Visiting Lunenburg Nova Scotia

 Lunenburg is a town built for the Atlantic coastal tourist who wants to learn a little bit about history, eat great food and enjoy a leisurely stroll through the streets of a beautiful town overlooking the harbor from almost anywhere you stand.  Located about 90 minutes south of Halifax, Lunenberg is an easy drive to make for an easy getaway from the big city.  It is a town that is one of the most photographed in the province because of its beautiful colors, traditional style, and that sought after shot from across the bay at Sunset.

We arrived in Lunenburg late in the afternoon because we were coming all the way from Advocate Bay and had a couple of stops that we made along the way.  We chose to stay in a town just south of Lunenberg to escape some of the tourism traffic and found a wonderful location, the Lighthouse Motel, and Cottages.  Located on the LaHave River this property is a great value.  

From our hotel, we would make a short trip upriver and then head back downriver to get to Lunenburg.  It was a short and pleasant drive that was no inconvenience at all. 

Settled first in 1753 by the British in their first attempt to settle Nova Scotia, Lueneburg became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 in an effort to preserve the layout and the feel of the town which is one of the best examples of 1800 British settlement.  Lunenberg is also a National Historic Site for Canada as well.  Fishing is what helped the town of Lunenburg thrive which reached it peak in 1800.  Lunenburg is still the home of Canada's largest secondary fish processing plant today.

The best way to enjoy Lunenberg is to find a location to park your car and take to your feet and start walking.  I learned that if you go up the hill about two blocks from the upper of the two main streets in town that there is lots of free street parking available.

The waterfront is a great place to start.  The harbor is still active and there are all kinds of boats either on moorings or at the docks.  There is one boat that is frequently found here that is very important to Canada, the Bluenose.  The Bluenose is a celebrated racing and fishing ship that was built of wood in 1921. The Bluenose was built in Lunenberg and has been depicted on both Canadian postage stamps and the Canadian dime.  You can tour the schooner on most days down at the docks.

Also located on the waterfront is the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic and many different vendors that will sell you excursions to watch whales or explore the coastline.  We did not do either of these activities on our trip.  We did spend some time down on the waterfront enjoying the scenery and looking at all the boats.  There was a wooden boat race that was preparing to start when we were there so we had the opportunity to see some pretty amazing boats.

Where we Stayed:

Lighthouse Motel & Cottages

1101 Highway 331, Pleasantville

The rooms were all newly remodeled and very clean and welcoming.  We stayed in the boathouse which literally sits on the water.  You look out the window in the morning and are greeted with a peaceful view of the water.  There is a dock next to the boathouse that is open to all guests and has a couple of chairs where you can sit and enjoy your hot beverage of choice in the morning.

The staff/owners were very nice and welcoming.  They jumped in a golf cart and took us to our room to make sure that everything was ok.  They also offered a pontoon boat ride on the river if we were interested, but we had plans to spend the evening in Lunenberg.

Where we Ate:

The Halfshell Oysters and Seafood

108 Montague St.
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

902-634-8503

Hours: 4 - 10 PM seasonally

Located up a long staircase from the waterfront this outdoor dining location provides a great location to sit and overlook the harbor while enjoying some amazing food.  We went to dinner later because of taking sunset pictures of the town and walking along the waterfront.  We got a nice table for two up by the bar and had a relaxing and enjoyable night.

Read the post on our dinner at The Halfshell Oysters and Seafood.

The Savy Sailor

100 Montague St

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

902-640-7245

Hours: 8 -3 Daily

Also located on the first rise about the harbor is The Savy Sailor restaurant.  With both indoor and outdoor seating, this restaurant specializes in breakfast and lunch, closing at 2:00 each day.  We were able to get a table on the outdoor deck and enjoyed watching the town and waterfront come to life as we had some of their great coffee. 

What we really wanted was their benedicts, most notably I wanted to eat the lobster benedict.  This dish did not disappoint.  They started with part of a baguet and piled it high with massive amounts of lobster meat, this was really a hearty serving.  Top that with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce and I will tell you that you are eating something that you would only expect to find in heaven.  Tammy had a bacon benedict because she does not do lobster like I do and it also delivered.  The bacon was a nice thick cut and had a really nice smoky flavor.

The Savy Sailor also has a nice selection of fresh-baked bakery items it grabbing a quick pastry and coffee is more your style.

Things to Do:

Visit the Ironworks Distillery Tasting Room - Read more on Friday's Blog Post

2 Kempt St, Lunenburg

Website

The Ironworks Distillery has a tasting room that is a unique building and fun to visit.  Because it is a tasting room and built to handle a lot of visitors from bus tours, it is not quite the same experience as some of the distilleries we visited.  It is worth a quick visit and taste while you are in town.

Shopping and Galleries on Montague Street

Walking both sides of Montague street is a shoppers' and foodies' dream.   There are great coffee shops, restaurants, and of course stores to enjoy.  There is a real variety of stores to choose from and many have local artists from Nova Scotia in them.  Two stores that I will give a special mention to are:

Mosaics Treasures of the World

118 Montague St, Lunenburg, 

This store had some really great arts and crafts items, each with their own special story behind the person who made them.  I really liked this store and we got a few pieces to bring home with us for our collection and as gifts.

The Mariner's Daughter

107a Montague St, Lunenburg, 

If you are a knitter or love yarn then you will think that you have gone to heaven when you walk into this store.  The selection of yarn is amazing and we had some very helpful conversations with the staff.  We walked out with more than one skein and a couple of new patterns to allow my wife to learn a couple of new knitting tricks.

Saltbox Brewery

363 Main St, Mahone Bay

Website

There are a number of breweries in the area but we chose to try Saltbox Brewery which is located just outside of Lunenberg.  Saltbox had a very nice tasting area and we were able to get a flight of their different beers.  We thought that they were all really good quality and enjoyed a nice conversation with a couple of other travelers who had stopped in for a cold beer. 

Things that we Missed:

We definitely did not leave ourselves enough time to do everything available in this area.  Here are a few things that we would hit if we can return to visit Lunenberg again.

Halifax & Southwestern Railway Museum

11188 Nova Scotia Trunk 3, Lunenburg

Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic

68 Bluenose Dr, Lunenburg

Lightship Brewery

65 Tannery Rd, Lunenburg

Shipwright Brewing Company

82 Montague St, Lunenburg