Exploring the Area Around the Louisbourg Lighthouse

While the little town of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island is mostly known for being home to the Fortress of Louisbourg, which is a top attractions on the island, it's also home to another popular attraction.  If you travel to Louisbourg to visit the fortress, I highly recommend you make some time to also visit The Louisbourg Lighthouse.  

The Lighthouse itself is active to this day and is the third lighthouse to be located in this location.  The current structure was built on the site that was once home to the oldest lighthouse in Canada which was built in the 1730s.  Ruins from the original and subsequent lighthouses are still visible today.  

Also on site are a picnic area, scenic look-offs and a 2-kilometre hiking trail with ocean views, opportunities to view local wildlife and interpretive panels. 

Events at the Fortress of Louisbourg

While the Fortress of Louisbourg is open every day during tourist season for tours, there are many other events that happen each year at the fortress including guided tours by candlelight, dinner theatres and concerts.  These events tend to book up fast so if you're planning to travel to Cape Breton in the future, make sure to check for events happening at the fortress and book your spot as early as possible!

The first event I went to outside of regular fortress hours was a candlelight walking tour of the grounds.  The fortress is much different under the cover of darkness and this tour was fantastic.  If I remember correctly, there was music and 18th century snacks. 

The Fortress of Louisbourg - A Must see on Cape Breton Island

The Fortress of Louisbourg is quite a distance away from the Cabot Trail but it's just as much an absolute must-see for anyone visiting Cape Breton Island.  I've gone to the fortress at least once every year since I was born.  I have a family connection to the Fortress since my mother worked there for quite a few years and I have French ancestry.  Although Covid-19 prevented me from getting out to the fortress so far (summer is not over yet!), I miss it and not getting there will leave a huge void in my summer plans.

The grounds features a reconstructed 18th-century French fortress and the site saw two major battles in the 1700s. Although only a small fraction of the original fortress was reconstructed, the site today is quite impressive.  Staff in period costumes, a restaurant serving 18th-century meals and building interiors fashioned in the way they would have been almost 300 years ago.  

Throughout the year, special events are held at the fortress and occasionally, world-renowned reenactments and grand encampments are held where costumed volunteers participate in mock battles that simulate the original ones. 

A reenactment at the Fortress of Louisbourg

Participants in period costumes getting ready to go to mock battle

Summer so far....

About a month ago to the day, I was wondering if we would even get a summer here on the East Coast of Canada.  Into the first week of July, it was still cold, foggy, rainy and even snowy in higher elevations.  Now?  Well, let's just say things changed completely around and we have been in the midst of a major heat wave.  In fact, I just heard today, that we basically shattered all weather-related records for highest temperature and longest stretch of extreme temperatures.  The temperature today was 30 degrees Celsius and 39 with the humidity - that is almost unheard of in this part of the world and it's been like this for weeks now!  I'm quite sensitive to the sun (not so much the heat and humidity as long as I'm out of the sun) so I've been staying indoors a lot more than I usually would.  My walking/biking workouts take place much earlier in the morning before the heat peaks and when I am not hunkered down in my cool-ish apartment, I am at Dominion Beach swimming and sipping on a cold beer in the shade.

All in all, summer has been going great for me.  While everyone else complains about the heat, I make the most of it.  I recently acquired a new toy - a canon DSLR camera with interchangeable lenses and all that fun stuff so I've been busy trying to master it.  I did a lot of the usual summer things too.  I ventured out to Rendell's Farm in Bras d'Or and picked some strawberries so I could skimp on groceries, save some money and eat nothing but strawberry shortcakes for two weeks.  I also spent a week in Newfoundland and the Canada Day long weekend in Margaree with fireworks, beaches and hiking.  Of course, Canada Day itself was spent at the Fortress of Louisbourg as it has been for the last 6 or 7 years.  I've been on a few hikes in the Framboise area too. Last weekend, I spent the day roaming the Cheticamp/Margaree/Inverness area beach-hopping, swimming and getting to know my camera better. Ive also been following a family of endangered piping plovers at the beach near my house.  They are flying now but I first spotted them only hours after they hatched. 

As for the final leg of summer?  Hoping to get some kayaking and camping in before the cold weather returns.  Hiking can wait until the fall and swimming will take its place until than.  I hope you all are enjoying summer (or winter depending on where in the world you are I suppose!) and please stay tuned for more posts about my adventures around Cape Breton and hopefully Alberta if I get to go there as planned later in the fall.