Land of Evangeline

We tour through historic Halifax on our way to the Annapolis Valley area of Nova Scotia, “Evangeline Country " Evangeline, the heroine of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie. Using Route 101 as our way to the Annapolis Valley, our first stop will be at Just Us Coffee Roasters, Canada’s first Fair Trade coffee roaster which is near both Wolfville and our next destination, Grand Pré. This will be a coffee/tea and rest/washroom break.

The Grand Pré National Historic Site is most strongly identified with the Deportation of the Acadians by the English in 1755. This site recalls the saddest and heroic moments of the deportation and illustrates for future generations the history of a courageous people whose culture and actions continue to enrich Canada to this day. Our visit will take approximately one hour. There will then be a visit the Acadian Cross where the deportation took place - onto the ships. After Grand Pré, we visit the town of Wolfville, home to Acadia University and, at one time, an important prosperous agricultural community. As it is a college town, there are numerous eateries to choose from for lunch. On the edge of the town we’ll find one of the french dykes that you can walk and begin to understand how the Acadians created such rich and valuable farmland. The Annapolis Valley is noted world-wide for its fruit trees, particularly apple trees although there are also pear, plum, grape, cherry, and assorted berries and vegetables farmed here as well.

It is true the Acadians had apple orchards but it was horticulturalist Charles Ramage Prescott who developed the apple industry in Nova Scotia from 1811 to 1859. Mr. Prescott was responsible for introducing numerous varieties including the Ribston, Northern Spy, Baldwin and Gravenstein. We’ll visit his former estate at Starr’s Point which is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in Nova Scotia. Included is a visit to Mr. Prescott's house known as Acadia Grove, visit the hothouse and grounds, this will take approximately one hour. Prior to our return dockside, we’ll drive through the lush, agricultural countryside to ‘The Look-Off’ on North Mountain Ridge ( Blomidon Ridge -- home to Glooscap, he of Mi'kmaq legend. On, a clear day, you can see the Bay of Fundy, Grand Pré, Wolfville, Acadia University and much of the extensive farmland of the Annapolis Valley. Time permitting it is possible that you might also be able to include a brief visit to Hall's Harbour on the Bay of Fundy -- it was a one time Pirate's Lair -- home to a Fundy Fishing fleet and one of the largest Lobster Pound in the world.