The Sailing Ships, Rum-Running and Widow’s Walks of Old Town Lunenburg . . .
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When you drive into Lunenburg, Nova Scotia from the south and skirt around the protected inlet, you are offered splendid views of the harbour with its elegant sailing ships moored at the wharf. Behind the tidy quay brightly coloured historic homes climb the steep hillside. The impressive spectacle reinforces why this charming little fishing village makes most of those “Most Picturesque Towns in Canada” lists. The scene looks like a beautiful nautical post card from the past. It is also a town that might have you thinking . . .

“I could live here.”

And I could, if I was a bit handier at fishing or knew a little bit more about boating and ship building. I love sea food, which perhaps is enough, and I certainly could while away my afternoons at the Ironworks Brewery.

Lunenburg is a walking town. The historic old town is so compact, orderly, and filled with historic buildings and beautiful wooden heritage homes, that the best way to introduce yourself to the town’s history, folklore, and architecture is by taking one of it’s renowned “Walking Tours.” You start out at the top of the village and meander downhill, along its logically organized streets, until you come to the harbour. If you listen to your guide, and don’t just focus on taking fanciful selfies in front of the wonderful buildings, you will come out of the tour with a very good understanding of Lunenburg’s history and importance.

Our walking tour begins at the top of Gallows Hill, in the shadows of the Lunenburg Academy, a massive, three-story wooden Victorian building. The Old School Academy, built between 1893-1895, is both imposing and striking, its gothic towers and red, black, and white colour scheme make the “Castle on the Hill” stand out on its lofty perch above the town. Now, building a school on a place called Gallows Hill, notorious for its hangings, right next to the sprawling Hillcrest Cemetery, with gravestones dating from 1761, might not seem the ideal spot as a pillar of academia. Or perhaps, Nova Scotia’s answer to Hogwarts, is the ideal location to have fueled the imaginations of young students. Certainly it is an ideal starting point for a tour of Lunenburg, where we begin our excursion where the journey of so many others ended.

Founded in 1753, Lunenberg is considered one of the best examples of a British Colonial settlement in North America. In 1995, UNESCO designated Old Town Lunenburg a World Heritage Site for its British-style street planning and unique architecture. Colonial Lunenburg sprang from the imagination of Charles Morris, who, as Surveyor General for the British Empire, had planned many towns in the orderly gridiron that smoothly linked harbour to hills and commerce to culture, while embracing green space, parks, and churches into its layout. As brilliant as Lunenburg’s evolution was, I find the continued commitment of the locals to its preservation even more impressive. Some 260 years after its first streets were laid, the original plans, architecture, and uses of common spaces continue to be followed.

Lunenburg is far older than Canada. These waters delivered the town’s first Protestant settlers more than a hundred years before the country was born. Promised arable land, settlers found nothing but coastal rock. So they improvised and turned to the sea, where fisheries and shipbuilding led to spectacular prosperity. If you look closely at the colourful homes, or better still have your knowledgeable guide just point it out, there’s a revealing clue to this town’s connection with its maritime past. Many of the houses have a top-floor “widow’s walk,” a glass-lined perch where families anxiously awaited their loved ones’ return from the sea.

St. John’s Anglican Church has stood in the town centre of Old Lunenburg since 1754 until, on November 1, 2001, a fire almost destroyed the structure. The town came together to raise money and labour for the church’s restoration, and volunteers gathered pieces of the broken and scorched stained-glass windows to painstakingly reassemble and replace them in the church.

Our walking tour ends at the Fisherman’s Memorial, located on the waterfront. This moving monument has the names of more than 700 people who lost their lives at sea etched into the granite columns. The ships are also recognized, with the most poignant being the “Vessels lost with all hands.” This fishing community paid a hard price.

If you prefer spooky tales that play off these maritime disasters instead of the Essential Lunenburg tour, there is a Haunted Lunenburg walk offered as well. This macabre tour will take you through Lunenburg’s terrifying tales of hauntings, superstitions, and ghostly sightings. Seafarers were, by nature, both incredibly superstitious and devoutly religious, willing to try all measures to bring their loved ones back safely from the sea. This lantern-lit horror walk finishes up at the Hillcrest Cemetery, of course.

If I am to be truly spooked by this evening offering, I decide it prudent to first search out the history of another type of spirit. With almost 4,000 kilometres of shoreline, Nova Scotia is home to lots of secret ocean alcoves and hidden ports, Lunenburg included. These secluded spots are thought to have given way to the province’s favourite drink, rum. Nova Scotia became most known for rum running during Prohibition. Instead of just trolling the waters for its bountiful seafood, fisherman found it more lucrative to fill American demand for the prohibited spirits by repurposing their boats to smuggle booze.

My idea of rum running is to dash over to the Ironworks Micro-distillery, which is nestled in an 1893 former marine blacksmith’s shop. Opened in 2009, this distillery uses locally grown produce to make their spirits, including vodka made from apples grown in the Annapolis Valley and blueberry, raspberry, and cranberry liqueurs made from local berries. Oh, and as a rum-running town, they also make rum distilled from Crosby’s molasses. May I suggest some Shipwreck Rum – especially if you are heading off on a ghost walk.

Yo ho ho – Feeling rummy, I am off to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, housed in a complex of vibrant red buildings along the harbour. In one gallery a retired shipbuilder works on a detailed model ship. The finished ships are meticulously lifelike, with sculpted characters, handmade ropes, and even tiny fish. Other galleries highlight the Mi’kmaq fishery, the Inshore fishery and the Bank’s fishery. The museum serves to demonstrate a past era of the fisheries when it was a very dangerous job. To emphasize the point, the museum’s stain-glassed chapel lists the names of hundreds of local people lost at sea, hand-painted on its walls. Included with the museum pass is access to the working wharf where you can explore retired fishing schooners, chat with their captains, visit creatures of the sea in a touch tank and even learn how to shuck a scallop.

Docked at the museum, painted black with gold trim, and stretching a faithful 43.5 metres, is the Bluenose II, an accurate replica of its namesake. The original Bluenose was built and launched in Lunenburg in 1921 before racing for 17 years without a loss. Notorious for its speed and ability to slice through rugged waves, the majestic schooner is now prominently remembered on Canada’s dime. The Bluenose II was launched in 1963 and has visited ports around the world, but spends most of its time docked in front of the museum.

I feel beautiful Lunenburg is a place where I could also drop my anchor, drink some rum, eat some lobster rolls, and imagine my darling wife on the “widow’s walk” of my home wondering where the heck I was.

If You Go:

Where to Stay: Nestled in the heart of historic Lunenburg the Lunenburg Arms Hotel was the perfect location to savour the sights of this charming seaside town.

Where to Eat or Drink: Seaside towns mean great seafood. One of the best things to do in Lunenburg is to sit on a dockside patio to enjoy a great meal while taking in the view of sailboats, local boat builders and fishermen at work. The Old Fish Factory Restaurant and Ice Bar located in a former fish processing plant inside the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic has a wharf-side patio that serves craft beer and excellent seafood including local scallops. SeaJay’s Crafts Eats & Treats is a brewery and tap room, serving up lunch and some of the best views of Lunenburg. The Grand Banker Bar & Grill features the Lunenburger, a hamburger topped with a heaping pile of lobster meat, including two claws and a bun garnished with a bacon-wrapped scallop. The Salt Shaker Deli is best known for its lobster roll and seafood chowder, and if you want a great harbour view, go to the Fish Shack, known for its scallops and fish & chips.

A Don’t Miss Side Trip: One final stop before departing Lunenburg is the picturesque fishing village of Blue Rocks, just a 10-minute drive east to the rugged coast. Called Lunenburg’s answer to the more famous Peggy’s Cove, blue slate rocks on the ocean’s edge give the cove its name. While you are in Blue Rocks you can book a kayak tour to search for seals or paddle through the islands to camp on a secluded beach.

Your lollygagging in Lunenburg will be much-assisted by reference to Nova Scotia’s website and also that of Parks Canada, not to mention Lunenburg Walking Tours. Happy strolling.

Hunting the Best Lobster Roll in Southern Nova Scotia

Bluenose Pride of Nova Scotia

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