If you aspire to step back in time of colonial past from 18th century to embrace turbulent Canadian history then you must visit Fortress of Louisbourg.
The Fortress of Louisbourg is a National Historic Site of Canada and is located in Louisbourg, on eastern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Louisbourgh was founded by the French in 1713 and was busiest port of 18th century in America as it was perfectly situated on the trade route between America and Europe. Throughout mid-1700s, French and English forces battled for control of Nova Scotia.
The battered fortress and town were partially reconstructed in the 1960s and this site stands as the largest reconstruction project in North America.
Having explored scenic Cabot Trail previous day, we started from town of Sydney and headed towards Fortress of Louisbourg which was just a few hours drive. There was plenty of parking at the site.
Based on our wonderful experience we highly recommend taking a guided tour. Our knowledgeable guide was dressed in a period costume. We admired authentic architecture of buildings, watched French solders march through the streets, children playing games from the past, tasted freshly cooked bread from a bakery, and toured area full of rum storage containers.
There were multiple spots to meet actors going through their daily (18th century) chores. We had chance to interact with them and learn fascinating stories on how they landed there from Europe.
Throughout the site, one can hear soldiers drum beats, clock chimes, and water front café music.
We saw first-hand demonstration of thundering canon fires just like it was done back in the 18th century.
While exploring the site, we did not even felt that this was a recreation, it almost felt as if we had stepped truly back in time.
Lighthouse
Having enjoyed insight into the rich historical past of Fortress, we next planned to visit Louisbourg Lighthouse which was located just a quick drive from the Fortress. The site of Louisbourg Lighthouse is considered Canada’s first lighthouse. It is a perfect spot for photos opportunities of the lighthouse on rocky cliffs and majestic ocean in the background.
Having admired the beautiful lighthouse we headed back to our hotel in Sydney. This concluded our trip to beautiful Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Our next destination was to visit Hopewell Rocks Park in New Brunswick province.
Rating: 3.5*/5
Helpful Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress_of_Louisbourg