Bear River

(©swisscan, flickr.com)

A colourful house in Bear River

Bear River is one of Nova Scotia’s most unique communities.

You won’t find any stoplights or fast food chains here, just galleries and boutiques run by the many artists who call the area home.

There’s also a strong Mi’kmaw heritage in Bear River.

It’s one of those places that gives the impression of stepping back in time by a few decades and is especially beautiful when the leaves change colour in autumn – a good option if you can’t make it to Cape Breton.

As you wander through the downtown, take time to examine the buildings perched on wooden stilts and over the edge of the river, which swells and drains each time the tide changes in the Bay of Fundy.

You’ll find the tourist office just off the main street. Nearby is Bear River’s waste treatment facility. In any other town this would be pretty low on the ‘must visit’ list but in Bear River the job is done by sun and water, rather than with chemicals. You can walk around and learn how the fascinating process works.

From Bear River, it’s an easy drive to Digby, Annapolis Royal or Kejimkujik National Park.