The Acadian Shores Interpretive Tour is a self-guided itinerary of 38 heritage sites that personify the Acadian spirit in Southwestern Nova Scotia, of which 18 are in Clare.
Pick up a map at a Visitor Information Centre and take your time to explore museums, churches, wharves and other hidden gems.
Appreciate the unique, earthy sounds of Acadian French, whose roots dateback to 17th century France, with expressions borrowed from the Mi'kmaq and English.
Bilingual way finding signs will help guide your way to the sites and interpretive panels. The individual sites are shown below.
Click to download a PDF of the map-brochure.
The tour will be modernized for 2024 by updating interpretive panels at 29 existing sites and adding new panels at 9 other locations.
Available in late fall 2024: Discover more about each site by scanning the QR code on each panel to watch the new vignettes, a captivating series of 2-to-5-minute videos narrated by locals sharing the unique story of each site.
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Radio CIFA
Radio CIFA is a non-profit community radio that first came on the air in 1990. As the only French radio station in Southwest Nova Scotia, Radio CIFA celebrates the Acadian and French culture.
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Rendez-vous de la Baie Visitor Centre
Rendez-vous de la Baie is a cultural centre and a tourism destination that introduces visitors to the rich culture and heritage of the Acadians of Clare.
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Meteghan Wharf
Clare’s largest fishing wharf is bustling with scallop draggers, trawlers, herring seiners, ground fish and lobster boats.
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Church Point Lighthouse
Visit this replica lighthouse on the campus of Université Sainte-Anne. Interpretive panels and displays illustrate the story of the lighthouse, the tides and marine ecology.
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Sacred Heart Church
Saulnierville’s Sacré-Coeur Church, built in 1880, is Clare’s oldest church. The church hosts an annual quilt exhibition.
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Saint-Alphonse Church
Admire the striking artwork at St. Alphonse Church.
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Saint-Bernard Church
Admire the architecture at a majestic stone church!
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Sainte-Marie Church
Marvel at the largest wooden church in North America! Currently closed.
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Cape Saint Mary Lighthouse Park
Clare’s newest park offers visitors panoramic views of dramatic cliffs and breathtaking sunsets over Saint Mary’s Bay and the Gulf of Maine.
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Belliveau Cove Municipal Park
Situated in the village of Belliveau Cove, the park is officially known as Parc Joseph-et-Marie-Dugas. The park features a 5-km (3-mi) coastal walking trail, and a lighthouse.
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Rails to Trails
The 42.4-km multi-use Sentier de Clare Trail winds through woods & crosses rivers from Weymouth to the Yarmouth County Line.
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Acadian Cemetery and Chapel
This historic attraction features the site of Clare’s first Acadian cemetery and first mass. In addition to a fenced cemetery area, the site features a commemorative cairn and a small wooden chapel (1892).
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Bangor Sawmill
The Bangor Sawmill was a restored 19th-century water-powered turbine lumber sawmill and interpretive centre on the Meteghan River. On June 8, 2024, a fire destroyed the mill. Follow the mill's Facebook group for the latest updates.
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