Darcy Rhyno - Frommers EasyGuide to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick

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ISBN 978-1-62887-248-4 (paper), 978-1-62887-249-1 (ebk)

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Editor: Pauline Frommer

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Frommer's Star Ratings System

Every hotel, restaurant and attraction listed in this guide has been ranked for quality and value. Here's what the stars mean:

Recommended

Highly Recommended

A must! Don't miss!

AN IMPORTANT NOTE

The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants hike their prices, museums alter their opening hours, and buses and trains change their routings. And all of this can occur in the several months after our authors have visited, inspected, and written about these hotels, restaurants, museums, and transportation services. Though we have made valiant efforts to keep all our information fresh and up-to-date, some few changes can inevitably occur in the periods before a revised edition of this guidebook is published. So please bear with us if a tiny number of the details in this book have changed. Please also note that we have no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconvenience, loss, damage, or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darcy Rhyno is a storyteller first. The author of three books of fiction as well as plays for stage and radio, he infuses his travel writing with character of place. Born to a fishing family in a Nova Scotia fishing village, he is a trusted bank of knowledge when it comes to Canadas Maritime Provinces. His award-winning travel writing has appeared in publications such as Canadian Geographic Travel, BBC Travel, and Dreamscapes.

Darcy Rhyno lives in Little Harbour on Nova Scotias South Shore.

ABOUT THE FROMMER's TRAVEL GUIDES

For most of the past 50 years, Frommers has been the leading series of travel guides in North America, accounting for as many as 24% of all guidebooks sold. I think I know why.

Though we hope our books are entertaining, we nevertheless deal with travel in a serious fashion. Our guidebooks have never looked on such journeys as a mere recreation, but as a far more important human function, a time of learning and introspection, an essential part of a civilized life. We stress the culture, lifestyle, history, and beliefs of the destinations we cover, and urge our readers to seek out people and new ideas as the chief rewards of travel.

We have never shied from controversy. We have, from the beginning, encouraged our authors to be intensely judgmental, criticalboth pro and conin their comments, and wholly independent. Our only clients are our readers, and we have triggered the ire of countless prominent sorts, from a tourist newspaper we called practically worthless (it unsuccessfully sued us) to the many rip-offs weve condemned.

And because we believe that travel should be available to everyone regardless of their incomes, we have always been cost-conscious at every level of expenditure. Though we have broadened our recommendations beyond the budget category, we insist that every lodging we include be sensibly priced. We use every form of media to assist our readers, and are particularly proud of our feisty daily website, the award-winning Frommers.com.

I have high hopes for the future of Frommers. May these guidebooks, in all the years ahead, continue to reflect the joy of travel and the freedom that travel represents. May they always pursue a cost-conscious path, so that people of all incomes can enjoy the rewards of travel. And may they create, for both the traveler and the persons among whom we travel, a community of friends, where all human beings live in harmony and peace.

Arthur Frommer

The Best of the Maritime Provinces

W ant to know where to find the most spectacular hike, the restaurant with the most creative kitchen, the best hole-in-the-wall pub for authentic folk music in the Maritimes? Read on. This chapter lays out the best Maritime destinations, activities, and experiences to make travel memories that will last a lifetime.

Maritimes best Authentic Experiences

Tapping Your Feet to Cape Breton Fiddle Music (NS): Nothing says Cape Breton more than a fiddle tune expertly played by a seasoned Island musician at the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, the heart of Celtic Cape Breton where impromptu jams occur regularly. See .

Tintamarre (NB): For the first 2 weeks of August, the town of Caraquet explodes in celebration of the survival of Acadian culture. After much historical persecution, there is more than reason enough for this fortnight of fun to culminate in the Tintamarre on August 15, a local parade in which Acadians bang pots and pans, and generally make as much noise as possible as if to say, Were still here! See .

Walking onto a Wharf and Saying Hi (Maritimes): The Maritimes are chock-a-block full of wharves with working fishing boats docked shoulder to shoulder. These are public places, and you should get out onto them to strike up a conversation with a fisherman (theyre mostly men, but some women fish too). Start with Hows the season going?

Weekly Ceilidhs (PEI): Many small community halls in PEI hold weekly ceilidhs, or folk music jams, and they do it year-round. Ceilidhs arent created for tourists, but visitors are warmly welcomed. Great music, lively dancing, and Maritime hospitality make them the best authentic experience bargain in PEI because admission is rarely more than C$5. See chapter 4.

Coffee at Timmys (Maritimes): It might seem strange to think that a stop at a chain coffee shopCanadas largestwill provide an authentic experience, but Tim Hortons (nicknamed Timmys) is where regular folks hang out in numbers, often for hours on end, chatting and telling stories, especially in small towns. To understand average Canadians, their lifestyle, and even their humor, stop at a Timmys and strike up a conversation with a table of locals.