Places to Visit While In The Annapolis ValleyThere are many interesting places to visit in Annapolis Valley that are not historical. Many of these places are great for the whole family, from the little tots to the grandparents. In this section I am going to cover the many great Annapolis parks, other natural scenery and a few farms that offer something for visitors. Again I will cover the basics here and give you links to go for even more information about these interesting places to visit. Have fun exploring.
The Upper Clements Park was built on 25 acres of land around a natural lake. The park is one of the great places in the valley offering beautiful scenery, good entertainment with a nice mixture of rides and activities. The park was designed to showcase the Provinces culture and history through its buildings, stores, craftspeople and the many performers there. The rides include ones like the Red Baron Airplanes for the little ones, to the Tree Topper Roller Coaster or the Rock O Planes for the older more adventurous type. On a hot summer day a slide down the Fundy Splash Water Slide or on the Sissiboo Sizzler Flume Ride are great places to visit to cool you off.The Roller Coaster Is Very Popular Hear more about the attractions, rides and scenery from my last visit there. To get to the park take exit # 22 off the 101 and head towards Annapolis Royal. Turn left at the stoplights and follow Rt. #1 west for 5 kms. The Upper Clements Park is open full time from June 30 - Sept. 3, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The admission cost varies according to what you would like to do during your visit. They have several packages to save you money. This is one of the great family places to visit in the Annapolis Valley. Click here for a list of their admission fees.
Visitors Are Always Excited To See The Deer and Teddy eat their daily meal while sitting at their picnic table. The Upper Clements Wildlife Park opens each year in mid May until mid September. You may purchase a pass only to the Wildlife Park for $4.00 each or it is included with your entrance to the Upper Clements Park. Let me tell you about the animals I saw on my visit to the Wildlife Park.
Another one of the good places to visit that promises fun for the whole family is at Action Jax Family Fun Park in Granville. This is Atlantic Canada's newest Go-Kart track. Turn off on exit #22 from the 101 and drive to the lights in Annapolis Royal. Turn right at the lights and follow the road over the Annapolis Causeway. Action Jax is about 2 kms on the right. Here you will find a little bit of everything, both indoors and outside activities. Inside you will find arcade games, carnival games and pool tables. Outside there are the go-karts, water bomber, driving range, mini golf, a batting cage and canteen facilities. In the early spring Action Jax is open only on the weekends. Later spring they are open Friday nights 6 - 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sundays 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. From July 1st until Sept 3 they are open Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free into the park and you pay as you play. Yes Action Jax is one of those fun places to visit for the whole family.
My Son Curtis and Friend Nya with several of the animals. To find the Oaklawn Zoo take exit 16 off of highway 101 at Aylesford and follow the "Blue Zoo" signs. There is a canteen and gift shop on the grounds as well as wheelchair accessible washrooms and picnic facilities. The zoo is open daily from Easter to mid November; 10 a.m. till dusk. Admission to the park is $6.50 for adults, $2.50 for children ages 3 - 12, free for children under 3, $4.00 for seniors, and $3.50 for students. For more information call 902 847 9790.
On those hot summer days in the valley one of the nice places to visit is Raven Haven Beachside Family Park. The beach is located on Sandy Bottom Lake in South Milford. Take exit # 22 off the 101 highway and turn left towards Kejimkujik. Head south on Rt. 8 then turn right onto the Virginia Road. Just up the road you will see the sign and beach on your right. Raven Haven offers you free access to a supervised public swimming beach, canoe and paddleboat rentals, beach volleyball and a great playground. There is a fully stocked canteen and picnic area. If you would like to stay longer, they offer cabins to rent, a hostel and a campground. For more information you can call summertime - 902 532 7320, or winter phone 902 532 2334.
The Spetacular View Of The Valley the Bay of Fundy shore, which is another of the great scenic places to visit. To get to the park turn off the 101 at exit 20 for Bridgetown. Travel through Bridgetown until the right turn onto Church Street. Follow Church Street north out of town and up the North Mountain and right at the top you will see the park entrance. The park is open from mid June to mid October. Are you interested in a little known secret? Only a little distance from the park, on the road to the Bay of Fundy we have our own Magnetic Hill. What is a Magnetic Hill you ask? It is an optical illusion, which makes you believe you are coasting up the hill, when actually you are coasting downhill. This spot is not publicized and there is only a small sign at the bottom of the magnetic hill. Great caution needs to be taken when trying out the illusion. Traffic coming down over the hill do not have very much warning of you parked there. I have taken several visitors to this hill and have chuckled as they swear what is happening is impossible. Some have even got out of the car to see if it feels like they are walking up or down the hill.
This Provincial park has been considered a hikers and photographers paradise and is really one of those great scenic places to visit. The park is located on 1,875 acres of land including the 600-foot cliffs over looking the Minas Basin. The park offers 72 campsites, picnic areas (both at the top and bottom of the cliffs), hiking trails, an opportunity for fantastic photography and a place to just enjoy nature. All along their many hiking trails there are look off points to enjoy the scenery from these cliffs. To get here take exit 11 off the 101 highway and follow route 358 to Canning. Keep right through Pereau and follow the sign to the park. It is about 20 kms from Wolfville on Cape Split. The park is open from mid May to mid October.
To get to the Blomidon Look Off turn On Clear Days You Can See Five Counties left at the Harold Bordon monument in Canning and proceed up the mountain 5 km on route 358 to the look off at the top. You will find interpretive panels and binoculars there. Open year round.
Located in Wolfville this nature center was opened in July of 1990. This interpretative nature center was named after the late Robie Tufts who was a long-time resident of Wolfville and was a renowned ornithologist. It was constructed to preserve one of the few local homes of the chimney swift. It also promotes awareness and interest in local natural history and the environment. It is most popular in August around dusk when the chimney swifts perform their spectacular antics every evening.
One Of The Majestic Bald Eagles Viewed Have a look at when I visited the Sheffield Mills Eagle Watch on the 26th of January 2008. It was a cold day, but my sister, Judy and I had a great time. There were so many eagles to see. Take exit 12 off the 101 towards New Minas. Drive through the traffic lights on Commercial Street there and through the next set on the Middle Dyke Road at Belcher Street. From there it is about 5 miles north to Sheffield Mills.
There are all kinds of Provincial Picnic Parks, municipal parks and town parks to be found in the Annapolis Valley which are all great places to visit. There are parks with good playgrounds for the kids to play in. Others have interesting walking trails to explore while getting a little exercise. Maybe you are looking for a pretty picnic spot to eat your lunch at and relax for a while. Whatever you are looking for there is a park close to where you are staying. For a list of the picnic parks in the Annapolis Valley try thes three pages:
Kings County Parks. - A list of picnic parks and places to relax in Kings County
Annapolis County Parks. - A list of picnic parks and places to relax in Annapolis County
Digby County Parks. - A list of picnic parks and places to relax in Digby County
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Many farms and small business have opened up their doors to visitors. They have made parks, petting zoos, business tours and many other ideas to make these interesting places to visit.
Noggins Corner Farm is one of these interesting places to visit. Located along highway #1 in Greenwich, close to Wolfville and along the Cornwallis River it is one of the oldest farms of the area. The Noggins Farm Market specializes in local produce. During the fall harvest they sell 52 different varieties of apples. Also available are pears, plums, and peaches, home made jams, local honeys and of course freshly pressed sweet apple cider. They have a U-Pick there for those that wish to pick their own fruits and vegetables. But that is not all. On the farm you will find a big play area with a Barnyard Adventure Area making this one of the good childrens places to visit. There is a tunnel slide, a large sandbox, a Tire Snake, a mini maze, and a stump walk. A big attraction is their 10-acre corn maze. They hold hayrides and campfires. You can take the guided tour of the spook house with the resident witch, if you are not too scared. All proceeds from this are donated to Safe Communities. There is an interesting guided tour available through the historic walking trail. The trail passes by where the American Bald eagle nest and by an old Acadian cellar and gristmill. You will see trees that are over 300 years old. Noggins Corner Farm is open Monday through Thursday by reservations, Fridays from 12 - 6, Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 6. Admission for the corn maze is $5.00 for adults and $4.00 for ages 5 - 15. Hayrides cost $1.50 per person. For more information you may call 902 542 5515.
Hennigar's Farm Market is located on route #1 about two minutes from Wolfville. This market is one of the good places to visit as it is well known for their fresh Valley produce, gifts and snacks. The owners have also opened their farm, a picnic park and the Tannery Hollow Nature Trail for visitors. As another one of the good places to visit for children you can spend the afternoon relaxing while the kids play in the Little Farmer Trike Track, or in the boat and giant sandbox. There is also a duck pond and a petting zoo. Their Tannery Hollow Nature Trail is a 2.5 km trail through a wooded ravine ending up with a panoramic view of the valley. For more information call 902 542 3505. .
One of the good places to visit for all the cheese lovers is the Fox Hill Cheese House. It is a sixth generation family farm which specializes in the art of making cheese. Fox Hill Farms was awarded fifth place in Florence Cox Awards in 2002. They make their cheese here on the farm right from their own herd of 50 Holstein cows. Lush fields, beautiful apple orchards and spectacular views of the Minas Basin and Blomidon surround the farm. With a visit here you will learn interesting facts about agriculture, regulatory food safety and the art of making cheese. Afterwards you can sample wines and cheese from a sample cheese tray. To get there take exit 11 off the 101 highway toward Greenwich on route 358. Continue north through Port Williams and turn right onto Lower Church Street. You may book tours for ten or more for $2.50 each. For information call 902 542 3599.
See and hear the story of Canada's first Fair Trade Coffee Roastery & Museum. Learn how the company was started by a small group of people who wanted to make a difference in the production and trade of its products, and how you can become a conscious consumer. This is one of the good informative places to visit in the valley. A complimentary gift is given. The head office and roastery are located at 11865 on highway #1 in Wolfville. For more information phone 902 542 7474 or 1 888 668 8436 toll free.
I have only mentioned a small part here of all the interesting places to visit in this area. To find out more make sure you check out the other pages on my site. If you are interested in history check out my page on historic sites to visit. You can get there by clicking here. There are also several very interesting museums found in the Annapolis Valley. There is sure to be something to spark the interest of everyone, whether you like history, antiques, ghost, railroad, old school houses, or the apple industry of the area. Check out the many museums you may visit in the Annapolis Valley by clicking here. We are fortunate here in the valley with so much history and beauty to behold. Our people are proud of what we have here and love to show it off. Many self-guided and guided tours have been set up to help explain the things you will see while visiting here. You can walk, hike, mountain bike, canoe or kayak to points all across this valley and over to the Bay of Fundy. You can even join the crew of a boat heading out to observe the magnificent whales that feed here in the summer months. For a list of the many tours and trails set up in this area click here. There are still more fantastic places to visit in the Annapolis Valley. Keep watch as I update this site often as I explore the valley more and share with you what I have found. How long did you say your vacation is? I think it should be longer. But then again if you do not see it all this time, there will be more to explore the next time you visit here.
And you do not have to confine your visit just to the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia has a lot to offer outside the valley also. If you would like to see more of what Nova Scotia offers check out this site Nova Scotia Vacation Guide.
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Right across the road from the Upper Clements Park is the Upper Clements Wildlife Park another of the great places to visit. The Wildlife Park has expanded over the years to include over 30 different animals. Most of the animals are native to the Nova Scotia area, with the exception of the Red Deer. They were a gift to the park from the Queen Mother of England. A big attraction at the park happens at 3 p.m. every day at the bear cave. This is when bears Penny
The next one of those great places to visit for the whole family is Oaklawn Zoo. The zoo started out as a privately owned farm with a few exotic animals. As more people visited and more animals were added it has evolved into a zoo. Many of the native animals came there as either orphaned young wildlife or animals that have recuperated from injuries. The zoo is among the great places to visit if you like interaction
The Valley View Provincial Park is among the scenic places to visit and enjoy a picnic lunch and take in the outstanding view of the valley. On a clear day you can see from Middleton to Digby. They have put an informative panel at the look off showing the area below. If you are interested in staying longer they have 30 campsites all in a woodland setting. From here you are close to
On the top of the North Mountain, not far from the park, is located the Blomidon Look off. It is another of the great scenic places to visit and is well worth the trip up here to take in the beautiful view; it is breathtaking. From this point you are able to see Kings, Hants and Annapolis counties in the valley, Cape Blomidon and the New Minas Basin. 
The Sheffield Mills area is close to the eagle feeding grounds and nesting areas making it one of the great places to visit to view them. They tell me that the best time to come is from late November to mid March, with January and February being the best. Come in the morning around 9 a.m., as this is the time the eagles are feeding. In the Sheffield Mills Community Center you will find a host of information on the eagles along with displays and facts on the eagle population. 
