Travel
Our Canada: Lunenburg, N.S.
Photo courtesy of Tourism Nova Scotia Image by: Photo courtesy of Tourism Nova Scotia
Travel
Our Canada: Lunenburg, N.S.
What's to love about Lunenburg, you ask? The difficulty is not coming up with amazing things to love about this town, but rather narrowing the list to just five things! Here are just a handful of reasons why I love my town.
1. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Lunenburg is one of only 17 sites in all of Canada. Old Town Lunenburg is internationally recognized for its significance to the world, yet Lunenburg is also a vibrant, active, modern community. No costumes or gimmicks here. We bask in our heritage every day and welcome the world to share it.
2. Culture at every corner
We are a town of merely 2,300 souls, yet the abundance and variety of art and music here is incredible. Our internationally renowned Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival has been “making musical memories by the sea” for nearly 30 years by staging performances at inspirational venues. They range anywhere from a seaside wharf to historic churches, to a hilltop vista overlooking our two harbours .
Lunenburg is also home to a school for graduate music students. LAMP (Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance) operates from our circa 1895 Lunenburg Academy building, a National Historic Site and the oldest intact building of its kind in Nova Scotia. LAMP programs and performances cover various genres from opera to jazz.
A residency program of NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art & Design) University, brings recent graduates to live and work in the town. They share their talent by offering workshops, sponsoring lectures and working with students of the town school.
Making the most of the many talented artisans who live here -- quilt artists, weavers, potters, painters -- Lunenburg School of the Arts is now open to offer art education of all kinds.
Annual events including the Festival of Crafts, Boxwood Festival, Paint Sea on Site, Folk Art Festival and our newest, DocFest, compliment the dozens of galleries, shops and entertainment venues where culture abounds.
3. Living on the (water’s) edge
Lunenburg is perched on a peninsula between two harbours. The site was selected for strategic military reasons 260 years ago, but ultimately shaped the future of the European settlers who transformed themselves from farmers to fishers adapting to a life offered by the sea. Although no longer the mainstay of our local economy, we are proud of our storied history in the fishery and our working waterfront is still home to fishing industry, along with many other marine related, businesses.
It is also where visitors flock to experience the sea like nowhere else. They go for a row in a traditional dory, rent a kayak, watch some schooner races or sail along the coast.
A visit to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic is a must and a sail or dockside visit on Bluenose II, replica of the famous, Lunenburg-built racing schooner Bluenose, undefeated Queen of the North Atlantic is the icing on the cake.
4. A sight to behold in every direction
The view of our harbour front from our golf course is spectacular, and so is the view of our golf course from our harbourfront. Look up or down any one of the grid patterned streets and find a photo-ready streetscape. Architectural masterpieces and picture-perfect scenes are within a brief walk one from another in our picturesque little town. It never gets old.
It’s no surprise that film location scouts find Lunenburg appealing. Most recently, a portion of the acclaimed series based on the book of the same name, Book of Negroes, was filmed here. But to enjoy what you see to the fullest, take a guided walking tour and be entertained by Lunenburg’s history, folklore and fun facts. For a real adventure go at night, through the darken streets and cemetery by lantern-light, to hear tales of hangings, hauntings, superstitions and sightings.
5. Compact and complete
We really do have it all! Lunenburg has art, music, fine dining, unique shops, spas and scenic vistas. We also have a golf course, tennis courts, soccer and ball field, swimming pool, arena, curling rink, trail system, a state-of the art public school, a year-round farmer’s market, grocery stores, a discount store and, yes even a Tim Horton’s. It’s all neatly arranged within four square kilometres putting everything within walking distance. It is one amazing package deal and I could not be more proud to be the mayor of Lunenburg.
The mayor of Windsor had his say, and now we've heard from the mayor of Lunenburg. Think your hometown can top Lunenburg's dockside charm? Nominate your community and tell us all about it for your chance to be featured on our site.
1. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Lunenburg is one of only 17 sites in all of Canada. Old Town Lunenburg is internationally recognized for its significance to the world, yet Lunenburg is also a vibrant, active, modern community. No costumes or gimmicks here. We bask in our heritage every day and welcome the world to share it.
2. Culture at every corner
We are a town of merely 2,300 souls, yet the abundance and variety of art and music here is incredible. Our internationally renowned Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival has been “making musical memories by the sea” for nearly 30 years by staging performances at inspirational venues. They range anywhere from a seaside wharf to historic churches, to a hilltop vista overlooking our two harbours .
Lunenburg is also home to a school for graduate music students. LAMP (Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance) operates from our circa 1895 Lunenburg Academy building, a National Historic Site and the oldest intact building of its kind in Nova Scotia. LAMP programs and performances cover various genres from opera to jazz.
A residency program of NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art & Design) University, brings recent graduates to live and work in the town. They share their talent by offering workshops, sponsoring lectures and working with students of the town school.
Making the most of the many talented artisans who live here -- quilt artists, weavers, potters, painters -- Lunenburg School of the Arts is now open to offer art education of all kinds.
Annual events including the Festival of Crafts, Boxwood Festival, Paint Sea on Site, Folk Art Festival and our newest, DocFest, compliment the dozens of galleries, shops and entertainment venues where culture abounds.
3. Living on the (water’s) edge
Lunenburg is perched on a peninsula between two harbours. The site was selected for strategic military reasons 260 years ago, but ultimately shaped the future of the European settlers who transformed themselves from farmers to fishers adapting to a life offered by the sea. Although no longer the mainstay of our local economy, we are proud of our storied history in the fishery and our working waterfront is still home to fishing industry, along with many other marine related, businesses.
It is also where visitors flock to experience the sea like nowhere else. They go for a row in a traditional dory, rent a kayak, watch some schooner races or sail along the coast.
A visit to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic is a must and a sail or dockside visit on Bluenose II, replica of the famous, Lunenburg-built racing schooner Bluenose, undefeated Queen of the North Atlantic is the icing on the cake.
4. A sight to behold in every direction
The view of our harbour front from our golf course is spectacular, and so is the view of our golf course from our harbourfront. Look up or down any one of the grid patterned streets and find a photo-ready streetscape. Architectural masterpieces and picture-perfect scenes are within a brief walk one from another in our picturesque little town. It never gets old.
It’s no surprise that film location scouts find Lunenburg appealing. Most recently, a portion of the acclaimed series based on the book of the same name, Book of Negroes, was filmed here. But to enjoy what you see to the fullest, take a guided walking tour and be entertained by Lunenburg’s history, folklore and fun facts. For a real adventure go at night, through the darken streets and cemetery by lantern-light, to hear tales of hangings, hauntings, superstitions and sightings.
5. Compact and complete
We really do have it all! Lunenburg has art, music, fine dining, unique shops, spas and scenic vistas. We also have a golf course, tennis courts, soccer and ball field, swimming pool, arena, curling rink, trail system, a state-of the art public school, a year-round farmer’s market, grocery stores, a discount store and, yes even a Tim Horton’s. It’s all neatly arranged within four square kilometres putting everything within walking distance. It is one amazing package deal and I could not be more proud to be the mayor of Lunenburg.
The mayor of Windsor had his say, and now we've heard from the mayor of Lunenburg. Think your hometown can top Lunenburg's dockside charm? Nominate your community and tell us all about it for your chance to be featured on our site.
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