Head North to Nova Scotia's Wild Beauty

Founded in 1749 as a British naval station, the city sits along Halifax Harbour, said to be the second-largest natural harbor in the world.

Although the greater metro area counts more than 370,000 residents, Halifax itself is quite manageable. Many of its attractions are clustered near the waterfront, where old warehouses have been reincarnated as restaurants, shops and museums.

A major draw at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (C$8.50) is its Titanic exhibit, which includes artifacts from the famous wreck. The ship sank some 500 miles to the east, and boats from Halifax were dispatched to recover victims, of which some 120 were laid to rest in Fairview Lawn Cemetery (3720 Windsor St., near Connaught Avenue).

The highest point in town is occupied by the Halifax Citadel (about C$7-C$11), a National Historic Site with views of the skyscraper-studded downtown and the waters beyond. The star-shaped fortress was completed in 1856, the fourth fortification to be built on the site.

Food and Lodging

While many resorts and inns around Nova Scotia start closing for the season in late October or so, Halifax lodgings tend to stay open throughout the year.

Good upscale options in the downtown area include the Halliburton (doubles from C$130), a boutique hotel occupying three adjacent early-1800s town houses; the recently spruced up Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites (doubles from C$165), a stately brick building across from the Halifax Public Gardens; and the business-oriented Prince George Hotel (doubles from C$140).

The city's restaurant scene, meanwhile, may surprise you with its sophistication and breadth of offerings.

The Prince George is home to the modern Gio restaurant (entrees C$24-C$33), where chef Ray Bear has garnered attention for unusual combinations such as a maple-roasted rack of lamb with a flax-seed crust and blueberry mustard. Da Maurizio (entrees C$28-C$33), a classy, white-tablecloth spot in a former brewery, serves standout homemade pastas such as agnolotti stuffed with king crab and goat cheese and rich entrees such as foie gras-topped roasted pork tenderloin in a port-wine reduction. At Seven Wine Bar & Restaurant (entrees C$25-C$37, small plates C$9-C$15), you can make a meal out of such appetizers as panko-crusted crab-and-halibut cakes in the downstairs lounge or head upstairs for heartier portions of organic, locally sourced fare. The more-casual Murphy's Restaurant (entrees C$10-C$25) on Cable Wharf has surf, turf and waterside views. Or you can try one of the city's numerous pubs, such as the Lower Deck (entrees C$11-C$23), which is part of the lively waterfront Historic Properties complex.

Picture Perfect

From Halifax, following the Lighthouse Route for just a few hours will bring you to some of Nova Scotia's most photographed sites.

About 30 miles southwest of the city is Peggy's Cove, a famous -- or by now perhaps infamous -- fishing village known mainly for its lighthouse; you'll recognize the beacon (today home to a post office) from the postcards, but the crowds may take you aback.

Continue another 40 or so miles to Chester and then Mahone Bay, two alluring vacation-resort villages with lovely old homes and quiet demeanors. You'll see postcard No. 2 in the latter, where three 19th-century churches -- Trinity United, St. John's Lutheran, St. James Anglican -- stand sentinel on Edgewater Street, facing the bay.

From here it's less than 10 miles to Lunenburg, where the Old Town district has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.

This is postcard No. 3: a village of gently sloped streets with a tidy jumble of colorful buildings huddled by the water.

Founded by the British in 1753, it became a major shipbuilding and fishing center -- a story told at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic (C$9). It's here that Canada's famed Bluenose fishing schooner, the racing legend depicted on the Canadian dime, launched in 1921. The replica Bluenose II makes Lunenburg its home port and offers twice-daily cruises (C$35) when in dock in summer.

But don't worry if you miss this boat: Lunenburg Whale Watching Tours (C$45) schedules three-hour cruises daily, weather permitting, through October. Even if you don't spot a minke or a humpback, you'll get a great perspective on Nova Scotia's awesome coast.

After breathing in all that sea air and working up an appetite, head to the quirky dinerlike Magnolia's Grill (128 Montague St.; entrees C$6.50-C$14) for another taste of the sea -- milky scallop chowder or delicate fish cakes, for instance -- and start making plans for your next trip to Nova Scotia.

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