BRIGHTLY COLORED HISTORIC homes dot the south shore of Nova Scotia on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean like a nautical postcard from the past. Each wave of newcomers has influenced the food, culture, and architecture, making downtown Lunenburg, now dotted with galleries and shops, a National Historic and UNESCO World Heritage site. In this port community of fishermen and shipbuilders, the waters guided their livelihood then and now.
Through the nineteenth and well into the twentieth centuries, Lunenburg became famous for the quality of its schooners, which fishermen sailed to the fish-rich Grand Banks off Newfoundland and the Western Bank off Sable Island.
Lunenburg's European influences show up in locally made Solomon Gundy fish paté and sauerkraut. Local vendors sell produce, fish, and hand-knit hats and sweaters at the year-round farmer's market, open Thursdays. Check in at NorseBoat, which crafts traditional sailboats and rowboats.
