Contrasts of Canada & the St. Lawrence River

Discover the quaint charm of Camden, Maine. Located on Penobscot Bay, the New England town was destroyed by a fire in 1892 and was subsequently rebuilt in brick. Stroll through its historic streets lined with these century-old buildings, which house boutiques and art galleries. Explore the scenic harbour filled with sailboats and lobster boats, or venture into the surrounding natural beauty of Camden Hills State Park for breathtaking views of the ocean and surrounding landscapes.

Campobello Island is a popular summer getaway, with windswept beaches, hiking trails, fresh seafood, whale watching adventures, historic lighthouses, art galleries, shops, and an incredible history and culture. It is home to the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, where Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s magnificent summer home is located and preserved as a museum with an outdoor nature park.

After discovering this captivating city, return to your Discovery Yacht and relax on board. Explore some of the indulgent spaces, from the welcoming Observation Lounge to the indulgent Senses Spa#.

Surrounded by natural treasures and glorious seascapes, Halifax is an attractive and vibrant hub with noteworthy historic and modern architecture, great dining and shopping, and a lively nightlife and festival scene. The old city manages to feel both hip and historic. Previous generations had the foresight to preserve the cultural and architectural integrity of the city, yet students from five local universities keep it lively and current. It's a perfect starting point to any tour of the Atlantic provinces, but even if you don't venture beyond its boundaries, you will get a real taste of the region.It was Halifax’s natural harbor—the second largest in the world after Sydney, Australia’s—that first drew the British here in 1749, and today most major sites are conveniently located either along it or on the Citadel-crowned hill overlooking it. That’s good news for visitors because this city actually covers quite a bit of ground.Since amalgamating with Dartmouth (directly across the harbor) and several suburbs in 1996, Halifax has been absorbed into the Halifax Regional Municipality, and the HRM, as it is known, has around 415,000 residents. That may not sound like a lot by U.S. standards, but it makes Nova Scotia’s capital the most significant Canadian urban center east of Montréal.There's easy access to the water, and despite being the focal point of a busy commercial port, Halifax Harbour doubles as a playground, with one of the world's longest downtown boardwalks. It's a place where container ships, commuter ferries, cruise ships, and tour boats compete for space, and where workaday tugs and fishing vessels tie up beside glitzy yachts. Like Halifax as a whole, the harbor represents a blend of the traditional and the contemporary.

Spend the day in Halifax, Nova Scotia's dynamic capital. This historic port city has a Downtown district boasting a four-kilometre harbourside boardwalk filled with restaurants, shops, museums, beer gardens and public art. Argyle Street is another happening area with live theatres and pubs that spill out on to the streets.  

For a change of pace, Halifax Public Gardens occupy an entire block, complete with manicured lawns and floral displays. The hilltop fortress Halifax Citadel National Historic Site overlooks the city; a cannon has been fired here every day at noon since 1857 (except on Christmas Day).

Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, is a thriving seaport located on the eastern tip of Cape Breton Island. French settlers first arrived in Louisbourg in 1713, using the island as a base for their lucrative cod fishery. Soon, the town became one of the busiest harbours in North America and an important trading outpost and military hub. They named it Louisbourg, in honour of King Louis XIV. The fortress was built to defend against the threat of a British invasion. After two major attacks, the fortress was destroyed in the 1760’s. In 1961 the Canadian Government commenced a $25 million reconstruction project to restore portions of the fortress to its pre-siege glory of the 1740’s. It was the largest reconstruction project in North America. The lighthouse was Canada’s first, constructed in 1734, but was severely damaged during the last siege and was abandoned in 1758. The existing lighthouse was built in 1923.

Louisbourg’s well-preserved 18th-century fortress is a National Historic Site and allows visitors to experience French colonial life, from firing a cannon to tasting rum. Louisbourg was also the site of Canada’s first lighthouse on Cape Breton Island, but it was destroyed many times and the lighthouse there today was built in 1923.  

Wander along the Lighthouse Trail, a treacherous stretch that has seen many shipwrecks, watch as daily catches of lobster and crabs are offloaded from fishing boats at the waterfront and relax on one of its many beaches.