I’m being sent to Sydney, Nova Scotia, for business in 2 weeks. I’m pretty pumped because I’ve never been to Canada before. I had some questions for anyone who’s been in the area (or better yet, is local).
1.) What’s there to do? Any can’t miss sites, restaurants, etc.? Any quintessential Canadian or Nova Scotian experiences?
2.) What’s the weather up there like this time of year?
3.) Anything I should know about the city, travelling into Canada, etc?
With respect to this, I don’t know that end of NS. I do know Sydney’s a pretty small town, and fairly touristy. There should be good restaurants. It’s relatively isolated, being on Cape Breton Island and a long way from any large city.
The weather could be springy, or it could be awful, cold and snowy. It’s unpredictable. Bring a warm coat just in case.
Bring your passport. Technically, you don’t need it; realistically you are insane to travel without it. Your ATM card should allow you to get cash from the machines, so you won’t have to convert currency before you go.
I’ve found Nova Scotians to be amongst the slowest drivers on the North American continent. I’ve never been to Sydney, specifically, but I’ve driven from the New Brunswick border to Glace Bay (once home of the Glace Bay Miners, easternmost team in North American professional baseball) and North Sydney(from whence the ferry to Newfoundland leaves).
Unfortunately, my passport is expired. Because of the short notice (under two weeks) I can’t have it renewed in time (even with a huge fee to rush, it’s still two weeks plus).
Good news on the ATM card, though! I was worried about that because my bank won’t provide foreign currency. I’d have to pay a fee to do it elsewhere.
Get a copy of your birth certificate. You should be able to get a certified copy quickly from the county where you were born. That will do in a pinch.
I’ve been a tourist in Nova Scotia. I can’t say that Sydney is the garden spot of the province. The pretty parts are all south of Halifax.
If you get bored, you can take the ferry to Newfoundland. Which is a suprisingly long ride. And then you will be in Port-aux-Basques, which is surprisingly far from any other place.
I know that there’s a multiplex theater in Sydney where you can wait around waiting for the overnight ferry to leave. I saw “White Men Can’t Jump” there.
I saw “Lethal Weapon 3” in Moncton, NB.
I’m from Glace Bay, a town about a 20-25 minute drive from Sydney.
If you have a car, or will be renting one, you should drive the Cabot Trail. It’s really pretty. However, I hear from my friends back home that they recently got a blizzard, so it may not be optimal driving conditions!
If museums are your thing, Glace Bay has the Miners’ Museum where you can take a simulated mine cart ride. I worked there one summer.
Various beautiful beaches are around if you are willing to look. Kennington Cove in Louisbourg is my favourite, though it’s over a half-hour drive from Sydney.
Restaurants… hmm. A lot of people like Joe’s Warehouse. It’s the most upscale one in town, I believe. However, I hear from a similar number of people that it’s not worth it overall. I have actually never been there, though.
I fully believe you should go to Jasper’s restaurant, and order something with fries, and get spice on it. Don’t get anything with turkey. If you see Eva, tell her I said hi.
If you go to Glace Bay, you should go to ABC Takeout and get a poutine. In fact, since you’re not from Canada, you should get a poutine anywhere, but especially at ABC since their poutines are the best. I would definitely recommend driving to Glace Bay and getting an ABC poutine. In fact, I want to drive there from here! They are huge and cheap. Ahh, my mouth is watering as I type.
Cape Breton’s weather is quite changeable. You should pack so that you can dress for anything! One day you’ll want to be outside in a sweater, and the next day you’ll be wishing for the biggest down jacket you can find. Definitely bring waterproof shoes!
Grandma was from Cape Breton, a little town called Glencoe Mills, near Mabou, on the southwestern shore.
Sydney is an OK little city, but not the most thrilling place in the province (Halifax is a happening city, about the size and feel of Providence). It has good and bad neighborhoods but there’s plenty to do. Prices are high in Canadian cities so you’ll be paying only a little less the US for food and hotel; however, instead of sales tax on goods they have this VAT tax, I think; a Canuck will fill you in on what it means, but it’s wicked high. There’s Royal This and Royal That and Lizzie on the money with critters on the coins (the one and two dollar coins are great, and you’ll miss having them when you come back to America. Which most of them call The States, BTW). Tim Horton’s is their Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts and Au Bon Pain combined, and they’re everywhere. It’s sort of British in feel in places, but people’s manners are closer to ours, very informal and egalitarian.
The Cabot Trail is a must, IF the weather’s good; we got caught in fog in the northern tip in August and it was scary as hell. But when it’s clear, there’s some lovely mountain scenery, some great little towns, whale watching way down in the ocean and five of the eleven trails or scenic portions of the roads in NS. Cabot is the most famous but I also loved the Bras d’Or Lake one. Grandma is from the Ceilidh Trail part, if you want to see what is left of true rural NS; Gaelic is often spoken and the accents are great. English-speaking people up there will sound pretty Scottish; there aren’t as many French-speakers as elsewhere but there’s all the signs and stuff in two languages and you’ll be greeted in tourist places with “Hello! Bonjour!” and your reply lets them know what to say to you from then on.
You’ll learn why there’s relatively fewer French in NS at Fortress Louisburg, a sort of Colonial Williamburg that fell to the British forces in 1753 or so and sped along marked the end of the domination of the French in eastern Canada. I’ve been to that Mining Museum in Glace Bay too, and it’s terrific but not a good idea if you’re really claustrophobic 
My favorite museum in NS is in Halifax: The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Great Titanic exhibit (Halifax being the closest large city to the sinking) and Explosion of 1917 (two munitions ships collided in the harbor and levelled half the city). You’ll probably be connecting at Halifax International to hop over to Sydney so if you have an extra day, stay downtown and walk around. Visit the Museum and the waterfront and the student quarter, and take the ferry to Dartmough and back at night to admire the skyline and the massive bridge that connects them.
Oh yeah, one last thing: Cape Breton is bigger than you think. Allow plenty of time to drive around; the roads are good but very curvy!
My husband, who’s from near where you live, was impressed by all the Scottish and Irish culture when dragged to NS by this New Brunswick native. He recommends trying out a pub or two, especially if there’s live music involved. He was also impressed by Halifax harbour and the walk along the waterfront, even in March.
Basically, if you can get to Halifax for a day or two, do. It’s worth seeing, especially if Iowa is what you’re used to. It’s an old city, and it shows. Very pretty.
Just watch out for Peggy’s Cove. It eats tourists.
Wow, thanks for all the great info.
As it happens, it looks like I will have a free weekend, and a rental car that’s company paid. Woo hoo! What sort of transportation do they have to Halifax? Would it be possible as a day trip? What about Newfoundland? I’ve never been on a ferry; what’s the fee like and how long does it take?
I’ve heard about poutaine on the boards before, but I think it has gravy on it, right? I’m a vegetarian.
I do intend to stop in a Tim Hortons at some point. I think there’s one within a block of the place I’m working.
I’m surprised anyone has been to my itty bitty city. I hope you didn’t have the misfortune of being here in winter (October to May).
/Ms Cyros
First of all, it’s spelled poutine. It’s just french fries with cheese and gravy. So, no, probably not something you’d try as a vegetarian.
As far as day-tripping Halifax, it probably could be done, but I wouldn’t suggest it. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a 5-hour drive. If you’re taking the bus, even longer. So I’d suggest making it at least a two-day trip, maybe three if you can swing it. However, if you do visit the City of Trees, drop me a line, I could show you around, assuming I’m not busy (I’m usually not on weekends). You can even say ‘hi’ to Theodore!
Oh and one more note–don’t expect to do much on Sundays. Most stores will be closed, though I’m not sure about museums and such (that goes for the whole province).
Yeah, poutine has gravy so I guess that’s out for you, but at ABC, you can get fries with cheese and no gravy. Mozzarella. And if you want, you can get mushrooms and/or onions on it. A vegetarian friend of mine always used to get fries with cheese, fried mushrooms, and fried onions. Gosh, I sound like I get paid to advertise, don’t I? But seriously, I just love the food.
Hmm. It takes about five hours or more to drive to Halifax from Cape Breton, as Jayn_Newell said, so it is technically possible to make it a day trip, but you would be zonked by the time you had to drive home. If you like driving and don’t plan on seeing much, then no problem.
I’ve never been on the ferry to Newfoundland myself, but the rates for various vehicles are listed on this site: http://www.marine-atlantic.ca/ - and if you click on “services”, it’ll tell you the time it takes to get there. Apparently, it takes 7 hours for a night crossing and 5.5 - 6 hours during the day, if you go to Port aux Basques. If you go to Argentia it takes 14 hours.
Also, yes, there will be tons of Tim Hortons around. Cape Breton’s packed with them! I recommend the garden vegetable sandwich (lettuce, cucumber and tomato on a baguette with cream cheese and salad dressing - it’s way greater than the sum of its parts!) and the honey crullers. 
The ferry to Nerwfoundland can be fun, but if you’re at all susceptible to seasickness, it could also be pretty hellish. My mother had to dope up on Gravol to make the trip, so I don’t think I’d recommend it as a pleasure cruise.
Port-aux-Basques wasn’t a very happening spot the last time I was there, but that was over a decade ago. They may even have a MacDonald’s by now ^_^.
If you’re going to make a weekend trip, Halifax probably has alot more to offer than Newfoundland.
Heck, there are other people here from the itty bitty city on the Petitcodiac waves.
My wife’s family is from Nova Scotia and I have now visited twice. Some of the highlights:
I had no idea! Small world. Nice to “meet” you
/Ms Cyros
I liked Moncton. I wanted to see the tidal bore. It was worth the wait.
I also ate what was advertised as the “first pesto pizza” in New Brunswick. Some couple that had moved to Moncton from Santa Cruz, CA had opened a pizza parlor and I ordered one.
They asked me if I knew what I was buying. I said yes.
It was pretty good.
But the tidal bore was the best!
I had a great-great-grandma from New Brunswick! And, uh, that’s pretty much all I know about the place. Except that it’s the only ‘officially bilingual’ province or something, which confuses me because it all seems bi up there. Oh well.
Yes, Cape Breton alone is biiiiiig. A good day trip might be to cut straight over to Cheticamp, a charming little French-flavored fishing town with nice restaurants, and then up the Cabot Trail through the National Park. Enjoy the moose signs and the bald eagles. Doesn’t seem right I saw my first bald eagle in the wild in Canada. Anyway, the Gaelic College of St. Ann’s is a terrific place to see, if you want to get an idea of why the place is CALLED Nova Scotia. Great seafood restaurant on the coastline there, too, friend of the family runs it.
My grandma’s two remaining sisters are near Mabou, a nice little city on the west coast, and the little towns around it are adorable too. Ingonish and Antigonish are two different places. There’s some Miqmaq towns in the interior near the Bras d’Or lakes. Again, check the weather! Not that an Iowan couldn’t handle the driving, but a wall of fog is a wall of fog and boring.
If you do go to Newfoundland, you would likely get off the ferry in the morning and you could drive up the Trans Canada Highway to Gros Morne National Park which is one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen in the world.
You’ll likely have most of the park to yourself. Western Brook Pond is spectacular. And “Pond” is quite a misnomer.
Well, the bad news is my trip might be delayed. But, I should be going at some point, so I’m not too bummed. Plus, it gives nature a chance to get less and less winter-like, so that’s a good thing.
Cheticamp sounds like a good idea. As much as I’d like to go to Newfoundland or Halifax, I don’t think I should probably stray that far considering this is a business trip (and considering my hotel in Sydney is going to be paid for, but not any side trips). I’ll probably drive all over the island, though. I’m sad that I couldn’t be going in the summer, because I’d love to go whale watching or on one of those puffin boat tours. I like puffins!
A delay is a good thing; I visited in late May about 4 years ago, and it was still pretty bloody cold.
Cape Breton is wonderful; the scenery is just like Ireland or Scotland (parts of the west coast of Scotland, anyway); the seafood is second to none; and the people are fantastic. Characters, mind you, but fantastic nonetheless.
I was at a Parks Canada conference in Sydney, and it’s not a bad town at all; I second the suggestion to rent a car, and drive out and see the Miner’s Museum in Glace Bay, but also try and spend some time just having a coffee in a small cafe there, and chat with some locals.
Fortess Louisbourg is incredible. Parks Canada has spent about a billion dollars on it in the last 35 years; about one-fifth of the original fort/town has been painstakingly rebuilt, to the exact specifications (checked not only by archaeology, but by the original plans and engineer’s correspondence, all on file in Paris. The French don’t give way to the Germans when it comes to fine detail and bureaucracy!). However, it is not open until April 1st.
Halifax is a cool city, with lots of good museums, culture (Alexander Keith’s brewery!), etc., but is a very long drive. If the weather permits, drive some of the Cabot Trail. Go to Baddeck, a neat little Celtic-flavoured town (which also has a very good Alexander Graham Bell museum–it’s where he did a lot of his work on inventing the telephone).