The Enchanted Land

Ship captain's home in Yarmouth

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In the 21st century, Yarmouth is distinguished by its superb variety of residential architectural styles. Ship captains, competing with one another to build the grandest home, chose Queen Anne Revival, Second Empire, Gothic Revival, Georgian, and even Italianate designs.

The captains and their era are long gone but the products of their pride remain. Wandering the shady streets of Yarmouth is like visiting an open-air museum.

From Yarmouth, located on the western tip of the province, we set out on a winding coast road. Each of the main roads in Nova Scotia bears a descriptive name. This one is called the"Evangeline Trail." It takes us to the port town of Digby, famous for its "sweet scallops" — and immense tides.

Experiencing Acadian Culture

It's along the Evangeline Trail that the Acadian influence remains evident, especially in the fine food and the signs in French.

The ancestors of many of the Acadians, who were of French heritage, were driven out of pro-British central Canada at the time of the American Revolution. Some wound up in Louisiana, later to be known as Cajuns. Others, over time, returned to the northwest coast of Nova Scotia. Their presence adds spice to life.