Northville Farm Heritage Centre
Northville Farm Heritage Centre
If you want a great place to visit where people take pride in heritage farming methods, then Northville Farm is the place to go!
Tucked away behind Kentville at the base of the mountain, you will find this farm centre that was created completely by volunteers.
Here’s what the website says
Northville Farm Heritage Centre is located in the midst of the best agricultural land in Nova Scotia. A dedicated group of volunteers with farming blood in their veins have been erecting buildings one at a time, beginning with Heritage Hall.
Our functioning windmill used to supply water to Hayes Mill at Coldbrook.
The sawmill and shingle mill are often demonstrated at our special events. The Bentley Barn, Carriage House and Sawler Building are filled with antiques.
The Cookhouse supplies drinks and hot food whenever a crowd gathers here.
Carmen Legge is the blacksmith there and says:
When people come to the Heritage Centre they will see household displays in the main hall, tools, woodworking and more household displays in the Bentley Barn, transportation displays in the Carriage House, agriculture displays in the Sawler Biulding, a working windmill, sawmill, vintage outdoor equipment, functioning blacksmith shop, cooperage, canteen, and much more, especially, enthusiastic volunteers. We pride ourselves on being interactive. You can touch the fabric, ring the bells, smell the smoke, crank the handle, and more!
Our Visit
When we went, they were doing the spring planting and we watched them plough the fields using oxen and horses, and heritage farm implements.
Daniel and his cousin Luke made a great YouTube video about their time at the farm.
When is it open?
Primarily, the NFHC is open during special events that run a couple of times a year.
These include a winter frolic, spring planting, tractor pulls, harvest festivals and hand mowing competitions.
Check the website for details, or watch the Valley Family Fun calendar of events.
You can also book private tours, and school groups are always welcome. Such school programs need to be requested well in advance.
Where is it located?
The NFHC is located at 1158 Steadman Road, Billtown, Kings Co., Nova Scotia.
On google maps: http://goo.gl/maps/IrfPt
How much does it cost?
Entrance to the NFHC is by donation. All money goes towards the upkeep of the farm and the museum, as do the proceeds from the canteen, so please be as generous as you can.
Read my article in the Advertiser that gives more details about the farm.
Other Amenities
Besides the cookhouse, there is also a small playground for kids.
Dogs are welcome as long as they are on a leash.
If you are looking for a fun half-day activity, check out one of the special events at the Northville Heritage Farm and learn about how life was back in the Valley a hundred years ago!
Miracles from Heaven
Miracles from Heaven
There are only two ways to live your life: as though nothing is a miracle, or as though everything is a miracle.
~ Albert Einstein
When I had the opportunity to watch the new to DVD movie, Miracles from Heaven, with a group of women, I jumped at the chance.
Ever since 13 Going on 30 I have loved Jennifer Garner, so I knew that any movie she was in I was going to enjoy.
This would be the perfect movie to watch with a group of moms who could relate to the extremes a mother would go to protect her child.
Christy (JENNIFER GARNER) assures Anna (KYLIE ROGERS) that everything will be alright in Columbia Pictures’ MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN.
I have also read Proof of Heaven and other similar books, so I was interested to see how it compared to other stories in the genre.
As expected, this was the perfect girls’ night, and the discussion that followed was a real heart-to-heart.
Angela (QUEEN LATIFAH) braids Anna’s (KYLIE ROGERS) hair as Christy (JENNIFER GARNER) watches in Columbia Pictures’ MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN.
What the Movie is About
MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN is based on the incredible true story and memoir of Christy Beam: Miracles from Heaven: A Little Girl, Her Journey to Heaven, and Her Amazing Story of Healing.
When Christy (Jennifer Garner) discovers her 10-year-old daughter Anna (Kylie Rogers) has a rare, incurable disease, she becomes a ferocious advocate for her daughter’s healing, as she searches for a solution. After Anna has a freak accident, an extraordinary miracle unfolds in the wake of her dramatic rescue that leaves medical specialists mystified, her family restored, and their community inspired.
Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment
This movie is brought to you by the producers who brought you Heaven is For Real.
Dr. Nurko (EUGENIO DERBEZ) hands his Elmo tie to Christy (JENNIFER GARNER) as a memento now that Anna seems to be healed in Columbia Pictures’ MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN.
What the Movie is REALLY about
This movie is all about miracles. It’s about taking the time to realize that miracles are everywhere if you just take the time to notice them.
Miracles are about goodness. They are about people passing through our lives; friends who are there no matter what.
It is about knowing you are not alone.
Miracles are love and God is forgiveness. Miracles are God’s way of letting us know He is here.
Overall, this is a great feel-good, inspirational film to watch with the whole family with universal themes of hope, family, charity, never giving up hope, family values and everyday kindness.
Christy (JENNIFER GARNER), Kevin (MARTIN HENDERSON), Abbie (BRIGHTON SHARBINO), Anna (KYLIE ROGERS) and Adelynn (COURTNEY FANSLER) are one big happy family in Columbia Pictures’ MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN.
What We Thought about the Movie
Although this movie definitely has a Christian theme, it is still appealing to non-believers. There are strong parenting themes, and the extremes a parent will go to if you have a sick child.
When watching the movie, I was worried that the moral of the movie would be that God answers prayer. This leads to the question of why does God answer some people’s prayers and not others? Since I wasn’t sure how this miracle would be explained, I found myself on edge while watching it. However, I was very satisfied in the theology by the end of the film, where we still don’t know why random things happen, and that some things are hard to explain.
Christy (JENNIFER GARNER) and Kevin (MARTIN HENDERSON) talk in the field about their family in Columbia Pictures’ MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN.
The important thing is to watch for the miracles along the way, not just wait for the big ones.
Now that I know the movie has a satisfactory ending, in my mind, I would like to watch it again and really enjoy the journey.
Miracles from Heaven is available on Blu-Ray and DVD July 12th!
Learn more
https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/miraclesfromheaven
http://www.sonypictures.ca/
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/miraclesfromheaven/
Live every day like it’s a miracle!
This post was brought to you by Sony Pictures but the opinions are my own.
Ovens Natural Park, South Shore
Ovens Natural Park, South Shore
Every year, thousands of park visitors hike the spectacular trails along the cliffs to view the famous sea caves, or “Ovens” for which the park was named.
Day visitors find solace in the paths and trails that meander along the Atlantic coast line.
My family is obsessed with rocks and geology, so I knew the Ovens Natural Park would be a perfect family adventure for us.
I remember being there as a child, and being fascinated by the sights and the sounds of these natural caves.
History of the Ovens
In the 1860s, the Ovens was the site of a major gold rush. For the next 6 years, over 1000 miners were present and an entire community grew up around the mining sites. As quickly as it began, it was over. There are still remnants from the mining days and spectacular caves to discover.
Cave Trail Walking Tour
When you arrive at the park, you are given a paper that outlines a guided walk to see all the caves. Follow the path, and stop at the numbered signs to read the information about each of the caves or look off points.
Many of the caves make a loud echoing noise like a cannon or thunder. It is fun to climb the steep stairs down into the caves to get a better view!
Daniel has made another YouTube video outlining the experience and showing you some of the cool things you will see along the way.
The Trail
The trail is about 1km each way and with stops, the entire trail takes about 1 hour to complete.
The trail is rugged and there are a lot of steps, so it is not stroller friendly.
There are fences along the cliffs, but if you have a very active toddler, you want to make sure they are close at hand, or wait until they are a bit older.
Dogs are allowed in the park on a leash.
Other Amenities
At the park, there is also a petting zoo
A playground
And a pool that is open to day guests.
A canteen with basic food and a restaurant.
You can also go down to Cunard beach to play in the ocean.
Rent a pan and try your hand at gold panning on Cunard’s Beach. Gold fever has always been an epidemic at the Ovens Natural Park!
There is also a museum on site that outlines the 1861 Gold Rush at the Ovens Park. Visit the free little museum, full of pictures, tools and memorabilia from the 1861 Gold Rush.
There is a full campground at the Ovens. Bring a tent or a trailer, or rent one of the cabins, and spend more time exploring the caves and the ocean.
How to Get There
The Ovens Natural Park is located on the South Shore, outside Lunenburg.
The Ovens Park did not come up on our GPS, so we had to resort to good-old fashioned maps.
Directions from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to the Ovens Park
From Lunenburg, NS
• Head west on Victoria Road toward Brook St – 1.1 km
• Continue onto Nova Scotia Trunk 3 W – 1.0 km
• Turn left onto NS-332 W (signs for Riverport) – 9.5 km
• Turn left onto Feltzen South Rd – 2.5 km
• Turn right onto Ovens Rd
• Destination will be on the right – 1.5 km
Ovens Natural Park 326 Ovens Road, Riverport, NS B0J 2W0, Canada
For our trip, we used the handy-dandy Day Trips from Halifax Guide by Jon Tattrie to give us all our advice and what else to find in that area.
If you are looking for a fun and unique way to explore the coastline and the natural wonders of our area, spend a half-day exploring the Ovens Natural Park on Nova Scotia’s South Shore!
Sir Sandford Fleming Park and the Dingle Walking Trails, Halifax
Sir Sandford Fleming Park and the Dingle Walking Trails, Halifax
If you are looking for a great escape in the middle of the city, head to the Sandford Fleming Park, near the Armdale Rotary! It is also referred to as The Dingle.
About the Park
Located off of the Purcells Cove road, Fleming park is grounds formerly owned by Sir Sandford Fleming, otherwise known as the creator of universal standard time. Fleming donated the land and the Dingle Tower monument to the city in the 1880’s.
Probably the most famous thing about the Dingle is the tall stone tower that provides a great look out over the water.
The Dingle Tower with bronze lions at the foot was dedicated in 1912 to commemorate 150 years of representative government.
You can actually go inside the tower and climb to the very top!
The 95-acre park has four natural habitats (woodlands, heath barren, salt water and pond), walking trails, the Dingle Tower, a sandy beach for supervised swimming, a wharf and a boat launch.
Walking Trails
We spent some time exploring the walking trails of the Sandford Fleming Park. All the trails are well labeled, but we recommend looking at the map at the main parking lot and plotting your route.
Being type A, I printed the map before we went, and David had it on his phone for easy consultation.
Here is a link to a map
We decided to loop along the shoreline.
There are about 2.8km of trails within the Sandford Fleming Park itself, not including the frog pond, across the street.
Then, we headed inland and crossed the Dingle Road to loop around the Frog Pond Trail.
You can access the frog pond by a large set of stairs on the Dingle Road (can’t miss), or a path slightly further down.
You can make the walk from the Frog Pond Parking lot to the waterfront and back in less than an hour.
At one point, the trail actually leads to a main road. Walk along the edge, following the shore of the pond, and you will be able to pick up the trail again a few minutes down the road in another parking lot.
The trails are extremely well groomed with crush gravel. They are perfect for toddlers or strollers. Dogs are welcome on leashes.
What is great, is that you can make your own combination of trails depending on how far you want to go, and how long you want to walk.
How to Get There
The Sandford Fleming park is located 2.2 Km after the intersection of Herring Cove and
Purcell’s Cove Rd. Enter on Dingle Road.
It’s probably easiest to use your GPS or this Google Map to find it.
The Sir Sandford Fleming Park is a great way to spend an afternoon, and you would never know you were still in Halifax!
Check it out!
Harbour Hopper Halifax
Harbour Hopper Tours in Downtown Halifax
*Our family received tickets in exchange for this blog post. Would you turn down such an amazing opportunity? All opinions are our own.*
Ribbit Ribbit! All aboard Atlantic Canada’s most popular tour – an amphibious adventure that shows you the best of Halifax by land and sea! As you travel, view places of interest in this historic, yet vibrant city, such as Citadel Hill National Historic Site, the Victorian Public Gardens, St. Paul’s Church and busy Spring Garden Road.
The Harbour Hopper is just for tourists – NO way!
The Harbour Hopper is just a drive around the city – NO way!
The Harbour Hopper is a fun, family adventure that is great for locals and visitors alike, and an experience not to be missed!
Our Experience
We met the Harbour Hopper in downtown Halifax at the waterfront. It’s easy to find the building because it’s bright yellow and green just like the Harbour Hopper vehicle itself!
We boarded the Hopper, which is actually a decommissioned military vehicle (with the guns removed – much to the boys’ chagrin!).
Our tour guide, Luke, welcomed us on board and went over the safety features of the Hopper, especially as we would be going on both land and sea.
We then headed out for our hour-long journey around Halifax. The first half was spent on land, and the second in the Halifax Harbour.
Throughout the entire trip, our tour guide told us stories of Halifax’s history, important people and notable buildings.
I found this so fascinating. Although I have lived in Nova Scotia most of my entire life, there was still so much to learn and hear!
What I found so interesting is that Halifax has so many “firsts” or “longest” or “tallest” or “oldest” records. We really are sitting on a historical hotspot!
The boys found this really interesting, too, and regaled us with as many facts after the adventure as they could remember. They really were listening and taking it all in!
The transition from land to water was really fun to watch, too. And, no, you don’t get wet when you make the splash!
Daniel made another of his YouTube videos talking about our adventure. Check it out.
From the water, we had great views of the waterfront, and heard stories of the Halifax explosion, the Titanic and innovative technology using sea water.
Here is the official Halifax Hopper video that shows you the tour is fast motion
We ended back where we started all the wiser, and relaxed after having spent a beautiful day in the sunshine!
“It was so fun and amazing!”
“The best part is when you are in the water.”
Tickets and Tours
May 1 – October 31
• Daily Tours Happen every hour and fifteen minutes
• Tours depart from 10:15a.m. until 9:30p.m.
Adult $35*
Senior $31.5*
Child (6-15) $19.99*
Child (1-5) $11.50*
Child (0-1) Free
After thoughts
Age: The Harbour Hopper is great for all ages. The boys (8,9) thoroughly enjoyed the ride, however, the older son really got more out of the tour and the information. He was far more interested in listening than his younger brother. So, if you are interested in having your kids go for an educational purpose, I would recommend ages 9+.
There were much younger children on board, and they enjoyed the sights and sounds and the experience of driving on a super-cool vehicle throughout the city.
Ability: there are steep steps at the back of the Harbour Hopper so that you can climb to the top of the vehicle. If you have anyone with mobility issues in your group, take this into consideration.
Tourists and locals: As locals, we thoroughly enjoyed the adventure and learned so much. It would be equally as great to take or encourage visitors to go for a ride on the Harbour Hopper to get a great sense of what Halifax is and its history.
Tips from the Harbour Hopper
• Arrive 15 minutes prior to departure time for boarding
• Bring an extra layer of clothing as it can get cool on the water
• Always plan extra time for parking
Enjoy a day out in Halifax, learn something new, and appreciate the city from both land and sea with the Harbour Hopper!
It’s a fun-filled amphibious adventure that you will never forget!
Day Trips from Halifax by Jon Tattrie
Day Trips from Halifax
The Ultimate Halifax daytripper’s guide by Jon Tattrie
*We received a copy of this book for review because it’s a perfect fit for creating family fun! All opinions are our own.*
The sun is shining and the kids have a day off school. If you stay home, you’ll just do laundry and answer emails. Where’s the family fun in that?
Sometimes you just need a little inspiration and help to get those juices flowing of what to do with your day.
As I always say, family fun does not have to be complicated and it does not have to be expensive. Sometimes the best memories are day trips spent close to home, exploring somewhere new!
If you are looking to do some day trips, then you need to pick up a copy of Day Trips from Halifax: The Ultimate Halifax daytripper’s guide by Jon Tattrie.
Remember those days of back packing around Europe or Asia with your Lonely Planet book as your guide? Well, consider Day Trips from Halifax like your Lonely Planet Guide to day trips in Nova Scotia!
Although the book contains day trips from Halifax, it is equally and relevant for us in the Valley!
Here’s what the website says:
A densely packed guide to Nova Scotia’s most raucous adventures, inspiring landscapes, and amazing history, this book ensures that visitors to and residents of the region never have a boring weekend again. From tidal-bore rafting on the Shubenacadie River or strolling among lions at the Oaklawn Zoo to searching for ancient fossils on Joggins Beach, Day Trips from Halifax is filled with all you need to know about hidden beaches, unexpected hiking trails and much, much more.
Our Adventures
This summer, our family decided to go on a day trip to the South Shore to try exploring somewhere new. Armed with our Day Trips from Halifax book and our camera, we headed out and ended up at the Ovens Natural Park.
Read about our adventures here!
The guide book was a great help, providing us directions when our GPS couldn’t, and scouting out the best places to eat for us!
Day Trips from Halifax is available online as a hard copy and as an Ebook.
About the Author
Jon Tattrie is a multi-media freelance journalist and author based in Halifax, Canada. He’s won seven awards for his writing, including three Atlantic Journalism Awards (silver) and two Best Book awards from the Coast. He writes for Halifax Magazine, Readers Digest, Canadian Geographic, the Globe & Mail, Business Voice, the Chronicle Herald, Metro Canada and many more. At the CBC, he’s an online journalist, TV and radio reporter and occasionally documentary-maker.
Win a Copy of Day Trips from Halifax!
Enter to win a copy of Jon Tattrie’s new book, Day Trips from Halifax by entering once a day until July 14.
