A Weekend in Wolfville and the Annapolis Valley

Two days in Wolfville and the Annapolis Valley fit a Saturday market, a botanical garden, a cidery, a stone-church brewery and a World Heritage landscape of Acadian dykelands. Day 1 stays on foot in Wolfville; Day 2 drives the short run east to Grand Pré and up into the Gaspereau Valley. It suits a first Valley visit, and a quick run out from Halifax.

Make it a Saturday and start at the Wolfville Farmers' Market on Elm Avenue, which lists 65-plus vendors selling produce, artisanal goods and prepared foods. Eat your way through breakfast and lunch here.

Then cross to Main Street for coffee at Just Us! Wolfville Café. Just Us! calls itself Canada's first fair trade organic coffee roaster, founded in 1995 and run as a worker-owned co-op.

Walk up University Avenue to the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University. There is a Medicinal and Food Garden, a Walled Garden, an Experimental Garden and woodland trails, and a Conservatory that keeps the native plants of the Acadian Forest under glass, so the forest is there even in snow.

Head down to Wolfville Waterfront Park. From the gazebo you look over the Acadian dykes, the Minas Basin and the red cliffs of Cape Blomidon, and you can watch the tide change. Summer concerts play at the gazebo. The Harvest Moon Trail passes through here, a 110 km walking and cycling route that runs all the way to Annapolis Royal.

Back on Main Street, Annapolis Cider Company pours cider flights at 388 Main. The Classic, Crisp & Dry, Heirloom and Old-Fashioned Gravenstein sit beside a rotating "Something Different" line, and cellar tours book online.

For dinner, go to The Church Brewing Co, a brewery and restaurant in a restored 1914 stone church. It has brewed here since 2019. The menu runs from Matriarch's Chowder and Righteous Chicken Wings to Beer Batter Fish & Chips, and the Do Good sandwich sends part of each sale to a local non-profit. Request a table through its website.

Finish at the Al Whittle Theatre on Main Street, named for the man who gave it 47 years of work. The programme runs from indie and classic film to live theatre, comedy and music, and tickets sell online. See what's on this weekend.

Find a place to stay in Wolfville

Drive east and begin at Just Us! Grand Pré Café & Roastery in Hortonville, the company's roastery and head office, with a café on site.

Next, the Landscape of Grand Pré View Park on Old Post Road. It looks across the dykelands that hold back the Bay of Fundy's high tides, to the Memorial Church, Long Island and the cliffs of Blomidon. UNESCO inscribed the landscape on June 30, 2012, Canada's 16th World Heritage Site.

Then walk the grounds at Grand-Pré National Historic Site. The Memorial Church, a Victorian garden and a multimedia presentation tell the story of Acadian culture and the deportation, and Parks Canada interpreters lead guided tours.

For lunch, drive up into the Gaspereau Valley to Luckett Vineyards in Wallbrook. The bistro and wine shop look over the valley, and lunch and tastings are walk-in. Look for the red British phone booth standing among the vines.

Back toward Grand Pré, Domaine de Grand Pré has made 100 percent Nova Scotia wine since 2000. Tours and tastings pour Tidal Bay, L'Acadie, Riesling, Marquette, Muscat and Ortega.

Close the trip at Le Caveau, the winery restaurant. Chef Jason Lynch builds a locally focused, seasonal menu around Nova Scotia's land and sea. Book a table ahead.

• Grand-Pré National Historic Site runs its staffed season from mid-May to mid-October. Outside it, the View Park gives you the same dykeland panorama.
• The Harvest Moon Trail runs through Wolfville's waterfront, so a bike or a good pair of shoes turns any stop into a longer day.
• Domaine de Grand Pré and Le Caveau share one address on the Evangeline Trail, so tasting and dinner are a single stop on the map.

Starting in the city? A weekend in Halifax.

Start from this plan, set your dates and swap any stop you like.

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