You might think Nova Scotia is nothing but lighthouses and lobster rolls, but once you get past the tourism-board marketing clichés you’ll find plenty of offbeat attractions that will grab your attention. Here are three that I found to be memorable.
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Descend into the underworld at Springhill’s coal mine
Most people speed past Springhill on their way to somewhere else, but this unassuming Cumberland County town sits atop one of the most compelling industrial heritage sites in the country. The Springhill Miners’ Museum doesn’t just tell you about coal mining, it drops you 37 metres underground into the actual mine shafts where generations of miners carved their living from the earth.
Your guide will likely be a former miner who worked these very tunnels before the mine closed for good in 1970. They’ll show you how miners used to lie on their sides to extract coal from seams barely three feet high, working in conditions that would horrify modern safety inspectors. The mine stays a constant 7°C year-round, which feels refreshing in summer when you would likely visit, but not so much in winter.
What makes Springhill particularly haunting is its history of disasters. The town was shaped by three major mining tragedies, including the 1958 “bump” that trapped 174 miners underground for over a week. The rescue efforts made international headlines, and the stories of survival and loss still echo through these tunnels.
If mining disasters aren’t your thing, Springhill is also the hometown of singer Anne Murray where there is a museum, the Anne Murray Centre, dedicated to showcasing her incredible life.
https://novascotia.com/listing/tour-a-mine-springhill-miners-museum
Walk through 300 million years at Joggins Fossil Cliffs
Speaking of coal, this combustible rock is known as a fossil fuel since it’s the fossilized remains of plant matter from millions of years ago. Where you find coal, and there is a lot of it in Nova Scotia, you’ll also find other types of fossils. An amazing place to do just that is at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs.
Located along a 15-kilometres-long stretch of beach on the Bay of Fundy, this UNESCO World Heritage site is essentially a textbook of geological history written in stone. Twice-daily tides continuously erode the cliffs, exposing new fossils and geological layers that span the period when life was transitioning from sea to land. You’re literally walking through the Carboniferous period, when Nova Scotia sat on the equator and was covered in tropical swamps.
The Joggins Fossil Centre is situated on the reclaimed site of the Old Joggins No. 7 Coal Mine overlooking the cliffs. Inside, you can admire their extensive fossil specimen collection and exhibits, but what you really want to do is sign up for a beach tour where you can walk right up to the cliff face. Local guides will point out things like fossilized tree stumps and the remains of some of the world’s earliest reptiles. The best time to visit is at low tide when the rock face is completely exposed.
https://jogginsfossilcliffs.net
Experience the maritime mysticism of Oak Island
As a child, my family frequently visited the Maritimes for summer vacation, and one place that my father returned to several times was Oak Island. Long associated with stories of buried treasure, its legend has only grown since then due to the History Channel series “The Curse of Oak Island.” What was once a local mystery has turned into an international obsession.
This small island in Mahone Bay has been the subject of more than two centuries of excavation, speculation and obsession, all centered around the infamous “Money Pit” and whatever might be buried in its booby-trapped depths.
Theories about what’s down there range from the plausible (Captain Kidd’s pirate treasure) to the fantastical (the Holy Grail, Shakespeare’s original manuscripts or the lost treasures of the Knights Templar).
While active excavation continues on private property, you can get remarkably close to the action through interpretive tours that take you around the island’s perimeter. Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, Oak Island has a way of getting under your skin and making you wonder: what if the most outlandish theories are actually true? If my father is any example, even decades later, he still brings up stories about Oak Island.
Tours operate seasonally and fill up quickly, especially since the History Channel series became popular, so sign up as soon as possible.
