You’ll Never Know What You’ll Find in Digby Nova Scotia

With no pre-planning or research we had set out on our Maritimes road trip ready to wing it and come what may. It was post-pandemic Summer 2022 and people still weren’t travelling as much. Most days therefore worked out fine and we were able to find accommodation on the fly, most times. So with Google fired up just before we boarded the ferry to cross the Bay of Fundy, we found a place to stay in Digby, Nova Scotia just hours before our arrival.

Reviews were fairly good, though this was not a popular chain hotel and we knew we’d be taking a risk. How bad can it be? It did promise an ocean view, but then so many places in Nova Scotia, Canada’s ocean playground might.

My heart sank as we pulled up to the address to see a large sign on the side of a yellow clad building that said “Waterfront Suites,” and a chalkboard sign on the street listing the daily specials.

It looked like there was a restaurant below the suites, ugh! As we neared the entrance, the empty dark hollow with brass poles and strobe lights indicated a night of fun was in store, though this was definitely not my kind of fun.

My imagination began to run wild and I wondered what I had gotten myself into, voicing my chagrin to my Mr. Practical who said, “let’s just take a look at the suite.”

“I think we should cancel.” I said, “and look for something else. I’m not living above a strip bar.” “But okay,” my curious side intervened, “let’s just look and see.”

The girl at the desk assured me that this was not a strip bar and though it was a restaurant/bar it wasn’t loud and things usually quieted down by 10pm. Her assurances were just words I thought to myself as she guided us up a set of narrow stairs, down a couple of hallways and through a couple of doors to the entrance of our “suite.” A convoluted journey that did nothing to dispel my disappointment.

As she opened the door I was pleasantly surprised. I’m a nit picker when it comes to hotel cleanliness and this place was spotless. Add to that the spectacular view, a fully contained apartment with modern amenities, large luxurious bathroom, and I was sold. There was also a little private balcony we’d planned to enjoy later that evening after a traipse around Digby’s waterfront.

Digby was unusually crowded that day. We’d arrived on the weekend of the famed Scallop festival. I say famed, because Nova Scotia is known for its seafood, particularly scallops, though we had no clue it was festival time, or that Digby was famous for scallops. Should have done some research right? But not knowing is half the fun and we joined in the impromptu dance party at the water’s edge.

I had wanted to come here to Digby for Maud Lewis. I’ll share her story in a future post. And here we were after visiting many Maud sites, after enjoying the Digby waterfront and all it had to offer, now tired from our adventures of the day, sitting on a balcony in Digby.

The night air was warm, wrapping around me like a cozy blanket. Showered and pyjamaed I sat comfortably cloistered in darkness, invisible to the hundreds of people who walked the shoreline. Teenagers ran laughing, mothers reprimanded their children, babies in strollers cried, exhausted from the excitement of the festival as cars streamed down the Main Street below. Yet the chaotic energy seemed to stop at the edge of my balcony.

Suddenly the air burst into magical patterns of colourful fire and the crowd went silent for a brief moment. Time slowed as I sank into the delightful feeling of joy and grateful surprise. What a day to arrive here!

I felt like we had the best view, perched above the water’s edge, the barge in the distance releasing the fireworks to almost above our heads. Above a restaurant that I thought was a dive bar or worse (insert laughing at myself emoji here).

The thing is you never know what you’ll find, until you look. I’m glad I took a look and didn’t hurt myself jumping to my own conclusions. You know what they say about books and covers right?

Have you ever been joyfully surprised by something you had completely misread in your travel adventures?

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If you Go:

• Digby is a small town on the edge of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, a Canadian Maritime province full of nature and history.
• It is known as the scallop capital of the world.
• Arrive in Digby via car ferry on the MV Fundy Rose from Saint John, New Brunswick.
• We stayed at the Dockside Suites on Digby’s main street, and it was fantastic if you read the story above.
• There are also lots of bed and breakfasts around, we noticed as we drove around Digby.
• Population of Digby is under 3,000. Numbers swell in summer as it is a popular tourist destination, though not over touristed.
• It is the birthplace of Maud Lewis, a famous Canadian artist, who has an incredibly inspiring story.
• Digby is about a 3 hour drive from Peggy’s Cove. Read more about this famous lighthouse here.
• It has its own historic lighthouse along the waterfront. See images below.
• Digby is about 2.5 hours from Halifax, the capital city of Nova Scotia.
• If you are not on a roadtrip and don’t have a car, you can rent one at Halifax airport.
• The entire area is a popular site for Whale Watching.
• The Scallop Festival is a three day event happening in early August. (now I know)

For a Google Map of Digby click here