a peek inside the fishbowl

21 Feb, 2008

We’re planning a road trip !

Posted by andrea tomkins in: travel talk

Send help! I’m having an anxiety attack just thinking about it.

We want to do a road trip out East, with kids, over two weeks this summer. There is so much information out there that I hardly know where to begin.

Things I know:

– we want to take a route through Canada to get there (overnight in Montreal and in Quebec City to start) and take a route back through the US. I would love to bring the kids through the wilds of Vermont (Ahhh… I dream of vacation time in Stowe!).
– we’d like our holiday to include lots of outdoorsy activities (hiking, birdwatching, time at the beach, canoe rental), good family fun, and good food.
– We’d like to pick a small, isolated and gorgeous “central” cottage/beach house to hunker down for four or five nights (say around Halifax somewhere?)
– Cabot Trail is a must-see, as is the Bay of Fundy and Peggy’s Cove

Things I don’t know:

– What else should be on our must-see list?
– What are the best places to stop and overnight for the rest of our journey
– routes! routes! I want routes! There is so much information out there. It is totally overwhelming. Ideally, I’d like someone to provide me with a long detailed itinerary: which way to drive, where to stop, where to stay, and what to see without spending the whole time in the car.

Does this exist, or am I dreaming?

Any tips or suggestions you’d like to throw my way would be most appreciated! We’re looking to book all this ASAP. I want it to be an adventure the girls will always remember … (or is that too much to ask?) :)


14 Responses to "We’re planning a road trip !"

1 | Vicki

February 21st, 2008 at 10:02 am

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If you are interested in New Brunswick, there is a pretty cool area with an amazing nature reserve. Check out this link: http://www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/en-CA/HNThingsToDo/HNNaturalWonders/HNNWDunes.htm
La Dune de Bactouche is quite interesting and the Bay of Fundy is close by.

2 | Lida Wellman

February 21st, 2008 at 10:03 am

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The Doers’ and Dreamers” guide book was an invaluable help to us when we went down east. You can get it sent to you by going to novascotia.com
and it comes quite quickly in the mail. It has maps and places to see and places to stay. There are different trails to follow and it has little comments about the history and such of the places you pass by on the trails. I hope this helps. I know New Brunswick has a similar guide but that you can get at any tourism post or I’m sure you can get one sent to you as well but I don’t know the email address. We had a wonderful time especially on the Cabot Trail. I don’t know that you can do everything you want in one visit but there is always a good excuse to go back.

3 | Soirenoir

February 21st, 2008 at 11:24 am

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The lighthouse in Fredericton has home-made gelato in the summer, CFB Gagetown in Oromocto has all sorts of fun tanks to climb on, and a toonie theatre on Fridays, Shediac NB has a giant lobster (mmm.) statue, Oxford NS is the blueberry capital.

If you take the ferry from St. John NB to Digby NS, the annapolis valley is a beautiful drive, and on the ferry you may see whales and other fun sea creatures…

… That’s it I think. I lived in NB for 10 years, and my gramma lives in New Glasgow NS, and I used to spend summers with my best friend in Greenwood NS. It’s all beautiful.

4 | Lala

February 21st, 2008 at 12:32 pm

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The Hopewell rocks are worth a stop and a few hours to watch the tides come up. You can rent kayaks to go out into the bay of Fundy at high tide from there. The drive from Montreal through Que. City along the St. Laurent can be beautiful but ultimately quite boring. If you stay on the north side of the river and cross at Riviere de loups there’s a great whale watching tour you can take in a Zodiac from the north shore. It also takes you into Canada’s one and only fiord.
For an inexpensive cottage you might want to explore Grand Manan Island in N.B. It’s a sweet, little place and you can go on whale watching tours from there too. Also Freddy had a fun farmer’s market on Saturday mornings and it’s fairly easy to find. We are driving home to Ottawa for good next Friday so I can’t offer you a port in a storm this summer but I wish you well.

5 | Tosca

February 21st, 2008 at 5:39 pm

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Hi. Long time lurker de-lurking here to add another bit about Shediac, NB- it has a really wide, absolutely gorgeous beach and is not too far from Magnetic Hill. I got a kick out of Magnetic Hill as an adult, and one day I hope to take my kids back there too :)

6 | Emilie

February 21st, 2008 at 6:32 pm

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Weighing in on PEI – it’s a shame to go all the way East without spending time on PEI. Too many wonderful things for kids to do, but if you’re interested, talk to me or Lana and we’ll see you up with some ideas.

7 | robyn

February 21st, 2008 at 6:55 pm

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Some other Nova Scotia & New Brunswick stops to think about:

– Ross Farm
– Lunenburg
– Mahone Bay
– Rainbow Haven Beach (near Dartmouth)
– Queensland (I practically grew up at this beach)
– Louisburg (Cape Breton)
– Whale Watching
– Hopewell Rocks (New Brunswick) – fantastic if timed with the tides well!
– Point Pleasant Park (Halifax)
– Halifax Public Gardens
– Riding the ferry across from Halifax to Dartmouth and back
– Canada Day or Natal Day fireworks over the harbour bridge (Halifax)
– Shubenacadie Wildlife Park (Nova Scotia)
– Magnetic Hill, NB
– Driving through the Annapolis Valley

I’m sure I could think of a ton more if you needed more suggestions. Email me!

8 | mel

February 21st, 2008 at 7:59 pm

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Definitely Hopewell Rocks and Fundy National Park (about 30 minutes away) is lovely, with hiking trails of varying difficulty, canoe rental, lakes for swimming, camping, even chalets that you can rent. And rapelling and horseback riding in Alma, the little town at one entrance to Fundy.

Shediac, NB also has some beautiful sandy beaches. (Aboiteau is better than Parlee.)

9 | Sheila D

February 21st, 2008 at 8:29 pm

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Some of the smaller museums have a lot of charm and personality. Two of my favourite memories are of stops at the Joggins Fossil Centre in Joggins, Nova Scotia on Route 242, a centre for discovering rocks and fossils found on the beaches in this area (go and explore the fossil beach too) and at the Heritage Model Centre not far away in River Hebert (www.heritagemodels.com). If you go to PEI, try to catch a show at the College of Piping (http://collegeofpiping.com/festivals/celtic_festival.cfm). . In Halifax look for a ghost tour. Fundy National Park has lots of activities and is totally gorgeous. You’ll have a great time anywhere out east.

10 | andrea

February 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 am

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Wow! Thanks everybody!
The Doers’ and Dreamers book has officially been ordered. I’m meeting one of you for coffee to chat some more… and the rest of your info is being added to a big long list. :)

You guys totally rock it.

11 | grace

February 22nd, 2008 at 11:50 am

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A second vote for the fossil Museum at Joggins; I think the cost is something like $2 for a family. the children may take their fossil spoils back to the museum and staff will explain what they have found. Definitely memory-making.

Beach walks at Fundy are magical but if you camp there try to get a site away from the wind coming off the Bay.

The ferry to Dartmouth is very inexpensive and is a great way to take in the City of Halifax.

12 | Frank

February 23rd, 2008 at 4:46 am

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All of Quebec sucks because, as we rarely admit, the french are rude and arrogant, as a ‘culture. Thankfully the USA is great. Cheaper motels, food and gas and friendly people.

13 | andrea

February 23rd, 2008 at 10:15 am

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Now now Frank.
Didn’t your momma ever teach you it ain’t polite to slander a whole provinceful of folks in that way?

14 | shortmamaof2

February 29th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

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we did the trip out east when i was a young girl. we live in ontario. i would say definitely p.e.i. for a couple reasons: confederation bridge, the red sand & green gables house.

aside: i work with a couple people from quebec & they are hands down fantastic.

sounds great & have fun in our beautiful country!

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My name is Andrea and I live in Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Sunny who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. During the day I work as a freelance writer. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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