There’s no better way to kick off the day than with a few chilling tales of ghosts and shipwrecks, so we’ll be sharing breakfast with Halifax-based writer and ghoul expert, Steve Vernon, who has enough mysterious maritime tales to turn your coffee cold. Later, we’ll take a private tour of the Maritime Museum, where we’ll glimpse rare artifacts recovered from the Titanic. In the afternoon, we’ll head to Advocate Bay, driving along the jagged cliffs that outline the Western Shore. We’ll stop for lunch at the BlackRock Bistro and, after taking some time to relax at Driftwood Park Retreat, we’ll drop into a lighthouse-turned-inn overlooking the Bay of Fundy to enjoy a bountiful feast of fresh seafood.

We’ll hit the road early this morning, stopping by Spencer’s Island Beach Café for a quick breakfast before making our way to the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, where ancient trees and the early ancestors of dinosaurs have been preserved in towering walls of rock. Winding our way alongside the cliffs, we’ll glimpse 300-million-year-old fossils of specimens hailing from the Coal Age on a two-hour, private exploration. For lunch, we’ll picnic on the grounds before heading back to the hotel for some free time to rest or explore the surrounding rugged beaches. We’ll end the day with a dinner of locally foraged food at the seaside restaurant Wild Caraway, followed by a presentation on Mi’kmaw history and culture with artist and educator Gerald Gloade.

This morning, we’ll grab a quick bite to eat before bidding farewell to Advocate Bay and embarking on our journey. Our first stop is the Mary Celeste Monument, which commemorates the spine-chilling discovery of an unmanned ship floating aimlessly in the Atlantic, abruptly abandoned. We’ll chat with Oralee O’Byrne, the curator and manager of the Age of Sail Museum, to learn the local lore behind these maritime mysteries. After a picnic lunch, we’ll head to Lunenburg and check into the historic Bluenose Lodge, which was once a ship captain’s residence. Enjoy dinner on your own at one of Lunenburg’s many eateries before joining the group for an evening of rum tasting at the Ironworks Distillery—complete with many a spirited tale of Nova Scotia’s bootlegging days. We’ll learn about the triumphs and tribulations of entrepreneurial rumrunners, as well as the history of the Around the World Rum, which was poured into four bourbon barrels, loaded into the hold of the iconic Picton Castle tall ship, and sent to circumnavigate the world!

Take the morning and early afternoon to explore the beaches and culinary offerings of Lunenburg at your own pace. Then we’ll head out for a half-day, chartered fishing trip where you’ll have the chance to reel in tonight’s dinner. If fishing doesn’t float your boat, you can opt to explore the famed, gaping sea caves of Ovens Natural Park. As dusk begins to fall, we’ll head to a nearby beach to grill up our morning’s catch alongside a local chef. With the help of a few beers from Shipwright Brewing Company, we’ll eat, drink, and be maritimers—or, at least, sway to a few iconic nautical numbers performed by local musicians. As the sun sinks behind the Atlantic, we’ll cast an ear to the layered stories spun in these shanties, and tonight, perhaps, dream of the sea.

After breakfast, we’ll head to the Halifax Airport, or, if you prefer, we can drop you off elsewhere in town. With stories and songs of the sea flowing through us, we’ll set sail for the next destination. Until our next adventure!