By the summer of 2006, there will be ferry service connecting Portland, Maine with Yarmouth, Nova Scotia once more. Bay Ferries Limited, operators of the super-fast ferry between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth known as the Cat, will run a summertime service from Portland to Yarmouth from late May through mid-October. It departs from the International Marine Terminal at the southern end of Commercial Street (on the water, obviously) on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with a return boat to Portland the same three mornings. Crossings are expected to take about 5 hours (less than half the previous time), and cost $79 to $89 per adult or $49 to $59 per child age 6 to 13; normal-sized passenger vehicles will cost $129 to $149 each way. Check the website www.catferry.com for the latest details.
The folks at Continental Airlines have announced that they will begin offering daily, non-stop service between Moncton International Airport and Newark Liberty Airport in May 2006. To learn more, check Continental's web site (www.continental.com) or call tel. 800/523-FARE.
The commuter airline Air Canada Jazz will also offer increased non-stop summer service from Toronto to Moncton (two more flights daily), Fredericton (one more flight daily), and Saint John (one more flight daily).
Not to be left out, Prince Edward Island will also be the grateful recipient of additional air routes this summer. Northwest (www.nwa.com) will offer its surprising daily direct flights into Charlottetown from Detroit beginning June 9 throughout summer, while WestJet (www.westjet.com) will reinstate its daily service direct to Charlottetown from Toronto around the same time. For the latest details of air service to PEI, check the airport's web site, www.flypei.com.
New Brunswick
For serious salmon anglers, the Miramichi River has always been a haven. This summer, it will also become a classroom: the Miramichi Salmon Association will host a three-day fishing school from July 19 to July 22 (the first day is an orientation session). The package will include the options of volunteer-guided trips out onto the river, an angling license, bus tours, demonstrations, live entertainment at night, access to a trade show, and of course a closing banquet. (Wonder what they'll eat?) The cost for the event is C$350 (US$280) per participant, but registration is limited to the first 200 anglers. Accommodation is not included, although the event's organizers have helpfully posted online links to a variety of lodging choices in the local area. For more information, call tel. 506/622-4000 or check the event website (www.miramichisalmon.ca).
Prince Edward Island
I couldn't believe this when it came across the wires: Golf greats Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson will play a match against each other, live, at the Rodd Brudenell River Resort's Dundarave Golf Course June 20, 2006. How's that for an excuse to jet off to P.E.I? There's also a pro-am tournament the day before, and a cocktail party. It's all a benefit for Making the Connection, a Canadian public health initiative; PGA commentator David Feherty and star golfer Lorie Kane (herself a native of the province) will commentate, as well as play in the pro-am portion of the event. Tickets cost about C$106 (US$84) each; get schedule and ticket information through the benefit's web site, www.legendsofgolf.ca.
Newfoundland & Labrador
Gros Morne National Park (tel. 709/458-2417) is amazing enough for its sites. But a summertime series of arts, music, and other lectures add even more reasons to visit the park in 2006. The Gros Morne Theatre Festival will showcase local plays, stories, and music; Gros Morne Summer Music is a classical fest; Earth to Human is a series of lectures and tours of important sites in western Newfoundland, focusing on ecology; and the Writers at Woody Point series gets festival-goers up-close and personal with writers in an informal setting.
Other Attractions
The lovely Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal are celebrating their 25th anniversary with plenty of soon-to-be-unveiled events. Check the website (www.historicgardens.com) for the latest details as they are announced.
The Nova Scotia Historic Places Initiative has created a new website, listing and describing hundreds of historic buildings and heritage sites throughout the province (www.nshistoricplaces.ca). Gentlemen and history buffs, start your web browsers.
And up in the port town of Sydney, better signs, a new visitor information center with free internet access, and what's reputed to be the World's Largest Fiddle (who keeps track of these things, anyway?) are all part of a new Cruise Pavilion (www.sydneyportservices.com) and a new effort to attract and keep tourists and conventioneers.
The city of Halifax has announced that some mighty big boats will once again grace the city's harbor. No, not the Queen Elizabeth (though that's been known to drop by), but the 2007 Tall Ships Challenge which will begin in the United States and continue up the coast to Nova Scotia. Then, in 2009, the participating fleets will cross the Atlantic (hopefully with help) to Halifax in July for more racing after first engaging in a series of battles along the coast of Spain.
Talk with fellow Frommer's travelers on our Nova Scotia Message Boards today.