Annapolis Valley vacation rentals

The Annapolis Valley is Nova Scotia’s wine country: vineyards, orchards and farmland sheltered between the North and South Mountains. Around Wolfville you’ll find Benjamin Bridge in the Gaspereau Valley, known for traditional-method sparkling wine, and Luckett Vineyards, where a red British phone box stands among the vines. Wolfville is about an hour’s drive from Halifax.

North of the Valley, the Minas Basin is part of the Bay of Fundy, home to the highest tides in the world: about 160 billion tonnes of seawater flow in and out twice a day, and the tidal range at Burntcoat Head has been recorded at more than 16 metres. At Blomidon Provincial Park, red cliffs rise about 180 metres above the basin, and at Halls Harbour the lobster boats sit on the harbour floor at low tide.

History runs deep here. The Landscape of Grand Pré, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012, preserves the dykes and farmland the Acadians built from 1682 and stands as a memorial to their deportation, which began in 1755. Further west, Annapolis Royal’s Fort Anne became Canada’s first national historic site in 1917, and the Port-Royal National Historic Site is a reconstruction of the 1605 French Habitation.

Wine and cider

Nova Scotia’s wine route runs through the Valley. Benjamin Bridge, founded in 1999, makes traditional-method sparkling wine in the Gaspereau Valley, and the phone box at Luckett Vineyards really works: visitors can call anywhere in North America. Winery hours vary by season, so plan your day ahead.

The Bay of Fundy

At low tide at Blomidon you can walk the red-sand shore looking for agates and amethyst. The Cape Split trail runs about 6.5 km each way, around 13 km and five hours return, to a headland over the Minas Channel. At Halls Harbour, the lobster pound cooks lobster beside the wharf.

History and heritage

Grand-Pré National Historic Site includes the memorial church built in 1922, gardens and a statue of Evangeline, the heroine of Longfellow’s 1847 poem. Fort Anne in Annapolis Royal and the reconstructed Port-Royal Habitation nearby tell the story of some of the earliest European settlement in Canada.

Farms and festivals

The Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival, held since 1933, usually takes place on the last weekend of May. In fall, U-pick orchards open for apples, and Devour! The Food Film Fest, billed as the world’s largest food film festival, comes to Wolfville each October. The Wolfville Farmers’ Market runs on Saturdays.

Spring (March to May)

Apple trees blossom across the Valley in late May, when the Apple Blossom Festival runs. Trails are green and quiet.

Summer (June to August)

U-pick berries, winery patios, the Cape Split hike and Fundy beaches at low tide. Book early for summer weekends.

Fall (September to November)

Harvest season: vineyards and orchards turn gold, U-pick apples are in, and Devour! comes to Wolfville in October.

Winter (December to February)

The quiet season in wine country. Check winery hours before you go, as many shorten them over winter.

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How far is Wolfville from Halifax?

About 95 km, roughly an hour’s drive on Highway 101.

Where can you see the Bay of Fundy tides near Wolfville?

Blomidon Provincial Park, Halls Harbour and the Cape Split trail are all on the Fundy shore north of the Valley. Burntcoat Head, where the world’s highest tides were recorded, is east of the Valley in Hants County.

What is Grand-Pré?

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012: the Acadian dykelands and farmland near Wolfville, and a memorial to the Acadian deportation that began in 1755.

How long is the Cape Split hike?

About 13 km return, roughly five hours, to a headland high above the Minas Channel.