Thursday, 16 September
7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Sydney, Nova Scotia’s second-largest city, is situated on the east side of beautiful Cape Breton Island. Once a booming center for mining and steel, this colonial seaport serves as a gateway to some of the most historic sites and scenic landscapes of the North Atlantic.

Visit the Bell Museum, located on 25 acres of landscaped grounds in the village of Baddeck, where Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone at age 29, also made important contributions to medicine, engineering, agriculture, aeronautics, marine science, genetics, and teaching the deaf. Afterward, stop in the village to explore various gift shops or relax in a local café.

Board the beautiful 67-foot staysail schooner Amoeba for a sailing experience as unique and unforgettable as Cape Breton’s Bras d’Or Lakes.

In Canada, the Canadian dollar (CAD) is the official currency. Credit cards are widely accepted, and often offer a good exchange rate. In all of Canada, a 5% Goods & Services Tax (GST) must be paid on all transportation, accommodation, restaurant meals and just about anything else you purchase, right down to a pack of gum.

Sydney: visit Cossit House and Jost House . Just steps away from that is the Government Wharf Interpretive Centre/craft exhibit. You also can get a picture beside the largest fiddle on record. Shopping, entertainment venues, restaurants, casino and water fountain park( Wentworth Park) all within walking distance.

Ship Excursions

Historical Sydney Coastal Drive – SX04

Discover the many influences that have shaped the Sydney area since its founding in 1785. Learn about its strategic location during the World Wars, how the steel and coal industries dominated the industrial scene decades. Visit the Whitney Pier Museum and the Fort Petrie Battery.

Discover the many influences that have given Sydney its colorful character from its founding by Loyalists in 1785 to the present day. You’ll learn why its harbor is among the most strategic on the Atlantic, playing a major role in both World Wars. And you’ll see the former “company community” of Whitney Pier where employees of the steel and coal industries forged their lives for many years. Visit the Whitney Pier Museum, devoted to the 55 ethnic groups that make up the population of Sydney and the Fort Petrie Battery that protected the harbor from enemy attack during World War II.

A light refreshment will be served at the Whitney Pier Museum. Note: Guests must be able to walk approximately 300 yards over even gravel surfaces with 10 to 15 steps.

Black Gold – A Cape Breton Mine Experience – SX15

Learn about the hard rugged life of a coal miner on this interactive tour and guided tour of the Cape Breton Miners Museum. Visit the Old Town Hall restored as a Historical Monument to the Mining Community. Note: The mine shaft averages 12 feet in width, an average ceiling height of 5 1/2 to 6 feet. There is a 30 foot section of the mine where the ceiling height averages 4 1/2 to 5 feet. Guests must walk approximately 150 yards over even gravel surfaces during the underground portion of the tour.

A 30-minute motor coach trip brings you to the museum. A highlight of your visit is sure to be the adventure of touring the Ocean Deeps Colliery, an actual underground coal mine located beneath the building. Retired coal miners guide you on this 30-minute excursion into a 1932 mine, where you experience first-hand what it was like to extract coal by the “sweat of your brow.” Your tour will focus on the geological development of the Sydney coal fields and the various techniques which have been used to mine these coal seams since 1720. Before leaving the museum, you have a chance to purchase a memento of your visit and explore the Miner’s Village, complete with company house and company store.

Your last stop will be at the Old Town Hall in Glace Bay, built in 1902 and restored as a Historical Monument to the Mining Community of Glace Bay. Light refreshments will be served.

Note: The mine shaft averages 12 feet in width with an average ceiling height of 5 1/2 to 6 feet. There is a 30 foot section of the mine where the underground garden is located that has an average ceiling height averages 4 1/2 to 5 feet. Guests must be able to walk approximately 150 yards over even gravel surfaces during the underground portion of the tour. Above ground surfaces are concrete or pavement.

Spirit of The Fiddle-Sounds of Cape Breton – SX18

Join us for a musical experience unique to Cape Breton Island. Influenced by Scottish, Irish and Acadian traditions, enjoy professional local entertainers as they offer singing, step dancing and of course, lively fiddle playing. Meet at the World’s Largest Fiddle and be piped to an intimate performance space in the Sydney Cruise Terminal located directly across from the ship. Refreshments, including traditional Cape Breton oatcakes will be served.

Things to do in the Sydney Area

One of our Icy Jewels (msg 4450) sent a suggested tour guide along with:

My wife and I operate a B&B in Sydney. I state this, not as an ad, but so that you know that my remarks on what do do in the Sydney area reflect 7 years of guest experiences in the Sydney area. What we have found over the seven years we have opened our home to guests, is that those guests that spend two or more nights in one place are enjoying their vacation substantially more than those who are rushing to a different location each night. Typically, our guests have been spending two or three nights in the Sydney area. Those who spend only one day in the area are invariably disappointed that they haven’t allow enough time to see the major attractions in the area and experience a little of the local culture.

Generally, our guests will arrive one night, usually around suppertime, and spend the first night with us. The next morning they will head to the Fortress at Louisbourg (20 minutes away) and will usually spend the entire day there. They will often have supper in the town of Louisbourg and then attend the show (2 hours of Cape Breton music/comedy) at the Louisbourg Playhouse and arrive back at our place about 1030, tired but happy. The next morning after breakfast (their second full day in the area) they may choose to do a loop around a portion of the Bras d’Or Lakes (Cape Breton’s “Inland Sea”) visiting the Highland Village in Iona and the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck enroute. That evening after dinner at one of Sydney’s finer restaurants they may attend another show of typical Cape Breton/Celtic music in downtown Sydney before spending their third night in Sydney.

The next morning after breakfast they will depart, either heading around the Cabot Trail or, if they have already done that, off the island and on with their vacation. There is also the Miner’s Museum to see in Glace Bay (20 min away). You can squeeze that in one of the first mornings or do it the morning you leave Sydney. Some of our guests will also do the Cabot Trail from Sydney. If you do this keep in mind that it is about 5-1/2 hours of driving time not counting any stops to eat, sightsee etc. With some planning you can do the drive plus do either a whale watching tour or a hike in the National Park. Personally, I don’t recommend doing the Cabot Trail this way. You are much better off to do the Cabot Trail in two or three days, spending a night or two at accommodations around the Trail. That then gives you the opportunity to do things like hiking, whale-watching, kayaking, etc.There is a lot to see and do in Cape Breton and how long you stay in any area obviously depends on where your interests lie.

Fortress of Louisbourg

The Site is located south of Sydney on Route 22, just beyond the modern town of Louisbourg. Take Exit 8 near Sydney. Driving time is 30 minutes. An alternate route is the scenic and coastal Marconi Trail, Route 255, from Glace Bay. Driving time is one hour.

The Fortress of Louisbourg (in French, Forteresse de Louisbourg) is a Canadian National Historic Site and the location of a partial reconstruction of an 18th century (1744) French fortress at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.

Louisbourg was also known for its fortifications, which took the original French builders twenty-five years to complete. The engineer behind the project was Jean-Francois du Verger de Verville. Verville picked Louisbourg as his location because of its natural barriers. The fort itself cost France thirty million livres, which prompted King Louis XV to joke that he should be able to see the peaks of the buildings from his Palace in Versaille. The original budget for the fort was four million livres. Two and a half miles of wall surrounded the entire fort. On the western side of the fort, the walls were thirty feet high, and thirty-six feet across. The city had four bastions, and two gates that allowed entry into the city. On the eastern side of the fort, fifteen guns pointed out to the harbor. The wall on this side was only sixteen feet high and six feet across.

Louisbourg was one of the “largest military garrisons in all of New France,” and many war were fought here because of it. The fort had the embrasures to mount one hundred and forty-eight guns; however, Historians have estimated that only one hundred embrasures had cannons mounted. Disconnected from the main fort, yet still a part of Louisbourg, a small island in the harbor was also fortified. The walls on the island were ten feet high, and eight feet thick. Thirty-one, twenty-four pound guns, were mounted facing the harbor. The island itself was incredibly small, with room for only a few small ships to dock there, yet it provided the extra protection Louisbourg needed during the sieges of 1745 and 1758.

Today, the entire site of the Fortress of Louisbourg, including the one-quarter reconstruction, has been designated a national historic site with guided and unguided tours available. Also available at the site are weapons explanations and demonstrations; these include the firing of muskets and a cannon. Puppet shows are also shown. The Museum / Caretakers Residence (c. 1935–6) within the Louisbourg National Historic Site is a classified federal heritage building on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. The fortress has also greatly aided the local economy of the town of Louisbourg as it has struggled to diversify economically with the decline of the North Atlantic fishery.

Cossit House Museum

75 Charlotte St, Sydney. Believed to be the oldest house in Sydney (c 1787), this was the residence of the Rev. Ranna Cossit, Sydney’s first permanent Anglican minister. Several rooms have been furnished based on an 1815 inventory of Cossit’s estate. Guides wear period costume. Visitors interested in New England colonial architecture and furnishings will find the museum of particular interest. Open Jun 1 to Oct 15. Mon–Sat 9:30am–5:30pm, Sun 1–5:30pm. Admission by donation.maltby.janet@ns.sympatico.ca ; www.museum.ednet.ns.ca ; 539-7973/1572.

Jost Heritage House (c 1787)

4 Charlotte St. Once the home of a prominent merchant, this building shows the evolution of a wooden dwelling over two centuries. Featuring marine display, apothecary and exhibits of local interest. Open Jun 1 to Oct 30. Mon–Sat 9:30am–5:30pm (June–Aug), 10am–4pm (Sept & Oct). Admission free.

St. Patrick’s Church Museum

87 Esplanade. The oldest Roman Catholic church on Cape Breton Island, erected in 1828 in the Pioneer Gothic style of archi· tecture, this restored stone building now houses artifacts depicting the history of Sydney. Open Jun 1 to Sep 1. Mon–Sat 9:30am–5:30pm, Sunday 1–5:30pm (to Oct 31 by appointment). Admission by donation.

Cabot Trail

Large map

Welcome to one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the world. Named for famous explorer John Cabot, the Cabot Trail winds around the rocky splendour of Cape Breton’s northern shore, as cending to the incredible plateaus of Cape’ Breton Highlands National Park. This magnificent highway is carved into the sides of mountains that rise high above the shimmering waters of the Gulf of Lawrence. Lookoffs offer unforgettable vistas of Cape Breton ’s rugged coastline, where pods of whales can often be seen just offshore and bald eagles soar aloft on the ocean breezes.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park encompasses one of Canada’s most exceptional wilderness areas. The highlands are a colourful ta pestry of woodland, tundra and bogs, where wildlife is common and moose are often seen grazing in the quiet shallows of lakes and streams. The park has 26 trails ranging from 20-minute interpretive family walks to challenging hikes through stunning mounta in and coastal landscapes. There is also a full range of visitor services, including excellent camping and interpretive programs. Cape Breton’s most famous resident, Alexander Graham Bell, once said “I have traveled around the globe. I have seen the Canadi an and American Rockies, the Andes, the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all.” Bell fell in love with the region and built his beautiful estate, Beinn Bhreagh, on the shores of the Bras d’Or Lakes, wher e he lived and worked for the rest of his life.

The Cabot Trail is a destination for all seasons. In fall, the highlands explode in a vibrant palette of nature’s fiery reds, oranges, crimsons and golds. The days are warm, the evenings sweater-cool and ever y road leads through a tapestry of brilliant autumn colours. In winter, the hills become a crystalline fairyland. Seemingly endless groomed trails open the winter beauty of the highlands for cross-country skiers and snow mobilers, and Ski Cape Smokey’s 300-m (1000-ft) vertical drop is Atlantic Canada’s unique downhill ski experience.

The Cabot Trail is a golfer’s paradise with exciting, world class championship courses that surround players with the magnificent beauty of Cape Breton Highlands National Park or panoramic views of the Bras d’Or Lakes. Cheticamp is the centre of Acadian French heritage in the area, and the Acadian Museum there has fascinating displays highlighting the early Acadian history of the area. At St. Ann’s, North America’s only Gaelic college features displays on the region’s early Scottish settlers in the Great Hall of the Clans.

The Cabot Trail winds for nearly 300 km (185 mi.) through the beautiful highlands and plat of Cape Breton. A loop trail, visitors can begin or end their journey at a number of different spots.

Bird Watching

Nova Scotia’s large population of Bald Eagles some 250 nesting pairs are seen quite readily, most frequently along the shores of Cape Breton’s Bras d’Or Lakes. Other uncommon species include the rare Atlantic Puffin, which nests on cliffs of the Bird Islands, and the endangered Piping Plover. From late August through September flocks of migrating birds converge by the thousands on Nova Scotia’s beaches to feed before continuing their southward journey.

Bras d’ Or Lake Scenic Drive

Bras d'Or Lake, Cape Breton, webcam

Welcome to Cape Breton’s rolling heartland, where the highlands meet the lowlands along the shores of the island’s beautiful inland sea-the Bras d’Or Lakes. The Bras d’Or Lakes Scenic Drive circles the lake along shoreline roads that offer an ever-changing panorama of woodlands, farms and villages, and are ideal for walking, biking and bird watching. The region is a major nesting area for bald eagles, and these impressive birds can often be seen soaring aloft or perched on shoreline trees.

There’s something new around every corner along this route. Experience the daily life of the early Scottish settlers at the Nova Scotia Highland Village Museum. At Marble Mountain Museum you can learn about marble quarrying in the late 1800s, and the Orangedale Railway Station Museum offers a special look at late 19th-century trains and train travel.

Known for its gentle, fog-free waters, beautiful anchor ages, and hundreds of coves and islands, the lakes are an international cruising destination, attracting hundreds of boating enthusiasts every year. Visitors who want to get out on the water will find numerous boat tours available, from seabird tours and ecological sailing tours to elegant cruises.

The Bras d’Or Lakes’ unique tidal waters create a rich ecosystem that supports a dazzling array of wildlife. Hundreds of pairs of bald eagles nest along the lakeshore and in the surrounding countryside. White -tailed deer, osprey, fox, porcupines and raccoons are also frequently seen.

The Bras d’Or Lakes are a traditional home of Nova Scotia’s native Mi’kmaq, and the Mi’kmaq language and culture are still evident today in the four reserves along its shores: Wh ycocomagh, Eskasoni (the largest reserve in the province), Wagmatcook, and Chapel Island in St. Peter’s Inlet.

A circular route, the Bras d’Or Lakes Scenic Drive can be started and ended at a variety of points. This tour begins at one of the region’s busi est communities, Whycocomagh, whose name originates from the Mi’kmaq word for “head of the waters”. There is a thriving Mi’kmaq community here, with several roadside shops specializing in native handicrafts. Nearby Whycocomagh Provincial Park features a picnic area and campground with exceptional views of St. Patrick’s Channel.

Reviews

we did the Bras d’or Lakes Grand Tour. It is an all day tour but I highly recommend it. Stops included a Nova Scotia Highland Village, the village of Baddeck (we had lunch here included in tour) - home of Alexander Graham Bell, stopped at his museum, and of course drove around the Bras d’or Lakes - beautiful country.

While in Sydney we also did the Bras d’or Lakes Grand Tour. It was fantastic and one of our favorites. I will have to say that the sail away from Sydney was one of the highlights of the whole cruise. It was on a Sunday so familys came to see us off. Cars parked along all of the roads and I am not sure what I enjoyed the most, the waves and car horns or the band/singer on the dock playing God Bless America.

Long Review

Just a note for future travelers here – there is a note on the shore excursion desk that the Puffins, Seals and Eagles tour (a Bird Island boat tour) has been discontinued for the rest of the season. The last time we were here in 2004 we did an all day tour: the Bras d’Or Lakes Grand tour where we visited a Highland Village, lunch at a hotel in Baddeck, Alexander Graham Bell Museum among some of our stops. This time we chose to just do our own thing. There is a Shuttle that costs $5 that you drop you off in one of three locations: town, the Sheraton Casino or the shopping mall. The Sheraton Casino and the shopping mall are not within walking distance of the ship. The tickets are good for all day – you can use the shuttle as often as you like. The shuttle is an old white school bus and there is only one – takes about ½ hour to make the complete round trip. We decided to take the shuttle out to the mall just to see what it was like. Doesn’t take long to see everything there. They have a Sobey’s super market (really big) at one end, Smittey’s Restaurant (drop off and get on area for the shuttle), a few clothing stores, a luggage store, 2 barber shops, a drug store, a Hallmark and Zellers (which is similar to Wal-Mart). After a half hour, we caught the shuttle, along with several others to go into town. Wasn’t worth the time to go out there.

We walked up and down Charlotte Street. There are a few stores there, a drug store, a couple of gift shops. Since very few ships stop here, the town is not geared for tourists. Many buildings are empty. Since it is just a few blocks back to the ship we chose to walk rather than wait for the bus. It is about a 10 minute walk from the center of town. We chose to return to the ship via Esplanade Street. Back at the terminal on the ground level there is a large craft area inside the main pavillion. There are also some internet phones which cost $2 for 20 minutes. Next to the internet area is a coffee and pastry shop. Also on the first level is a two story light house which is the video center. On the second level is the Cape Breton Island Tourism Exhibition – takes about 1/2 to an hour to tour all the exhibits. The exhibit features local wildlife, Scottish native dress (first Europeans to settle were Scots). and some information on the island sections and parks. Also on the second level is the Ceilidh Fiddle Bar. There are tables inside and on a small patio. But if you want a drink, you have to go downstairs to the coffee shop and order it. Someone from there will come upstairs and prepare your drinks. They are open only until 4 PM. Outside of the terminal is a two story fiddle that plays recorded music all day long. Should you choose to walk into town, there are banners on the poles with fiddles on them indicating the correct path to take.

We spent part of the morning walking around the various streets, visiting The Jost Museum, Cossit House and St George’s Church. Before returning back to the ship, we stopped at the Governor’s Pub and Eatery. It wasn’t bad. We got a 1/2 liter of white wine to share and we each had the lobster roll ($11.95 each). These were a little different. The lobster mixture which consisted of chunks of lobster meat mixed with a little celery and mayo was placed on a warm and buttered ciabatta bread. They were excellent and they are two times larger than those in Bar Harbor. The fisherman’s chowder was made with chunks of cod, haddock, and salmon in a crème base. They also had a salmon salad. All the prices were very reasonable.

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