My husband and I debated for a while to figure out how to spend our 30th anniversary. We happen to love the show The Curse of Oak Island, so it started with seeing if tours were available around that time. We had discussed going a few times, but tours were either not happening or sold out. When there was a slot available, we decided it was meant to be and started planning our anniversary weekend. I have to say this is one of my favorite trips ever. Nova Scotia surprised me in good ways so many times!
One of our favorite experiences was realizing that we had seen Peggy’s Cove lighthouse before - in pictures. Tom’s grandparents, Harold and Julia traveled extensively and there was a picture we had often seen with a lighthouse in it. We had always assumed it was in the Netherlands. As soon as we arrived at Peggy’s Cove, we had deja vu. We started texting Tom’s family to see if they knew the picture we were referring to and whether it was in Nova Scotia. As we traveled on to Oak Island, we confirmed that it was. Tom and I went back after our Oak Island tour and recreated the photo!
THE DRINK
Locked in Love
THE STORY
As we were enjoying our drinks and desserts at The Middle Spoon, we noticed a few people going downstairs. We overheard a secret passphrase and realized there was a speakeasy downstairs! After using the passphrase, we went down to The Noble with an escort. We were in Nova Scotia for our 30th wedding anniversary, so Locked in Love that came with a lock to hang up was perfect!
THE DESTINATION
Halifax, Nova Scotia is a great walkable downtown with a ton of places to eat and drink.
MAKE IT AT HOME
Whiskey, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, Pineapple, Hibiscus, Soda in the original description. Difficult to recreate at home since the bartenders are amazing and can make drinks to your liking or create new ones!
GO THERE
Do some research on getting into The Noble. Passphrases will be emailed to you OR talk to the lovely staff at The Middle Spoon.
Ok. This was our main reason for going to Nova Scotia, but it will likely be a great detour for others. This island has an amazing history of treasure hunting. I highly recommend watching episodes of The Curse of Oak Island before going if you haven’t. If you recognize Jack Begley from the show, you might be a superfan! We were obviously excited! Both were incredibly nice.
This trip is perfect for people who love Oak Island, the Titanic and maritime adventures. We packed a lot into this trip and it is ideal for a long weekend.
GETTING THERE
From the United States, you will likely need to fly into a larger hub in Canada and then an additional flight into Halifax. Prepare to go through several checkpoints and ensure your layover time is enough. We enjoyed a great meal at the Bistro Montreal-Trudeau with a small bottle of wine.
You do have a cruise option with Holland America. That is worth checking into, and I would be happy to book for you.
DAY BY DAY ULTIMATE ITINERARY
Day 1 (Friday) - Travel day into Halifax. If you can get an earlier flight in than we did (we landed at midnight), I would certainly do it. We rented a car to have the freedom to drive around and even got a free upgrade to a red convertible once the rental agent knew it was our anniversary weekend. It was about a half hour drive to downtown Halifax where our hotel was in dark, unfamiliar territory but we found it okay. We had reached out to the hotel earlier to see if valet parking would be available and it wasn’t but they suggested the parking garage just a block away.
WHERE WE STAYED: The Hollis Halifax - a DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel is in the perfect location. It is steps away from the waterfront, the citadel, a cute little grocery store and restaurants galore.
Other places to consider would be Muir, a five star hotel right on the waterfront or the fun and contemporary Moxy Halifax Downtown.
Day 2 (Saturday) - We had a lovely breakfast at the hotel restaurant. The Cannery Kitchen and Social at Hollis Hotel had an excellent choice of breakfast so we ate there every day. We had gotten an included breakfast and it was a great place to watch locals walking their dogs. It was very rainy the first day, so we headed to the Maritime Museum. If the Titanic history fascinates you, don’t miss the upstairs exhibit.
INSIDER TIP - The Fairview Lawn Cemetery has 121 victims of the Titanic. We did not make it there, but it may be worth a trip!
After the museum, we walked along the waterfront and went through the Salt Yards where we got a beaver tail (like a flat churro) and hot chocolate. We grabbed a drink and lunch at the Waterfront Warehouse before our Harbour Hopper tour. This was a fun and unique way to see the city and waterfront. It was chilly so we took a nice nap at the hotel. Another benefit of a hotel being close. We actually went back to the Waterfront Warehouse for dinner. Clam chowder was so good and hit the spot. Later that night, we hit the Middle Spoon for dessert (carrot cake in honor of our wedding cake flavor) and peanut butter cake because we love it. See Drink the Destination for the rest of the night’s story!
Day 3 (Sunday) - We took off early to head out for our Oak Island day and Peggy’s Cove in the convertible. Having the top down was great but a little chilly occasionally. Beautiful drive along the coast. Peggy’s Cove wasn’t too crowded as we arrived. Nice facilities with lots of little shops. My husband took a picture there that we turned into a puzzle and framed in our house and we posed for our picture recreating Tom’s grandparents picture.
Day 4 (Monday) - We golfed at Rosevale, the cutest little golf course. It was a tough little 9 hole course. After that, we had planned to go to Schoolhouse Brewery, but it was closed, so we drove to a winery (Luckett Vineyards) in the Annapolis Valley Again a gorgeous drive, with a nice stop to have a cheese and bread plate with a glass of wine overlooking the vineyard. They have a quirky little Instagram spot with a red telephone booth where you can actually make a phone call to anywhere in North America and take pictures. We then drove to the Bay of Fundy and Black Rock Lighthouse. This is truly in the middle of nowhere and we were the only people there for most of the time. You drive through lots of neighborhoods and back roads (which we love).
Escapes to Explore
I’m a travel advisor, but I’m also the person who wants to know what’s around the corner.
I like finding the places, hotels, experiences and little details that make a trip feel like your trip — not something copied from the first page of Google.
If there’s a more interesting route, a better room, a worthwhile splurge or a great detour, I want to know about it.
My husband, Tom and I have made it a priority to give our two daughters the gift of seeing the world. We’ve traveled on a budget, gotten creative, taken the detours, and learned along the way that you don’t have to have an unlimited travel budget to have meaningful adventures. What matters most is being willing to go somewhere different, taste something new, get a little curious, and experience a place beyond the obvious.
That’s really where Amy’s Adventures began.
After retiring from education, I decided to combine two things I love most: learning and travel. As a Fora travel advisor, I get to help other people experience the world in ways that feel personal, doable, and uniquely theirs. I love discovering the little details that can turn a good trip into an unforgettable one—and, admittedly, I love exploring possibilities for my own next adventure along the way!
Whether you’re looking for a destination you’ve never considered, a great local drink, an unexpected detour, or the insider tips that make a trip easier and better, I’m here to help you go somewhere different and experience more along the way.