Things to Do in Nova Scotia

The media pros at Hourglass Media transform old recordings and photographs into high-quality digital files with their advanced, onsite equipment. During film transfers, a technician converts 8-milimetre and Super 8 film to uncompressed files on DVD, ensuring picture fidelity with 700 lines of resolution. Analog media such as audio cassettes, VHS tapes, and vinyl LPs metamorphose into any digital file format, allowing patrons to load old songs onto iPods, share home movies over the internet, and replace every sound on the family computer with an old recording of grandpa snoring. Slide and photo transfers pull the same trick with old pictures and custom video editing further polishes heirloom moving pictures or important present-day footage.

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.

Wyse Photography's shot-snappers attribute their success in capturing memorable family and pet portraits to an abundance of patience and a willingness to embarrass themselves. Goofy sounds and wacky contortions are a few of the key weapons in their arsenal for commanding the attention of infants, toddlers, cats, and dogs. No sitting fee is assessed for studio sessions, and print orders are cheaper by the sheet when ordered in bulk. In addition to specialty portrait services, the image-capturing experts occasionally offer basic photography classes at the studio, on the Internet, or in the Phantom Zone.

Wicker Emporium’s product buyers scour lands near and far to find elegant home accents for their customers. The practice of travelling to different countries began more than 35 years ago, when the company’s heads joined the crew of a pirate ship to pay off a gambling debt. Today, in 20 stores across Atlantic Canada and Ontario, customers can still browse pillows, quilts, mirrors, outdoor accessories, and shelves imported from local manufacturers and international crafters.

Rocco Scarola left his hometown of Bari, Italy in 1967 and spent the next quarter century honing his culinary expertise in some of the best restaurants in Halifax. By 1992, he was ready to share his knowledge of Southern Italian cuisine––as well as his mother's treasured oven-baked pasta recipe––with the Nova Scotian masses. Together with his wife Gail and head chef Tracey Cromwell, Rocco finally realized his dream of creating a refined, yet relaxed atmosphere where people could come together to enjoy a good meal, hearty conversation, and an opera-singing wait staff. In 2008, he passed his enterprise to his partners of eight years, Hanna and Robert Gibson, who continue to honor the Italian traditions and excellent service that has made Rocco's a success for almost two decades.

Today, diners can still find Rocco's mother's pasta on the brunch menu, featured alongside Rocco's own coveted pizza recipe, built upon his signature handmade crust. Local seafood and meats from nearby Martock Glan Farms put a modern, sustainable spin on classics such as veal limone and zuppa di pesce dell'aragosta (lobster and fiddlehead bisque), and salads are tossed tableside to prove both the freshness of the ingredients and the existence of gravity. Signature pastas include a spaghetti carbonara topped with garlic and scallops and meat lasagna layered with béchamel and a secret ingredient, though servers make no secret of the fact that all pastas are available in whole grain or gluten-free versions for guests with sensitivities.

Owner Todd Abbass founded Stayner's Wharf with the idea of uniting craft beer and cocktails with live entertainment and upscale seafood, steak, and pub fare. So there's plenty of drafts and European wine to be had while dining on top sirloin, pan-fried haddock, granola-crusted French toast, charbroiled burgers, and seafood chowder. The tavern's rows of cozy booths, dark-stained wood, and marble bar top add old-fashioned touches, like a ghost that says "Boo, sir!" and "Boo, ma'am!" Live music mingles with the laughter and conversation, enlivening the surroundings with musical styles ranging from Celtic folk to funk to mambo.