Things To Do in Nova Scotia

The erudite tour guides and experienced captains of Wesley’s Whale Watch host landlubbers on two-hour nautical odysseys aboard a double-decker passenger boat. Tourists introduce themselves to a variety of curious cetaceans, from pilot, humpback, and minke whales to dolphins and wolves in dolphins’ clothing. Snap impressive photos of grinning marine mammals from the covered main level, or retreat to the open-air upper level to feed hungry eyes with satisfying panoramic vistas. Subaqueous whale sounds travel through the boat’s hydrophone to the surface, providing passengers with the rare chance to hear every note. An ample supply of rain gear and padded seats facilitate comfortable cruising. Tours set sail five times a day, seven days a week, depending on the weather and the whales' workout schedules.

There is no limit to the number of children brought to the screening; admission must be purchased for children ages 3 and older.

At Storm Warning Paintball, combatants wage war with pigmented missiles fired year-round on indoor and outdoor fields. Outdoor warriors pull on modern-day chainmail and strategically assess the layout of a forested field with multilevelled wooden structures or the inflatable obstacles scattered about the grassy X Ball Sup Air field. Indoor paint-slingers crouch behind barrels and track foes through thermal lens goggles, before shellacking them into human replicas of The Scream with Tippmann 98 paintball markers.

Fundy Tidal Bore Adventures founder Morgan McDonald is a passionate rafter with a decade of experience navigating the Shubenacadie River, whose shores are made of clay and dotted with trees. The high and low tides here mean that there are varying degrees of wave intensity, and the company's experienced guides can tailor the experience to suit each group’s comfort level. Before the trip, guides will help passengers suit up in PFDs and store their valuables in waterproof bags. The crewmember can snap pictures of the trip along the way; they’ll then email the photos to you later or stuff them into a bottle and float them to postal workers wearing waterskis.

Breathing Space molds muscles and tones trapeziuses with a batch of stress-siphoning classes. Led by founder Jenny Kierstead, who received a Women of Excellence Award from the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development, the studio's expert instructors demonstrate the proper methods for twisting and arching, nudging their students into posture-perfecting poses that don't require saying cheese. Classes cater to a broad range of experience levels, tastes, and needs. Core Yoga addresses lower-back pain, Family Yoga welcomes youthful yogis, Yin Yoga targets tension relief, and Detox Flow cleanses the body after a series of mud-pie-eating contests. Hot Flow classes turn up the heat for high perspiration and increased muscle malleability, giving customers the flexibility they need to finally read the back tattoo they got in college.

Cole Harbour Place—the home of hockey player Sidney Crosby—welcomes community members into a complex that hosts three pools, two regulation-size ice arenas, squash courts, and a weight-training centre and cardio room with more than 21 new pieces of equipment. The sprawling facility invites swimmers to splash during open sessions or learn how to greet a passing octopus properly during swim lessons; fitness classes get hearts pumping in boot camp and core yoga. A wealth of youth programming entertains whippersnappers throughout the year, and the wellness centre’s health classes and programs impart preventive-health advice to members of all ages.