Are you looking for an inexpensive and adventurous vacation? Do you live in the Northeastern United States? If the answer to both questions is yes, then the Cat may be just what you are looking for. The Cat is a large catamaran ferry boat that leaves from Portland, Maine and arrives in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia 6 hours later. You just drive your car, RV or even motorcycle right onto this ship and then relax while you knock a day off a day of driving each way to Nova Scotia and enjoy this mini cruise aboard this high speed, high tech ship.
The ship holds up to 775 people and about 250 assorted vehicles including busses and motor homes. The trip is nice with meals available and gambling once outside the three mile limit. There is seating for all since you are not allowed to stay in your vehicles during the trip. Smoking is only permitted outside on the deck.
Packages which include cruise tickets for two people, plus one car or SUV and two nights in a hotel room in Nova Scotia for two nights start at around $350 total. What an affordable price! Seniors and children get reduced fares, which can make it even better for a family trip.
Once you get to Yarmouth make sure your sightseeing itinerary includes the following sights and destinations.
50 Foot Tides In The Bay Of Fundy
There are enormous tides in the Bay Of Fundy. Often there is in excess of a 50 foot difference between high and low tide. During the low tide the Bay empties its waters into the Atlantic and the boats in the harbor rest on the muddy floor of the Bay. The boats are specially made with flat bottoms and can slide up and down the large moorings they are attached to. When the tide comes in within a few hours is comes in faster than a person can run so don’t go exploring the Bay floor during low tide or you may find yourself up to your neck in freezing water. The shore is mainly lined with dark granite cliffs with the occasional foot path up and down the cliff face. If you go to a beach during low tide remember exactly where the path is and don’t go far from it. Careless people have perished because they thought they could out run or out think Mother Nature. Make sure to bring binoculars so you can see this spectacle from a safe distance.
In the mid 1800’s just off the southern shore of Nova Scotia and not too far west of Halifax lies Oak Island. In the mid 1800’s a farmer’s son discovered the remains of an old hoist on one of the trees of the Island. He and his family started to dig under the hoist only to find some mysterious man made devices directly underneath. First at the 10 foot level a log floor with coconut fiber covering it. A stone tablet with a coded inscription was also found. The best translation to date is “Forty Feet Below – Two Million Pounds Are Buried”. Several caskets were found but no treasure. However, each ten feet down another log floor lined with coconut fiber was found. The farmer continued to dig down for 200 feet with nothing but repeats of the floors and small pieces of wood and metal found. At that point the hole flooded killing one of his sons.
There are still people today looking for the treasure at the bottom of the Oak Island Pit and with time passing the technology to find the treasure also improves. One day someone may find the French Crown Jewels of France or Captain Kidd’ treasure.
It is well worth the visit.
Halifax
This beautiful modern city has something for everyone. From the largest swimming parks to fantastic Malls and great night life.
Cape Breton Island
The Cape Breton Wilderness area is for the nature and backpacking enthusiast. If you have time and good legs, make sure to visit this pristine wilderness.
I hope you have time to visit Nova Scotia. It is one of the best kept secrets for a close in vacation destination. I have only listed a few of the many points of interest there. I’ll let you discover the many other sites to see during your stay. Prime travel months are June to September.
