Truro (Nova Scotia)

The area around Truro was called "Wagobagitik" by the local Mi’kmaq inhabitants. The name has been interpreted as meaning "end of the water's flow" or “the bay runs far up”, in reference to the world’s highest tides rising up from the Bay of Fundy. Acadian settlers arrived in the early 1700s, and called it "Cobequid". After the Acadians were expelled in the mid-18th century, Scots-Irish settlers named the town after Truro in Cornwall, England.
Truro boomed after the construction of the Nova Scotia Railway between Halifax and Pictou in 1858, and of the Intercolonial Railway in 1872 and its connection to the Annapolis Valley’s Dominion Atlantic Railway at the turn of the 20th century. The Truro Woolen Mills, a major employer, became Stanfield’s underwear.

By car: Truro is

• east of Moncton, New Brunswick along the Trans-Canada Highway (#2 in NB, #104 in NS)
• south of Sydney, Nova Scotia along the Trans-Canada Highway (#104)
• north of Halifax along the Veterans' Memorial Highway (#102).

By train: Via Rail's The Ocean service stops in Truro en route from Montreal through Moncton to Halifax three times a week.
By bus: Maritime Bus offers service from Truro north to Sydney, east to Halifax, west to Charlottetown, Moncton and on to Quebec City and Montreal.
By air: the nearest airports are in Halifax (Nova Scotia), and Moncton (New Brunswick).

Subways, light rail, bus rapid transit... Truro has none of those. Make your way on foot, by car or by bike.

• DowntownTruro’s historic downtown offers shops and dining along Inglis Place.

• Colchester Historeum

  phone: +1 902-895-6284
  address: 29 Young St
  A museum, housing a variety of local artifacts and stories.

• Marigold Cultural Centre

  phone: +1 902-897-4004
  address: 605 Prince St
  Experience local music and theatre. Also an art gallery and local sports heritage museum.

• Millbrook Cultural and Heritage Centre

  phone: +1 902-843-3493
  address: 65 Treaty Trail, Millbrook
  explore Nova Scotia’s Mi’kmaw First Nation heritage and culture, and the legends of Glooscap. A 12-m (40-foot) statue of Glooscap, the creator, welcomes you to the centre.

• Truro Raceway

  phone: +1 902-893-9222
  address: 73 Ryland Ave
  Nova Scotia’s largest harness racing facility, with a regular live racing schedule.

• Victoria Park

  phone: +1 902-893-6078
  address: 29 Park Rd
  400 ha (1000 acres) of forest, two waterfalls, hiking and biking trails, a playground, spray park, large outdoor pool and waterslide. Climb the 175 steps of Jacob's Ladder, a wooden staircase that takes you up the side of the gorge to a view of a waterfall.

• Berlin WallSix large sections of the Berlin Wall have been installed along the Cobequid Trail, on the Agricultural Campus of Dalhousie University.

• The Truro Winter Long John Festival in early February is the focus of the town's winter events (curling, snowshoeing, sledge hockey, skating, pickleball).

• Truro Golf Club

  phone: +1 902-893-4650
  address: 86 Golf St
  A semi-private golf course, open to the public.

Truro has the usual big-box chains.

• Truro Farmers Market

  phone: +1 902-843-4004
  address: 15 Young St
  local foods and handmade goods every Saturday morning

• Masstown Market

  phone: +1 902-662-2816
  address: 10622 Nova Scotia Trunk 2, Masstown
  A quarter-hour drive west of Truro, with an onsite bakery, deli, dairy bar, fish market, farm market, fish and chip boat, and restaurant that serves up local homemade meals. A lighthouse showcases the best of the Bay of Fundy and provides a great view from the top. In the summer, there is a corn maze and fun farm.

• Stanfield’s Factory Outlet

  address: 115 Esplanade St
  Some of the best underwear made in Canada, for men and women.

• Bistro 22

  phone: +1 902-843-4123
  address: 16 Inglis Place

• Frank & Gino's Grill & Pasta House

  phone: +1 902-895-2165
  address: 286 Robie St

• Nova Scotian Emporium & Fireside Tea Room

  phone: +1 902-893-8285
  address: 880 Prince St

• Roadside Willies Smokehouse & Bar

  phone: +1 902-843-3486
  address: 27 Jennifer Dr

• Belgravia B&B

  phone: +1 902-893-7100
  address: 5 Broad St
  A bed and breakfast with three rooms in a majestic house, built around 1903. Free on-site parking.

• Best Western Truro - Glengarry

  phone: +1 902-893-4311
  address: 150 Willow St

• Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Centre

  address: 437 Prince St
  4-star accommodation

• Irwin Lake Chalets

  phone: +1 902-895-2663
  address: 680 Loch Haven Ln, Old Barns

• Willow Bend Motel

  phone: +1 902-895-5325
  address: 277 Willow St
  A "boutique motel" located in the Glooscap Trail.

Stewiacke

Stewiacke is 30 km south of Truro on Highway 102. Its claim to fame is being on the 45th parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.

• Mastodon Ridge

  phone: +1 902-639-2345
  address: 87 Main St W
  A replica of a mastodon signifies the discovery of the remains of a juvenile mastodon in a nearby quarry. There's also mini golf, a snack stand, and the Winding River Art Gallery.

• Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park

  address: 149 Creighton Rd, Shubenacadie
  Shubenacadie (pronounced "Shoo-ben-ack-a-dee") Wildlife Park is home to 26 species of mammals, 65 species of birds, a wetland centre, scenic trails and a 10-ha picnic park.

West to the Bay of Fundy, northwest to New Brunswick, east to Antigonish and Cape Breton, or south to Halifax.