We are pleased to present a new Solo Travel Destination Post. While generally contributed by members of the Solo Travel Society on Facebook, this post is from Tracey's recent trip to Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Do you have a solo travel destination that you would like to recommend? Submit your description here, along with a few photos, and share it with fellow travelers!
Solo travel rating: 1 (1 is easiest, 3 is most difficult. Please see chart below)
Languages spoken: English
Learning about and tasting the wines, right out in the vineyard at Gaspereau.
Reasons to Visit Wolfville
I recently spent a day and a half in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and I managed to pack in quite a bit of food and wine exploration!
Wolfville is in the northwestern part of Nova Scotia, about a one-hour drive from Halifax. It is in the Annapolis Valley, home to at least 12 wineries, two of which I visited on a tour with Grape Escapes, a company that runs wine tours in Nova Scotia every day from May to October. On this day, I rode in air-conditioned comfort with 4 other guests from downtown Wolfville, first to Luckett Vineyards, then to Gaspereau Vineyards. The tasting room at Pete Luckett's winery was beautiful – and busy! While my group was tasting the wine, Pete was busy stocking the shelves and setting up displays. There was a great selection of food available to take away, including cheeses, meats, olives, crackers, and sweets – everything you need to put together a picnic. I've never understood why every winery doesn't do this, but this guy does it well and with style.
Wines on display at Luckett Vineyards.
Then, it was on to Gaspereau Vineyards, where we were taken outside to taste wines among the grapevines. It was lovely to stand among the grapes while learning a bit about the wines, and take in the scenery at the same time. Following our tastings, we headed back into Wolfville for dinner at the Blomidon Inn – incredibly convenient for me, since that is where I was staying. It is a historic Victorian building, once the home of a sea captain, and it also houses a lovely restaurant.
The gorgeous Blomidon Inn, right on Wolfville's Main Street.
While I didn't tour the winery, I also dined at Le Caveau, the restaurant at Grand Pre Winery, just down the road from the Inn. I had a really hard time making a decision, faced with such a delicious-sounding menu. My plan on this trip was to enjoy as much local fish and seafood (and, apparently, wine) as possible. That was an easy thing to do at Le Caveau. Because I was dining alone, I felt completely free to order a flight of four wines, and have two appetizers as dinner. Well, actually, I ordered three, because I just really wanted to try a little bit of a lot of things, but I was so full after the second one that I ended up cancelling the third. I started with pan seared Nova Scotia sea scallops, followed by house smoked salmon, then a gorgeous panna cotta and cappuccino. If only I had had enough room for the locally-sourced charcuterie board!
An incredible meal at Le Caveau, including scallops, smoked salmon, and panna cotta.
I was so ready to fall into bed at the end of the night. My room at the Blomidon Inn had a fantastic, tiny little balcony off the bedroom. I sat outside and looked up at the stars for a while before turning in. It was quiet and peaceful, and I slept like a baby.
Sweet dreams at the Blomidon Inn
On Saturday morning, I checked out the Wolfville Farmer's Market. What a treat! It was alive with music and conversation, not to mention fresh local produce and prepared foods, handmade jewelry and soaps, and freshly roasted and brewed coffee. It was clearly a neighborhood meeting place and had a really friendly vibe.
Fresh local produce on display at the Wolfville Farmer's Market.
And speaking of that friendly, neighborhood vibe, I passed by these posters on my way out of town. If you're not familiar with the Tragically Hip, they are an incredibly popular Canadian band whose lead singer, Gord Downie has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Their final concert was considered so important to Canadian culture that the national public broadcaster showed the entire 3+ hour concert live with no breaks, and no commercials. People gathered together all across the country to watch the show. I was already back in Toronto by the time this concert took place, but you can bet that if I had been in Wolfville, I would have joined the lovely people of this town in Clock Park to #doitinwolfville!
The broadcast of the final concert of Canada's beloved band, The Tragically Hip, was to be shown in the park in downtown Wolfville.
Solo Travel Destination Rating System
Safety – 1 (1 very safe, 2 safe in most areas, 3 be cautious at all times.)
Language – 1 (1 English is first language, 2 English speakers easy to find, 3 English speakers rare)
Navigation – 1 (1 easy to navigate by transit or car, 2 poor transit, car necessary, 3 not easy to get around)
Culture – 1 (1 Similar to North America or Western Europe, 2 Different from above but relaxed and easy, 3 Challenging)
Average Rating – 1 (1 is easiest, 3 is most difficult)
This trip was supported by Nova Scotia Tourism. As always, the opinions and experiences are my own.
