Hello From Nova Scotia - Part 10 - Victorian Heritage In Yarmouth

Another long and exciting day was coming to an end:getting right in there and getting his hands dirty.
from my early morning interview with PatrickI wanted to get a lay of the land of the Town of
Redgrave, the owner of the Garrison House B&B inYarmouth and Michael was so kind to draw me a
Annapolis Royal to my learning experiences at themap for a wonderful local walking tour which would
Bear River First National Cultural and Heritage Centerallow me to capture some of the beautiful
to my drive along the Evangeline Trail with a quickwell-preserved and recently restored Victorian
stopover in Digby, a drive through the Acadianarchitecture of Yarmouth. So off I went with my
communities in Clare County and a quick peak at thehand-drawn map and indeed the Collins Heritage
unusual Yarmouth Lighthouse, I had finally made it toDistrict features an extensive concentration of
my destination for the evening: Yarmouth, a town ofbeautifully restored Victorian properties.
about 8,000 souls on the southwestern tip of NovaAlong streets with names such as Collins, Clements,
Scotia.Park, Forest, Willow and William Streets I was admiring
The weather had taken a turn for the worse, fog hadbeautiful properties featuring unique Victorian
rolled in off the Atlantic Coast and rain was surelyarchitecture. Some of the distinguishing elements
going to fall tonight. From the Yarmouth Lighthouse Iinclude widows walks: lookout rooms at the highest
drove along coastal roads and causeways into townpoint of the house which would allow wives of sailors
and was able to locate the tourist information office onto look out for the husbands ships in the age of sail.
Main Street. Although it was closed the map on theOrnately carved and painted verandas are another
outside gave me an opportunity to locate my abodetypical decorating feature of the late 19th century.
for the night: the MacKinnon-Cann Inn, a historic bedWindows with intricate wood work and ornamentation
and breakfast.are also a characteristic feature of this era.
I located Willow Street and parked my vehicle in theAfter my brief architectural tour I walked down on
gravel-covered courtyard behind the large mansionMain Street which features many business offices,
where I was going to stay tonight. Two friendlyretail stores and a few dining establishments. Most of
gentlemen welcomed me right away and helped methe restaurants and bars are located along Water
carry my luggage inside:Neil Hisgen and MichaelStreet. Yarmouth was a major ship building centre in
Tavares, both co-owners of the MacKinnon-Cann Inn.the past during the Golden Age of Sail. Today it is still
Neil graciously helped me carry my suitcase upstairs toa local hub of the fishing industry, but tourism is playing
my room. All seven guestrooms at the McKinnon-Cannan increasingly important role.
Inn are named after a 20th century decade andYarmouth serves a community of about 70,000
decorated accordingly: there is the 1900s Room, thepeople located in the three counties of Yarmouth,
1910s Room, the 1920s Room, and the decades of theDigby and Shelburne. One of Yarmouths major
1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s are represented as well.attractions is the ferry service to Bar Harbor and
I parked my luggage in a superbly appointed andPortland, Maine. The Cat is North Americas largest
beautifully decorated guestroom and headedcatamaran and a high speed connection between
downstairs to chat a bit more with the owners.Yarmouth and Bar Harbor, Maine a three hour journey,
Michael, wearing simple jeans, a sweatshirt and awhile the route between Yarmouth and Portland,
backward-facing baseball cap, looked like he had justMaine, takes six hours.
finished painting something as evidenced by the paintOutdoor adventurers will also find lots to do in the
splatters all over his clothing. He was just taking aYarmouth area: from hiking to fishing to various
break from working on a renovation project next door:seafaring adventures there are abundant recreational
a Victorian house he had just recently bought which heactivities in the area. Culture lovers will find a variety of
was in the process of restoring. I found out that bothmusic, theatre and crafts events, interspersed with a
Michael and Neil are originally from the United States,few museums including the Yarmouth County Historical
and they also own another large Victorian brickMuseum and the Yarmouth Firefighters Museum,
mansion, the Charles C. Richards House literally up theenhanced by a smattering of galleries and historic
street. Michael and Neil just purchased another recentlyarchitecture.
restored blue-coloured Victorian mansion that is stillAfter a long, exciting and action-packed day I was
empty and will be turned into a private home in therather exhausted and just picked up a little snack
near future.before I headed back to my welcoming home at the
Now, not only am I a travel writer, but I also have aMacKinnon-Cann Inn for the night where I relaxed in
strong interest in real estate, heritage buildings andmy beautifully appointed guestroom, watched some
architectural preservation. I was excited when MichaelTV and took advantage of the in-room high-speed
told me he would have some time tomorrow to sitInternet connection. I would need a good rest for
down with me to tell me more about the fourtomorrow for the biggest day of five-day Nova Scotia
properties that he and Neil had purchased andwhirlwind tour: a trip along the Lighthouse Trail to the
restored right here in Yarmouth. He went on to sayhistoric town and UNESO World Heritage Site of
that he does most of the work himself and lovesLunenburg.