Annapolis Royal 1939 Annapolis Royal 2004
THE HOLMESTEAD FAMILY RESTAURANT
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Step into Canada's Beginnings:
Annapolis Royal is Canada's birthplace. Two years before the
first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, three years before the founding
of Quebec, and fifteen years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, a
small party of French explorers established Port Royal. The year was 1605. Samuel de
Champlain and Sieur de Monts built the Habitation to house their company and so began the
385 year history of Annapolis Royal. This creative group formed America's first social
club, "The Order of Good Cheer". For its entertainment, Marc Lescarbot, a young
Parisian lawyer, wrote and produced the first drama in North America, "The Theatre of
Neptune". About his experiences in Port Royal, he wrote one of the first travel
books. In 1607, the settlers built the first water powered grist mills in North America.
Uunfortunately, this peaceful beginnings was followed by the 150 year struggle between the French and English for control of the continent. In the 1630's the French constructed the original earthworks at what is now Fort Anne. In 1710 Port Royal was captured by the British and renamed Annapolis Royal to honour Queen Anne. The Officers Quarters were reconstructed in 1935 on the site of a structure originally built by the French. In 1917 the fort became Canada's first National Historic Park.
As the seat of government in Nova Scotia for part of both the French and British regimes, Annapolis Royal holds an important place in Canada's early history. Its enviable location at the sheltered meeting of valley and bay made it a center of commerce and shipping for many years. Today it has become the quietly dignified home of approximately 600 people who know the value of a great and lasting community - and the home of one more first - North America's first tidal power generating station.
Annapolis Royal: The Best Small Town in the World 10/21/04-10:38 Annapolis Royal has taken 1st place and a Gold Award at the finals of the world’s only international scheme for liveable communities addressing the management of the environment and the enhancement of quality of life, LivCom. The community was up against heated competition at the finals in Niagara Falls, Canada from cities in Category A (daytime population up to 20,000)*. The international panel of world-renowned judges at the finals in Niagara Falls, Canada, listened to presentations from 48 finalists from 20 countries across the globe. The record numbers of entries include those attending the finals for the first time amongst them communities from Latvia, Austria, Lithuania and Puerto Rico. This year’s final also saw the first running of the LivCom Environmentally Sustainable Project award with a further 14 finalists from 5 countries. The finalists are divided into 5 categories according to their population. The winners were Annapolis Royal, Canada (up to 20,000), Qian Dao Hu, PR China (up to 75,000), Rhein-Hunsruck-Kreis, Germany (up to 200,000), Stadt Munster, Germany (up to 1,000,000) and Honolulu, USA (over 1,000,000). An award was also given out for each individual judging category, the winners were, Coffs Harbour, Australia (Enhancement of the Landscape), Changshu, PR China (Heritage Management), City of Tshwane, South Africa (Use of Environmentally Sensitive Practices), Nieuwlande Council Hoogeveen, Netherlands (Community Involvement) and Port Moody, Canada (Planning for the Future). In the project category the Natural Award went jointly to Mission Hills Golf Resort, Shenzhen, PR China and Growling Frog Public Golf Course, Whittlesea, Australia. The Built Winner was Riviera Garden, Shanghai and a Special Planning Award went to Ke Garden Shenzhen. Alan Smith, Director of LivCom said, "The finals of LivCom once again provided a very high standard of finalists with important information exchanged and partnerships between towns, cities and nations forged that will be mutually beneficial for years to come." The standards that the finalists are now achieving in their towns and cities is rising all the time as the Chairman of the Judging Panel, Gabe de Buysscher said, "The content of all the presentations has been of a very high standard and the benchmark for liveable communities has moved even higher, which is a positive thing." The Finals of the 2005 LivCom Awards will be held in La Coruna, Spain, in October 2005. |
Annapolis Royal 1939
Annapolis Royal 2004
Lots of excitement at the Farmer's Market
Get ready to celebrate Annapolis Royal's 400th anniversary! The town is North America's earliest settlement; founded in 1605 with the construction of Port Royal. Stop in at the Annapolis Royal and Area Visitor Information Centre at the Tidal Power Generating Station for information information on local attractions, events, dining, shopping and accommodations. |
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Information on the attraction and heritage of Annapolis Royal can be found at the Annapolis Royal Web Site: |
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The Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens offers one of the finest garden displays anywhere with 2000 roses, a Victorian Garden, herb and spice gardens, and an Acadian thatched-rood cottage! |
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| Magnificent museums such as the O'Dell House Museum (1869), the Sinclair Inn (1710), and the North Hills Musuem will give you a background of Annapolis life from the Acadians, through French and English occupation, Victorian heritage, through to modern times. |
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National Historic sites of Fort Anne and Port Royal cannot be missed. Fort Anne is an English Garrison with earthwork fortification. Port Royal, a short 8 km away, is a reconstruction of Champlain's "Habitation". The site was completed in 1937 and offers a look at life in the early 1600's. |
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Across the Annapolis Royal waterfront and the Annapolis basin is historic Granville Ferry. It's a short distance across the causeway to Canada's oldest settlement road. Wander through this community of heritage properties before taking in the North Hills Museum and Port Royal further down Granville Road. |
North
Hills Museum http://museum.gov.ns.ca/nhm/index.htm
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Family fun is just down the road at Upper Clements Park, Atlantic Canada's largest amusement park. The park also has a wildlife park; home to many of Nova Scotian species in natural settings. |
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| Camping and water fun for the whole family can be found just 20 minutes from Annapolis at Raven Haven Beachside Family Park. Swimming, beach activities and picnic areas will delight your youngsters! |
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Walking, hiking and biking trails can be found throughout the area. The Visitor Information Centre will be happy to outline a route for you. The Delap's Cove trail is just one example of the trails for outdoor enthusiasts. |
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Kejimkujik is a 380 square kilometre paradise for campers, hikers, and canoeists. This Parks Canada site has trails, camping areas along natural woodland rivers and lakes. |
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Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia
Granville Ferry is a small town (585) in the
The
The basin has daily 25 foot tides and because of this the landscape is forever
changing. Directly across the basin from Granville Ferry is the town of
Now they are connected by a causeway that boasts the world's only tidal
electric generating plant.
There are no stores in the Ferry save a small corner store. The community is as peaceful and quiet as is imaginable. The houses and buildings in Granville Ferry mostly date from the early 1800's up to 1900 and there are several larger sea captain's homes as well as some quainter small ones.
The church that houses the Granville Ferry Studio is the largest building in
the town. It dates back to about 1878 and was originally a Methodist meeting hall. It
became a United church in the 20's and then was sold to a group
of crafts people in the late 70's. I bought it in 1989 and have since turned it into the
Granville Ferry Studio. Its still quite original with its 85
foot clapboard steeple complete with a ringable bell, church
windows and altar area. Champlain landed at
The road running through Granville Ferry is likely the oldest in the country.
Needless to say the area is thick with historic sites and heritage homes all adding to the
general peace and beauty of the area. The region bounced back and forth between the French
and English for over a hundred years until the English finally won the day in the mid
1700's. It is from here that the Acadian's were expulsed in 1757. The
The valley is beautiful. The light is magical, the climate is ideal (in the
summer), the scenery exquisite and the area has been attracting all kinds of artist for
years. Many painters, sculpturers, photographers, writers and
craftspeople already live in and around Granville Ferry. Now with the advent of the
Granville Ferry Studio the area also has a professional performing arts presence. Things
to do in the area include general sight seeing, whale watching, camping and cycling.
Annapolis has the usual smattering of businesses: 2 banks (the Royal and the Bank of Nova Scotia) 2 grocery stores, a hardware store, a liquor store, a theatre, 2 bars, a legion, a volunteer fire department, a good leather and book store, a health food store, a farmers market (on Saturday mornings) a large and stunning historic garden, a decent second hand clothing store a lot of antique and craft stores and some remarkably good restaurants. About a mile out of town on the main highway, is the area's largest Restaurant and Lounge, The Holmestead Family Restaurant and The Grizzly Bar & Steakhouse. This family owned and operated establishment can accommodate over 200 customers and is fully licensed with plenty of parking.
Annapolis Royal also has a number of historic sites, homes and museums and a beautiful fort that dates back to the 1600’s.
Below are links for sites in and around Annapolis Royal, as well as the
Annapolis Valley.
These links will assist you in planning your stay when you visit us.To our knowledge,
all the links work. If a link does not work, contact us and we will fix it as soon as
possible.
General Area Links
Town of Annapolis Royal
A link with general information about the Town of Annapolis Royal.
Annapolis County
Contains general information on the County of Annapolis.
The Western Valley Development Authority
Agency devoted to the development of Annapolis and Digby Counties.
Area Attractions
Evangeline
Musical Drama - A tale of love in Acadie.
Upper Clements Park
Information on the largest summer entertainment venue in the Maritimes.
King's Theatre
Offering a broad range of entertainment from live shows to feature films.
Oaklawn Farm Zoo
A unique zoo located in the heart of the Annapolis Valley.
Annapolis Region Community Arts Council
A non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging the arts.
North Hills Museum
Information on North Hills Museum and the family of Nova Scotia Museums.
Below are a few more links that may help you in planning a
vacation to Nova Scotia, providing general information about Nova Scotia and its many
attractions. Again, to our knowledge, all the links work. If a certain link is not
working, please tell us and we will try to fix it as soon as possible. Nova Scotia Provincial Parks Tourism Industry Association of Nova
Scotia
Tom & Pam Holmes |
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