Nova Scotia With Kids: Everything We Did On Our 8 Day Family Trip

We recently returned from our first ever family vacation since having kids where we spent 8 days and 7 nights in Nova Scotia with our 4-year-old and 3-month-old. Since this was our first trip to the province, we wanted a good mix of sight seeing and outdoor adventure, but traveling with a 3-month-old meant we needed to account for extra stops throughout each day for feeding and breaks. It was important to us that each day felt full but not busy or chaotic. This is definitely not a packed “see everything” itinerary, but one with a healthy mix of coastal towns, wildlife, beaches, scenic drives, and activities that worked very well for our family.

Day 1: Arriving in Nova Scotia

The Flight

I was pleasantly surprised by how well the flight went all things considered. My 3-month-old did get scared and cry on take-off and because we purchased a seat for her they wanted us to keep her buckled in her car seat until after the fasten seatbelt lights were switched off. Thankfully they did eventually let me take her out to comfort her. I believe it was the noise from the engines that scared her so next time we fly I will definitely be brining some baby ear muffs with us! I did end up holding for the majority of the flight as she fell asleep on me and I didn’t want to wake her. They had me buckle her back into her seat for landing and she was completely unbothered over it! My 4-year-old watched some Bluey videos we had downloaded before hand throughout the flight and had a great time.

Picking Up The Rental Car

Navigating the Halifax Airport was really easy as there was lots of signage and everything was laid out it a really straightforward way which made picking up our rental car a breeze! Even at 11pm with two small kids! We rented a Volvo XC60 and while it was great for the most part, with two car seats, a stroller, a pack and play, and all our luggage we did have to play some games of Tetris to fit everything in. Next time we will likely go with a full size SUV rather than a crossover.

Checking Into The Hotel

We stayed at Chateau Bedford for the majority of our trip and honestly, I would stay there again. The included breakfast was very good and had lots of different options and even included specialty coffee. The hotel itself had some cosmetic issues as an older hotel might but it was clean and comfortable and we really enjoyed being just outside of Halifax as it made traffic a lot easier especially when most days our outings were outside of Halifax. The pool is definitely older and quite cold. The shallow end is still 3 feet deep which came up to my sons neck so I think a lot of 4-year-olds wouldn’t be able to comfortably touch the ground. This wasn’t a big deal for us as we didn’t have a lot of time for swimming at the hotel, but if you have a kiddo that’s really looking forward to some pool time it’s something to keep in mind!

Day 2: Shubenacadie & Truro

Breakfast

We took full advantage of the included breakfast at both hotels we stayed at and ate it every day our trip. Thankfully the breakfast at Chateau Bedford was delicious and offered a lot of variety (and really good coffee!), the breakfast at the Super 8 in Truro was not as good but good enough to get us by for one morning.

Glenbourne Park

We found ourselves at this adorable park between Bedford and downtown Halifax when we had about 45 minutes to entertain my 4-year-old before it was time to head to Schubenacadie to meet some friends at the wildlife park. There was lots of parking, shady spots to sit and watch my son play (great for keeping the baby out of the sun) and while it wasn’t overly busy, it was busy enough that there was always other kids for my son to play with.

Shubenacadie Wildlife Park

The wildlife park is about a 45 minute drive from Halifax but it is definitely worth it! It is completely stroller friendly and a good portion of the paths are well shaded. There are lots of animals to see, goats and deer to feed, several indoor educational exhibits, and even a few free range peacocks that were fun to see! After exploring the park we got ice cream at Shubie Snacks near the entrance and enjoyed it at a shaded picnic bench in the large picnic area while my son and his friend ran around catching bugs in their new bug viewer picked up at the gift shop.

Victoria Park Playground

After the wild life park my son and his friend were eager to keep playing so we drove towards Truro and stopped at Victoria park so they could play some more at the play ground there. It was a really nice park with several different play structures and even a splash pad! It was a pretty busy park with not a lot of parking, and I would have liked a shady spot where I could get the baby out of her stroller without being in the sun.

Swiss Chalet – Truro

We had planned on dinner at Nook and Cranny with our friends however that evening their fryers were broken and they were only able to offer a limited menu that wasn’t chicken-nugget-kiddo friendly. We tried Boston Pizza and they turned out to be closed so we went to Swiss Chalet instead. The food was good but the service was a little bit slow (we had to ask for my sons chocolate milk four times).

Super 8 Hotel

We chose to stay here for our night in Truro because it had breakfast included and was just outside of Downtown Truro. Next time I would likely look for a different option. The room wasn’t dirty but it was a little out of date which gave it a slightly dirty feel, and I had an early morning encounter with an earwig in the shower that I could have done without. The breakfast was fine for one day but if I was staying for multiple days I would likely be disappointed. They had the usual things like cereal and yogurt and pancakes but for hot food they only had boiled eggs, beans, and some sausage patties that I skipped as they looked a little soggy.

Day 3: Tatamagouche

Victoria Park – Webber Falls

Before driving to Tatamagouche we headed back to Victoria Park to check out some of the waterfalls. Instead of parking at the main lot, we parked at a a smaller lot off of Wood St. From here there is a shorter and easier path to the waterfalls. We opted not to take the stroller because I wasn’t sure how stroller friendly this path would be, but we absolutely could have brought it! The majority of the path was asphalt and stone dust. There are some rather steep and long sets of stairs down to the waterfalls themselves so we would have had to leave the stroller at the top at that point. The first waterfall had a really nice covered bench where we had a little break out of the sun. Unfortunately there hadn’t been much rain when we went so there was very little water going over the falls, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

Tatamagouche Train Station – Railway Dining Car

For lunch we headed to Tatamagouche to inside of a vintage railway dining car. Located at the historic Train Station Inn, this beautifully restored vintage dining car was such a fun place to eat! My son had an absolute blast getting to be inside a train car, and the service and food were very good. They had a kid’s menu that is definitely picky eater approved. Lunch service did not require a reservation, but if you are planning a visit for dinner you will need to make one! Throughout the summer they also often have live music along with dinner service. If you are staying in the area they also have rail cars you can stay in.

Rushton’s Beach

Visiting a beach on the north shore was high on our Tatamagouche priority list as the waters here are warmer than many of the beaches around the Halifax area. Rushton’s did not disappoint. There are outhouses and separate change rooms near the parking lot as well as several charcoal fire pits if you plan to do some cooking. From there there is a really lovely (but long) boardwalk path through the marsh with really lovely views. The beach itself had a perfect mix of small tide pools, lovely beach sand, and wet sand perfect for sandcastle. We all enjoyed walking along the edge of the water and watching the hermit crabs. The water was cold but definitely swimmable unlike the other beaches we visited on this trip.

Derado’s Pizzeria/Appletons Chocolates/Cohens Cones

For dinner we headed into downtown Tatamagouche and stopped at Appletons Chocolates before they closed. They had so many different things I wish I could’ve gone back again. We got some chocolate frogs, some maple truffles, and a chocolate bar with wild Nova Scotia blueberries in it and everything was delicious. They also had a big window where my son enjoyed watching chocolates being made.

Right next door is Derado’s Pizzeria which had that amazing small town diner feel. The service was amazing and while there were lots of kid safe options on the menu, my son chose a baked sub with cheese and peperoni that he ate exactly zero bites of, he did enjoy eating the poutine I ordered though! Everything we tried was amazing, especially the pistachio cannoli’s my husband had for dessert.

After dinner my son and I walked down the road to Cohen’s Cones for some ice cream. We tried Moon Mist which is a Nova Scotia classic and it absolutely hit the spot! Cohen’s Cones also had several different size options like “premie” and “baby” which is so appreciated with small kids!

Day 4: Lunenburg

Lunenburg Whale Watching Tour

On day 4 we drove to Lunenburg for a whale watching tour. Lunenburg was one of my favourite ocean side towns we saw along this trip. The main street across from the wharf was packed with colourful buildings that housed a variety of shops and restaurants, I also really appreciated the very nice and very clean public bathrooms on either end of the street. For the whale watching tour itself we unfortunately didn’t have the best conditions as the water was somewhat choppy, we did however see two porpoise’s and a colony of seals and my son entertained the whole boat by “communicating” with the seals. The tour also included a thorough history of the bay and visits the sea caves at The Ovens Natural Park. While it was disappointing that we didn’t see more ocean life it was still an enjoyable regardless! However I do think that how “kid-friendly” of an activity this is largely depends on the individual kid. My son had fun for the first little while but it is a several hour long excursion and by the end his patience had worn pretty thin. My 4 month old though slept almost the entire time and I think she really enjoyed the motion of the waves. If you are planning a whale watching tour, make sure you bring some extra layers and a rain jacket for everyone! It gets cold once you are out on open water and we all ended up wet from the spray off the boat!

The Ovens Natural Park

After the tour we drove about 15 minutes to the Oven Natural Park. I would absolutely recommend pairing this with the whale tour! It was really cool to be able to see The Ovens from the water and then explore them up close as well as read a little about the history of the ovens at the same time. The walk took about 45 mins and loop around above the caves with several sets of stairs down to, and at some points into the caves. Although the water was calm by the time we got here we were still able to hear a few of the infamous “booms” of the waves hitting the caves. There is also a beach by the parking lot where you are able to pan for gold which we did not get to check out on this trip but I would love to if we ever have the opportunity to go back. This trail I had initially thought we could bring the stroller as it sounded as though the top loop was stroller friendly and we would just have to leave the stroller to go down the stairs to the caves, however there are quite a few sets of stairs along the top loop as well so it is not stroller friendly, it is baby wearing friendly though as its not an overly difficult trail. Keep in mind if going with a baby though: they will charge you an entrance fee for them! It was only $2 but i still raised my eyebrows a little at that!

Day 5: Halifax/Fishermans Cove

The Discovery Center

When I planned our visit to the discovery center, it was supposed to fill a rainy morning. The weather was actually beautiful but I am still glad we went anyways. My son had so much fun at the all the educational and interactive exhibits. I think older children will find even more enjoyment, but it still kept my four year old entertained for a couple of hours. We definitely could have spent even longer there if we had the time! He especially enjoyed the imaginative play spaces where there was a farm, a store, a stage, a doctors office, and even a room for playing with bubbles. My husband also enjoyed the Lego tables. There is also an elevator so we were able to enjoy all of the floors even with the stroller.

The Wooden Monkey

I had intended for us to walk to the Wooden Monkey for lunch after the discovery center. It wasn’t a long walk but it was up a steep hill so we opted to find parking closer which did mean double paying for parking. It was however so worth it and The Wooden Money is a restaurant I will be thinking of until I get the chance to go again. They have an incredible mission of supporting local farmers and their menus list where all of their main ingredients come from. Not only that but the food was amazing. Definitely top two of the trip if not the first. I had a Hot Honey Pizza and my husband had a Lamb Burger with goat cheese and they were both exceptional. We went at an odd time of day between lunch and dinner so it was very quiet, but I get the feeling it may be a more challenging place to take small children during a busy dinner rush, though they did have a picky eater approved kids menu!

Fisherman’s Cove

Fisherman’s cove is adorable and absolutely a must see if you’re in Halifax! Its a boardwalk fully of colourful little buildings that house the shops of local artists and small business. I could have spent hours here but unfortunately that most of the shops close at 6pm (5 on Sundays). This is a great spot for looking for souvenirs that are actually made by Nova Scotians rather than mass produced. The candy store has so many unique candies as well as things I haven’t seen since my childhood as well as a whole wall of salt water taffy. There’s also jewelry stores, book stores, hand painted signs, sea glass art and so much more! It is mostly stroller friendly except from the parking lot where we lifted the stroller onto boardwalk.

Dockside Donuts

A trip to fisherman’s cove is not complete with a stop at dockside donuts! They are open till 9pm so we we’re able to get some donuts. They had SO many different flavours to choose from but we love a good cinnamon sugar donut so we got those and they were so good. They make them fresh to order right in front of you. We had some fresh squeezed lemonade as well and it was a little sour for our liking. We ended up coming back to fisherman’s cove another day and we tried two different flavours of donuts, Banana Fosters and Caramel with Skor Pieces and OMG! They were both made from a cinnamon sugar donut and the Banana Fosters had a banana and caramel sauce drizzle and let me just say, there’s a reason it had “the life changer” in parentheses’ on the menu! The Skor donuts were also delicious with caramel drizzle and Skor pieces.

Day 6: Peggy’s Cove

Peggy’s Cove

I initially hadn’t planned to do Peggy’s Cove. I felt it was an over-rated tourist attraction and my family greatly prefer adventure outings over sight seeing. I am so glad I changed my mind! Although parking was a bit of a nightmare (it did take about 30 mins to find a spot) There was a really nice boardwalk path down to a viewing platform with lots of places to sit. I sat here and took in the sights and the ocean breeze while my son and husband went out on the rocks to get a closer look. My son had an absolute blast climbing all over the place! I really enjoyed the gift shop here as well. It had all the touristy things you would expect to find as well as lots of things from local artists. I got a big chunk of my souvenir shopping done here.

White Sails Bakery & Deli

After Peggy’s Cove we stopped at White Sails Bakery & Deli on the recommendation of a friend and It was completely worth it! They were out of regular fries when we were there so we had sweet potato fries instead and they were probably the best sweet potato fries I have ever had, and I’m honestly not a sweet potato lover normally. My sons grilled cheese was also up there on the “best ever list” and so was the salted caramel cheese cake my husband had. Aside from the food there was a beautiful view of a bay from the picnic tables which were well shaded and it made a super enjoyable place for lunch.

Crystal Crescent Beach

We wanted to get a little more beach time in before the end of our trip so we checked out Crystal Crescent Beach for a few hours. It’s a really beautiful beach with lovely white sand. There’s two beaches and two parking lots so we opted to go the farther one because it was a little quieter. The water was freezing cold (as more are on this part of the province) so it was very much just a “play in the sand” beach visit but still very enjoyable. There was a bit from the parking lot where it used to be boardwalk but a lot of sand has blown over it but it wasn’t too long to carry my daughter down to the beach.

Jack Astors

While we had planned on trying Mishoo’s close to the beach this day, it was unfortunately raining when we left the beach and it didn’t look like there was any indoor seating (and we weren’t going to risk eating in the rental car) so we opted to skip it and head back towards the hotel where we found ourselves at Jack Astors just outside Bedford. We enjoyed the World Cup decorations, good food, and had some fun playing trivia!

Day 7: Halifax/Dartmouth

Dartmouth – Halifax Ferry

We took a ride on the Halifax Transit Ferry for no other reason than I thought my son would find it fun and he totally did! It was $6 for both adults and the kids were free. That also included the return trip. We drove to the Dartmouth side to park and I highly recommend that. It’s much easier parking on that side. Bringing the stroller was super easy and then we made a morning of exploring the Halifax Harbour front. We started with ice cream from COWS which is absolutely worth the hype. They have a huge store full of merch and things full of cow themed puns and so many fun ice cream flavours. You can even get your cone (which they make fresh in house) dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles or peanuts. We ate our ice cream while walking through the harbour where we found a great little playground for the kids as well several more small stands and store selling souvenirs and local art.

Portland Street Creperie

After taking the ferry back to the Dartmouth side we walked to Portland Street Creperie it was about a 15 minute walk from the ferry parking (there is also a public lot just down from the Creperie if you don’t want to walk!) and we were able to see some beautiful murals along the way. Once at the Creperie, all the options were overwhelming! They had several savory and sweet options I’d love to go back and try even more, Everything was delicious and the service was wonderful. They were even kind enough to find my son a little “Halifax for Kids” book for him to colour after he had asked them for crayons and then realized he had nothing to actually colour!

Boondocks at Fishermans Cove

The first time we were in Fisherman’s cove we had been too full after donuts and a late lunch for dinner so when we had some extra time on our last full day we knew where we had to go! After quickly running into one of the shops to grab a mug I couldn’t stop thinking from a local potter from Sackville, we went to Boondocks for dinner. I’m still not sure if this was my favourite meal of the trip, or if it was The Wooden Monkey but they were both so exceptional. I will be thinking the pepper jelly cheeseburger I had for a very long time. Boondocks was also very kid friendly with a great kids menu and even a rubber duck scavenger hunt throughout the restaurant to keep the kids busy while waiting for their food. We ate inside to keep my daughter out of the sun, but they did have a very large patio with a view of the beach.

Day 8: Heading Home

The Halifax airport was one of the easier larger airports I’ve ever flown out of. Getting checked in and going through security was a breeze (aside from the few minutes where my husband had thought he left the key for our truck clipped to rental car key when he returned them) and once through security there were several shops and restaurants. The one thing I was a little disappointed by was that there was a mothers room before security, but none after. Once again on the flight because we brought my daughters car seat they wanted her to be buckled the entire time, so that’s something to consider if you are flying with a baby and trying to decide whether or not to bring a car seat! Thankfully for flight home she actually slept the entire time and my son was unbothered by the rather turbulent flight.

Final Thoughts

Nova Scotia exceeded our expectations. From spotting porpoises and seals and exploring sea caves to quiet beach walks, playground stops, and delicious food, everyday offered something new for our family to experience together. Travelling with a four-year old and a three-month old offered its challenges, but also reminded us that family adventures don’t have to be perfect to become unforgettable.

If you’re planning a family trip to Nova Scotia, I hope this 8-day itinerary gives a helpful starting point. Feel free to adjust it to match your families pace, sometimes the best travel memories come from slowing down and leaving room for unexpected discoveries.

I hope you found this itinerary helpful and use it to make some wondeful memories with your family in Nova Scotia.

Have you been to Nova Scotia? I’d love to hear about your favourite stops or any hidden gems we should ad to our list next time!