I’m feeling a bit eagerly excited for Summer right now. Once in awhile I’ll go to my photos and browse, reminiscing Nova Scotia. Growing up there in the Summertime it was the most exciting time for any Nova Scotian. The beautiful weather, warm sun and days lounging on the glistening beaches. East Coast Summers and beaches just really are such a great time. You can’t even compete with the beauty there.
We spent many of days growing up beach hoping as kids along the South Shore coast. I’ve been to almost every beach there possibly could be. But I always love going back to my 4 favourites in the South Shore area.
Mind you, the water always feels cold, but that’s the fun of it to! Every Summer we visit Nova Scotia with the kids we try to make it to at least one of these, or like this past Summer we made it to each one of them. I really wanted the kids to create some core memories visiting each one. On a beautiful day or even a foggy day, dipping your toes in the Atlantic and feeling that beach sand is a great feeling!
On every trip to the beach usually came the ice cream stops along side the road to cool down. It was sort of the beach routine to either stop for an ice cream or popsicle!
Crescent Beach
I love Crescent Beach! It’s one beach you can actually drive across when the tide is really low. We had come here when Drew and I first started dating, we came back when we got married and again and again and again. It’s a special place for us and its just a really calming atmosphere to relax at. On the other side of the beach we used to go calm digging there as kids. I remember some very special times putting on my actual clam diggers and shovelling down deep in the sand, scanning for bubble holes to dig up some calms for dinner!
Freda’s Beach
On one of our first days out last Summer I really wanted to take the kids to Chester and swim at the Lido Pool. It’s a salt water pool that’s fed by the ocean. It’s a really neat place to swim but you really couldn’t open your mouth while swimming there. Which is hard to remember. haha I learnt how to swim here as a kid and it really reminds me of some great Summer days when I was a kid.
Basically right across the street from the Lido Pool is Freda’s Beach. It’s teeny tiny, hidden behind the Chester Yacht Club. Sandy with a whole seaweed experience. Lots of shells and a great area to swim and cool down. While there you can always spot the sailboats going by, we made some amazing time because we were there for Chester Race Week so the water was just filled with sailboats!
Bayswater Beach
Along the lighthouse route right through Chester, following your way to Hubbards you’ll spot right along the road and long beautiful beach named Bayswater Beach. We used to come here as kids and the beach would be filled and filled. On hot days it can get quite busy. There are changing rooms, washrooms, down the road you’ll find the beach fish + chip food truck. It’s killer and a bit deceiving to the eye, but a must stop.
We spent our first day out here last August, it was foggy but not chilly so the kids just loved playing. I also would recommend downloading the Shark App, this area had a shark spotting only a few days before we visited here.
Summerville Beach
Talk about an oasis setting, Summerville Beach is incredible. Located just beside the Quarterdeck Restaurant, which is also an amazing place to eat. We stopped there on our way to the beach and had some seafood!
This beach has loads of parking, a long boardwalk and tons of room to set up your beach spot. The water was really cold but it was so hot out this day that it felt so refreshing to jump right in. The kids played in the sand taking turns burying each other, browsing the tideline for shells and filling up their buckets of cool shells and shellfish.
It is just outside of Liverpool about an hour away from my parents place. Defiantly not a boring drive, which leads along the ocean and pretty homes to view along the way. I used to always gaze outside the window to the ocean searching for sea life!
Risser’s Beach
We went camping on Risser’s Beach and it was the most fun night. The first few days I was home, my mom mentioned having a tent and camping supplies. I got a little curious and started looking up close camping locations and I remembered that Rissers Beach was a lot of fun and close to a campsite. So I went searching and found this amazing spot right on the water. I was so shocked because these ones book up so fast, I booked it right away for 1 night. We went early, enjoyed the beach and set our stuff up. Hanging out and just having fun!
We did an evening walk along the water, to the boardwalk and playground. It was such a special evening just alone with my two little ones. I loved it! We woke up early packed up and off we went. It was all we needed to relax!
You honestly can’t beat beaches in Nova Scotia, there are more than plenty to keep your travelling schedule busy with just scenic beaches. It’s my favourite part of visiting, beside the many of ice cream stops. When I think of Summer and how I like to best describe it, I always come back to these memories I had as a kid growing up in Nova Scotia. Packed in the crowded backseat of the car with my mom and sister driving on a hot day just anticipating getting out of the car to run free on the beach with not a care in the world!
Keisha Lynne, xx