Traveling in Nova Scotia in the early fall is not only a great time to see striking fall color but avoid crowds as well.

You can get some good deals the last week or so of September just make sure you don’t run into Canadian Thanksgiving unless you have prior reservations. You will find many places closed after the end of the first week of October. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving the second Monday in October and many hotels and tourist activities shut down for the season the prior Friday and some shut down the very beginning of October.

Digby Neck is a little peninsula that extends down the western side of Nova Scotia into the Bay of Fundy. At it’s end is Long Island and Brier Island.

Travel across the Bay of Fundy on a the Princess of Acadia Ferry from Saint John, New Brunswick to Digby, Nova Scotia. You can order your tickets online if you have a date scheduled. Take a stroll on the deck to watch the stunning coastal color roll by.

When you get to Digby take a drive down the Digby Neck peninsula to Brier Island. You will have to take two short ferries to get to there. Before taking the last ferry over to Brier Island stop at Lavena’s Catch Café in Freeport. Fabulous food, friendly staff and live entertainment.

Continue on to Brier Island and stay at the Brier Island Lodge  . This is a little piece of heaven. If you like rural, unspoiled, serene landscapes this is the place to find it. You can get a room looking out on the water and have breakfast in the dining room surrounded on two sides by windows. Enjoy the view of grazing sheep while you sip your morning coffee. The mornings are cool and fresh and perfect for a hike to seal cove.

Have the hotel make reservations for a whale watching tour with captain Tom at Ocean Explorations http://www.oceanexplorations.ca/charter.html . You won’t be disappointed. He is extremely knowledgeable about whales and will patiently answer all your questions even though he has probably heard them all a zillion times. Plus you will get to wear these cool orange flotation suits and ride in a Zodiac. You’ll feel like you just stepped out of Jacques Cousteau documentary.

If you are looking for a glitzy night life and endless tourist shops and restaurants you should look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for some great easy hikes, whale watching, bird watching, fresh air, friendly people and a good nights sleep then you have arrived. This is a nature lover’s paradise. Whether you are camping, staying in a B&B or at the Brier Island Lodge, pick up your camera your paints or your journal and head on out for a glorious day.

Trail to Seal Cove