2 Best Sights in The Eastern Shore and Northern Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia

A 110-foot fully rigged replica of the Hector is moored here, and (although under renovations until 2023) you can go aboard to see how early immigrants traveled. The handsome post-and-beam interpretive center recounts the story of the first hardy pioneers (33 families plus 25 unmarried men) who arrived aboard the original vessel in 1773, and the flood of Scots who followed them. The site also has working blacksmith, rigger, and carpentry shops.

Dating from 1894, this mill participated in the transition from water to steam power. Steam engines allowed greater flexibility about location—mills no longer had to be near a river or other water source—and provided more raw power to run factory machinery. Workers at the Sutherland mill manufactured useful wooden items ranging from carriages and sleds to wooden bathtubs, and you'll see hundreds of examples displayed inside, along with tools of the trade, some of which were ingeniously repurposed from other uses. Interesting demonstrations and hands-on activities sometimes take place in July and August.