24 hours in the Annapolis Valley

The Annapolis Valley is a region in Nova Scotia located 100 km northwest of Halifax along the Bay of Fundy. It is home to apple orchards and vineyards, Acadia University, and some beautiful vistas. While visiting my friend Kailee and her husband Thivjan in Pictou County, NS, we decided to make a quick overnight trip to the valley to check out everything it has to offer in the autumn.

Arriving late in the afternoon, our first stop was to explore the beautiful grounds of Acadia University in the town of Wolfville. I was talking to a maritimer the following night who thought it was odd that I had come all the way to Nova Scotia and spent part of my time wandering around Universities (I had also visited St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish the day prior) but it’s something I always enjoy when visiting new places. The architecture is often unique and the grounds kept immaculate. I wasn’t surprised that Acadia was no different. Another fun thing about this University is that my dad was offered a wrestling scholarship to attend the school back when he was in grade 12. He declined to continue at his job that ended up becoming his career for over 40 years, but it was interesting for me to consider the place he could have lived and how I might not even be here had he taken that offer.

Leaving the University, we continued down the town’s main street. It was full of trendy shops and restaurants in beautiful heritage buildings. We chose the Annapolis Cider Company to stop for a drink and we didn’t go wrong. Every cider we tried on our flights were delicious and I left with a bottle of their Rhubarb Ginger Cider, wishing I was checking a bag on my flight home so I could bring a couple with me (though I did just discover that I can order them online and don’t have to pay shipping if I buy a case of 12 750ml bottles 🤔)

As we were leaving the tasting room we asked our server about where we could see the famous Bay of Fundy tides. He recommended Wayfarer’s Ale Society across the canal, where, depending on the time, you could sit on the patio and watch the tides change while enjoying a pint. Upon our arrival we could tell that the tide was significantly lower than it could be but another flight later we hadn’t actually noticed a change in its appearance. We did get to enjoy a beautiful moonrise and some more tasty drinks though, so we weren’t complaining.

By this time we were ready for some actual food so we made our way back into town to The Church Brewing Co. This brewery is located inside a renovated stone building that was built in the first half of the 1800’s as a Presbyterian Church. The beautiful space was packed on a Friday night and we wished it were still warm enough to sit outside on the large patio. Our dinner was good, but I’ve got to admit the beer was better.

Finally it was time to head to our accommodations for the night. When we decided to come to the valley the evening before, I searched airbnb for the most affordable options that slept 3. One of the first to come up was a yurt in the forest and as someone who loves camping you know I couldn’t resist. I saw that Selene was a super host, showed it to Kailee, and booked it without reading much more. Shortly upon our arrival we learned that Selene and her partner own Little Foot Yurts and not only built the yurt themselves, they even grew the trees for the wood to make the frame on their property. They build and sell small yurts like the one we stayed in and also rent out large party sized yurts for weddings and special events. Our space for the night was adorable, complete with a queen bed separated from the rest of the room by a half-wall, a double futon, and a wood burning stove with a small kitchen space. The yurt also has a battery for lights and device charging and outside there’s a propane stove, fire pit, and composting toilet (which was kept super clean and odourless). With the stove freshly stoked upon out arrival I quickly realized that we were glamping, not camping. Waking up in the morning to re-light the fire, boil water for tea and coffee, and fry up some farm fresh eggs was the cherry on top.

After breakfast we drove out to Scots Bay Provincial Park to hike the Cape Split Trail. We were on a bit of a time crunch, so I didn’t take my camera out until we got to the outlook at the end of the trail. The tropical storm that hit the province a couple days prior left a number of trees down throughout the forest but a crew was already out working to get it cleaned up. The trail was easy terrain with a slight incline at times and lead you to some magnificent views at the point. We completed the 13kms in about 2.5 hours, but I would leave a little extra so you don’t have to rush like we did.

If we had a bit more time on our hands to make it a true 24hr trip we would have loved to visit a couple of the wineries in the area, but we had a wedding to get to back in Pictou. In place of wine tastings we made a quick stop at The Noodle Guy to grab lunch for the road. The pasta was delicious and I would make the trip back for the bread pudding alone! Add it all together and the Annapolis Valley is well worth 24 hours on your next maritime adventure.