica of a pre-deportation Acadian dwelling in the Maritime region. The potager is based on original diary notes from the Acadian era, while the orchard and willow hedge are heritage cultivars from the 17th Century. La Maison acadienne is based on a 1671 time period when Port-Royal (later Annapolis Royal) was the centre of Acadie.
And the kids got to try on wooden clogs.
Activities for Kids
When you think of historic gardens, you might not immediately think that this is a place you want to go with kids. But, trust me. You do!
Today’s Parent magazine voted the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal as one of the best botanical gardens in Canada to visit!
We agree!
There are several scavenger hunts that kids can complete in the gardens. Thomas opted for the sculpture hunt. Each year, there are new art sculptures throughout the gardens, and kids can have fun spotting them!
There is another section of the garden that is filled with ceramic birds. Walk through and see if you can find 37 of them, plus a crow!
We walked through several times, and our highest count was 25! See if you can do better than us!
In the rose garden, there is a maze! Can you get all the way around?
The kids also just had fun wandering the paths and seeing the beautiful flowers!
There is also a cafe on site, too if kids get hot and thirsty and need a place to recharge.
Hours and Admission
The Historic Gardens are open seasonally, from May to October. For the rest of the year, the Gardens are not maintained, but are accessible to the public by free will offering.
View hours here
During the summer of 2018, all children under 18 are FREE to enter the gardens!
Prices are listed here
Location
The Historic Gardens are at 441 Saint George Street.
When looking for a family-fun adventure, definitely head to the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal! It’s a place you will want to go often, in different seasons, so you can see the changes.
Experience the calming effects of nature. Get inspired for your own garden. Make it a science and art lesson. Make it a fun family-fun day out!
