(Updated - July 2022)
Looking for suggestions on where to go during your Cape Breton Island travels?
We’re Davey and Sky, Cape Breton locals that love to share our adventures all around the Island. Sometimes we get messages from amazing folks wondering what places we love to stay, explore, and eat at.. so we made this list of a few of our favourite things! While our beautiful home Island shines all year long, it is without question a world-class destination in the Summer and Fall months. We hope this compiled list helps you to see the beauty of our backyard and meet the friendly people along the way that make it so darn special.
Roberts Mountain, Pleasant Bay
* A few things to note * :
- This blog is created based on a June-mid October tourist season. Please always get in touch with businesses directly regarding updated hours.
- Featured businesses are listed because we have personally experienced them. This is not a paid or sponsored post with tourism, just our own words that we hope inspires you to visit Cape Breton Island or explore your own backyard.
- This list hardly scratches the surface of all that Cape Breton has. There are SO many other incredible businesses & trails that are not listed here. As locals from the western side of Cape Breton, we can only experience so much. These are just a few of our favourites. :)
Southern Cape Breton (Isle Madame), Northern Cape Breton (Cabot Trail near Big Intervale)
Places to stay…
From seaside domes to mountainside cottages, lakefront inns, or lively hostels - finding your home away from home is easy!
Archers Edge Luxury Camping - Who wouldn’t want to sleep in a dome and enjoy the sunset from bed? Located on oceanfront property, 5 two-person domes make this spot great for a couples getaway or group booking of 10.
Knotty Pine Cottages - Overlooking Ingonish Harbour, the views from the cabins here are magnificent. It is a great cozy getaway spot for a couple, group of friends, or family. They are also dog-friendly.
Highlands Hostel - This is a lively hostel in a converted church run by the sweetest family ever. Just get yourself there and they will help you experience the most “Cape Breton” trip imaginable. Dog friendly.
Valley View Chalets - Margaree Valley is unquestionably one of the prettiest places on the Island. These luxury chalets are open all year long and give wonderful views. Great for a couple, group of friends, and are dog friendly.
Keltic Quay - Located right on the Bras d’Or Lakes, wake up to see eagles soaring from your balcony and the sunrise over surrounding mountains. Whycocomagh is a perfect hub spot in the middle of the Island for adventure. Great for families, couples, groups of friends, and elderly family members (Skylar’s grandparents love it here). They are also dog-friendly.
Wreck Cove Wilderness Cabins - We discovered this spot in winter and can’t wait to be back in summer. These rustic comforting cabins are a great spot for family, friends, and are dog friendly. Boardgames by the fire after a day of hiking? Yes, please! Check out the owner’s onsite archery lesson course (Highland Bow & Arrow) for added fun.
Sally’s Brook - Off-grid luxury! Currently, the property has one large cabin, two small “pod” cabins, and a shared cookhouse. This location is a great eco-friendly spot. Dog-friendly too!
Keltic Lodge - A Cape Breton classic, waking up on the Middlehead Peninsula is truly wonderful. While we haven’t experienced their amenities, having an onsite golf course, heated pool, hiking trail, beach, and spa, makes it a destination for all types of travelers. Some options are dog-friendly.
Clairestone Inn (open all year round) & Volmers Island Paradise - Isle Madame is an incredibly gorgeous Island off of Cape Breton’s south coast. A kayaker and cyclists paradise, we have stayed at both of these accommodations here and loved them. Clairestone has dog-friendly rooms.
Cabot Shores - This wilderness resort has chalets, a main lodge, yurts, and domes that you can book. We have stayed in one of their chalets in winter and a yurt in fall and loved both experiences. Dog friendly.
Inverary Resort - Located in Baddeck ( the start and end of the Cabot Trail) they offer great accommodation options and a lakefront restaurant. We enjoyed the access to their dock and water activities, taking ourselves on a kayak trip to Kidston Island.
Glenora Inn and Distillery - Home of Canada’s first single malt whisky distillery, this spot offers beautiful grounds, whisky tours, delicious restaurant, live music, and cozy rooms to stay at the inn or cabins tucked away on the hillside. Book in fall for a chance to see the surrounding mountains come alive with colour.
Bras d’Or Lakes Inn - Located in the village of St. Peter’s this Inn has comfortable rooms, a cottage with a hot tub, an onsight restaurant, and holds many local events and live music nights. Explore the Bras d’Or Lake, Atlantic Ocean, or famous St. Peters Canal nearby. Dog friendly.
The Normaway Inn - A cozy inn tucked within the beautiful Margaree Valley. This spot also has numerous cottages and we’ve stayed in one of the Green Chalets before - dog friendly. There are horses in the fields and something usually musical happening in The (onsight) Barn, which is home to the Weekly Three Fiddler Concert Ceilidh Dance.
Seaweed and Sod - A two-room bed and breakfast located in Kempt Head. A peaceful atmosphere, the bnb is on a working farm so you can see animals like chickens, horses, a lama, and more. The house and property overlook the Bras d’Or Lake, so the sunsets here are amazing!
Maple Ridge Cottages - Location Location! 6 mountainside cottages located in the highlands and steps away from the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Year-round and pet friendly! The cabins had a full kitchen and everything we needed. I believe they also have a wheelchair-accessible cabin too!
Top: Archers Edge, Highlands Hostel, Bottom: Keltic Quay, Knotty Pines
Campgrounds…
While we love camping, we have quite honestly not stayed at too many campgrounds yet since we often go backcountry!
Ones we have been to and loved though..
Live Life in Tents, Margaree
Broad Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park
The Lakes, Lake O’Law
Trails…
Cape Breton Island is a hiker’s paradise! Whether you enjoy an accessible coastal stroll or maybe a challenging mountain climb, here are just a few of our favourite trails on the Island. Please remember to pack in pack out.
Go for a stroll here..
Warren Lake
Challenge yourself here..Roberts Mountain
Really challenge yourself here..
Franey, Tenerife, Acadian, Inverness Beach
Special shoutout to this amazing 92km trail that stretches from Inverness to Port Hastings! Winding through wonderful towns, beside warm water beaches, and active fishing harbours, it is a great multipurpose trail but particularly great for cyclists.
For Our Fellow Dog Owners…
Wondering what trails and places are dog-friendly? All of them EXCEPT Skyline Trail! Please respect trail regulations (particularly in the National Park or face getting a fine) and keep your furry pal on a leash, pack in pack out, and respect beach guidelines as well since there can be fragile bird nesting areas in beach dunes.
Upper & Lower Whycocomagh Provincial Park
Beaches…
We aren’t going to say our #1 favourite beach and let you guess! ;)
Here are a few of our other favourites though.
Port Hood ( there are 5 and it is the Beach Capital of Cape Breton)
Dingwall/Cabots Landing Beaches
Experiences…
E bike the beautiful Celtic Shores Coastal Trail with Mike’s E Bikes
Tour by snowmobile in the winter or ATV in spring/summer/fall with TNT Outdoor Adventures
River tubing with Live Life in Tents
Paddle Boarding or kayaking with CB West Paddle Boards
Helicopter Tours with Breton Air or Celtic Air
Kayaking with Mckinnon Kayak Tours
Cruise around Baddeck Bay Jet Ski Baddeck
Stroll through a living history museum at Highland Village Museum
Sample whisky on a whisky Tour at Glenora Distillery
Enjoy a lunch Ceilidh at the Celtic Music Centre
Spend a day at the Fortress of Louisbourg
Discover the Island’s coal-mining history at the Glace Bay Miners Museum
Take a luxurious catamaran sail of the Bras d’Or Lake with Sailing CBI
Top: CBWestSUP, Glenora, Jet Ski Baddeck, Bottom: Celtic Music Centre, McKinnon Kayak Tours, Fortress of Louisbourg
Places to grab a bite to eat…
(Again, way too many amazing spots to recommend, but here are a few to get you started)
Clove Hitch, Port Hood
Red Shoe Pub, Mabou
Helens Bakery, Whycocomagh (Mum and Dad actually retired the business in fall 2021 but still bake the occasional weekend from home! If you’re passing through Whycocomagh on a Saturday you can place an order for pickup ahead of time. The best way to communicate is through FB)
L’abri, Chéticamp
Dancing Goat, Margaree
Charlene’s Bayside, Whycocomagh
Wabos, Cheticamp
Frolic’n Folk, Iona
The Coastal, Ingonish
Rusty Anchor, Pleasant Bay
Dancing Moose, Wreck Cove
The Groundswell, Isle Madame
Miller’s, Port Hawkesbury
Morrison’s Restaurant, Cape North (one of the best chicken burgers David has ever had)
Salty Rose’s and the Periwinkle Cafe, Ingonish
Main Street Cafe, Ingonish
L’abri, Dancing Goat
Where to grab a local drink…
Beveragino anyone? From craft beer to cider, single malt whisky to a majestic vineyard. Wet your whistle at any of these favourite locations:
Big Spruce, Nyanza - Great beer, patio area, food truck/kitchen, and overall lively fun atmosphere. They are also dog-friendly.
Route 19, Inverness - Great beer, restaurant, and patio in a beautiful location.
Breton Brewing, Sydney - Great beer, and fun events always on the go.
Island Folk, Sydney - Cape Breton’s first & only cidery. Great cider, seasonal ciders on tap, and fun events always on the go.
Glenora Inn & Distillery, Glenville - North America’s first single malt whisky distillery. Go on a whisky tour, sample different whiskys, dine in their restaurant or stay in their inn.
We haven’t visited here yet but are dying to: Eileanan Breagha Vineyards (Ay-len-an BREE-ah) Cape Breton’s first and only vineyard located in Marble Mountain overlooking the breathtaking Bras d’Or Lake.
Big Spruce Brewing
Where to Kayak / Canoe / Paddleboard…
Isle Madame
Bras d’Or Lakes (Whycocomagh & Baddeck two of our favourites)
Lake o Law
Inverness
Aspy Bay
Margaree River
Mira
Kayaking in Isle Madame
Boat tours: Whales & Puffins…
Bird Island Boat Tours - Daily tours to see puffins, other seabirds, seals & bald eagles. We loved this tour and were so happy to see puffins finally!
Cape Breton Northern Tip Charters - Based out of Bay St. Lawerence, this tour company is planning to open fall of 2022. We’ve had the fortune to go out on the boat a few times with the owners and they’re the best!
We have yet to go on any whale-watching tours on the Island yet, however it is on our bucket list too! There are tons of different whale-watching tour companies around the Island. Once we experience one, we can add it to the blog. In the meantime, we love keeping an eye out any time we are on the coast and have spotted pilot whales off the coast of Chéticamp and whales splashing in the distance from Meat Cove.
