Today we left Halifax and headed north and west in Nova Scotia to Annapolis Royals area. Along the way we stopped at Grand Pre. We learned about the history of the dike building Acadia people. We learned how they made dikes to help make farmable land and how insanely strong they were considering it was mostly mud and plants. We did the XPlorer program. It was a fun book with lots of scavenger hunts and interactive activities.
The Acadia people suffered a lot from the British and French troops. They were forced from their land and relocated to the English Colonies. The land of Nova Scotia was under constant turmoil in the 1700-1800s. England wanted the land, as did the French and the US. People fought over the land in many battles and there were many short lived treaties.
The grounds of Grand Pre were spectacular. The gardens were amazing! They trees were HUGE! One of the activities in the book was to see how many people it took to go around a tree… this one took 5!
We arrived at our campground and got settled in. While Mom checked in I got about 90% of the car unhitched to help out. I am really pitching in when Dad is back in the US. The campground has a families of pretty, tame bunnies and a chicken coup! We explored the playground while Mom finished setting up and then headed in to town.
We toured the Annapolis Tidal Generating Station. It is the only tidal power generator in North America. It uses the extreme tides in the Bay of Fundy to harness energy. They have a system on locks and dams to help maintain the flow. It only runs during when the tide is flowing out. The whole plant is run by a computer and there are 6 people in the area that maintain the equipment as needed. There are 2 interpretive staff members and that is it! It has been generating enough power for 4500 homes since 1984!
We also visited Fort Anne. It was another 8 point star fort like Halifax Citadel. This fort, unlike the Citadel, was attacks 13 times. There is an amazing tapestry in the visitors center that tells the stories of the area over generations.
We tried on period costumes. I checked the hat for lice with a magnifying glass from another display before wearing it! EEK!
This is the Black Hole. Originally a power magazine but it was too humid so they used it as a dungeon!
We braved the stairs and went inside. It was cold and damp.
Emmerson was less than impressed.
We had fun checking out all the cannons and the powder magazine.
We explored the cemetery by day. Tonight we will come back for a night time lantern tour!
