The National Historic District Tour

Ariel Picture of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

On the National Historic District Tour you will explore the largest and one of the most interesting National Historic District in Canada, Annapolis Royal.

This little former capital of Nova Scotia has the highest concentration of heritage buildings in Canada. The whole Lower St. George Street is full of heritage buildings. The town of Annapolis Royal has been designated as a National Historic District. So far there are 135 buildings that have been declared as Municipal Heritage Properties, several are Provincial Heritage Properties or National Historic Sites.

This tour is hosted by the Historical Association of Annapolis Royal and guided by Durline Melanson who has over 30 years experience in the travel and tourism industry. Durline's knowledge of the area is second only to her enthusiasm and energy she brings to the group.

We start the National Historic District Tour at the lighthouse on St. George Street in Annapolis Royal, which is itself a heritage building. Our guide introduces herself and gives us some background to the tour. During this tour we will learn interesting things about this historic area right from 1605 when it was called Port Royal up to more modern times like in 2004 when our town was the winner of the "World's Most Livable Small Community." Four hundred years of culture and important events are covered while we walk leisurely over some of North America's oldest thoroughfares.

After an entertaining and informative

Durline Melanson Guiding the National Historic District Tour.

presentation at the lighthouse the group headed down the street. As we walk through town we pass by several heritage buildings all with an interesting background. Buildings like the Sinclair Inn, Atlee Block, the Adams Ritchie Building, McCormick & Son Building, and the old Post Office building. We stopped often along the way to hear the history of several of these buildings. Many of the past citizens of the town were brought to life for also us with Durline’s' descriptions of them. During the tour we hear about many "First" for the area. This was the first permanent European settlement in North America north of St. Augustine, Florida.

We reach Lower St. George Street where pretty much every building here is a heritage building. This is where some of the earliest settlers to this country walked and started a life here.

We turn around here and head back to the wharf where we take the boardwalk that runs along the Annapolis River shoreline behind the town. At one time Annapolis Royal was a busy seaport both shipping and receiving goods from all over like Britain and the West Indies. In many places, especially when the tide is low, you can still see the remains of the many wharfs that filled the shoreline.

Soon we end up at the Court House which was built in 1837 and is the oldest courthouse in Canada still in continuous use. It is designated as a National Historic Site.

Lower St. George Street in Annapolis Royal, NS    

Here, sadly we end our tour. It was great with information and stories told the whole way. Some of the other people in the group were visiting here from England and they asked several questions, all of which Durline answered easily with her great knowledge of the area. Before our group broke up we all receive a nice certificate verifying we were on the National Historic District Tour. Durline makes a point to tell us about some of the other attractions we should visit in the area and informs us about any special events going on at the time.

I really enjoyed the tour, and even though I have studied the history of this town almost all my life I still learned new things while on the tour. I also feel like I know some of the former residents of the town a little better also after hearing some of the interesting stories about them today.

If you are interested in taking the National Historic District Tour all you have to do is be at the lighthouse in Annapolis Royal by 2:00 p.m. on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday between mid-June until mid-September. There is a small fee for taking the tour. You can find out the cost and more information by visiting the Tour Annapolis Royal website.

Leave the National Historic District Tour Page to go look at other great Guided Tours in Annapolis Valley