Welcome Dinner and Orientation/Geology and Natural History of Nova Scotia.

Note: During the program there will be an opportunity to view the high and low tides and walk on the bottom of the ocean floor! Schedule is dependent on tides.

Arrive To: Registration and introduction at 4:00 p.m. with opening dinner at 5:00 p.m. Check-in after 3:00 p.m.

Dinner: Dinner at hotel.

Evening: Geology & Natural History. Conducted by the Curator of Geology for the Nova Scotia Museum, a presentation will introduce you to Nova Scotia, basic geology and the natural history of the area. Learn how the geology not only shaped the landscape but its people.

Lodging: Holiday Inn - Harbourview

Meals Included: Dinner

Note: You should wear sturdy footwear and layered clothing for the 1 1/2 hour guided trip at Peggy's Cove.

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Peggy's Cove. Leaving Halifax we travel to Scenic Peggy's Cove wehre you will meet your guide from the Department of Natural Resources. One of the most interesting aspects of the Cove is the local geology. A large number of huge boulders, scattered at random, cover the hills in the immediate vicinity of the village, making this area unique. The boulders are 415 million years old Devonian granite, deposited by the last of the retreating glaciers.

Lunch: Enjoy a delightful lunch at the famous Sou'Wester restaurant at Peggy's Cove.

Afternoon: After lunch we depart for Parrsboro. We wind our way along Nova Scotia’s coastline then head north to Parrsboro. The road runs along the north side of the Minas Basin, crossing the slopes of the Cobequid Mountains to Parrsboro. Here, in addition to the impressive tides which characterize this arm of the Bay of Fundy, agates and amethysts can also be found. Look for folks digging for clams on tidal Mud flats at low tide and travel through coastal communities with breathtaking scenery.

Dinner: Enjoy a Nova Scotia dinner at a local restaurant in the Parrsboro area.

Lodging: The Sunshine Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Fundy Geological Museum/Wasson Bluff Site of Canada's Oldest Dinosaurs/Free Time

Note: Good sturdy foot wear is required. A walk down and up a steep hill, as well as some rough terrain.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Fundy Geological Museum. The morning begins at the Fundy Geological Museum in a session conducted by the Curator/Director Ken Adams. See some of the oldest dinosaur bones in Canada, examine the origins of the planet and learn more about rockhounding and minerals. Triassic and Jurassic fossils excavated from the Minas Basin are on display. Meet some of the ancient creatures that lived here millions of years ago: the world's first reptiles, early dinosaurs, giant dragonflies, an ancestor of frogs and a sow-bug-like creature as long as a baseball bat.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Wasson Bluff. Head out into the field to Wasson Bluff to hear about the discovery of dinosaur bones in the tide washed cliffs. Marvel at the Jurassic-age red beds, basalt lava flows, river channels and wind-blown sands. The rocks tell a story of ancient seas and coal swamps, the collision of continents and formation of Pangea, and the development of a rift valley which contains the foot prints and bones of animals from the Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Bones from some of Canada's oldest dinosaurs have been discovered here at Wasson Bluff.

Lunch: Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon: Enjoy a free afternoon and dinner on your own. Arrangements can be made to attend a live theatre performance at the Ship’s Co. Theatre where you will find a unique performance venue and a theatrical experience like no other. The stage is a ship: the MV Kipawo, last of the Minas Basin ferries. A highly acclaimed and innovative professional company, the productions are Canadian plays with an emphasis on new works from Atlantic Canadian playwrights.

Dinner: Dinner on your own to try one of Parrsboro's fine dining restaurants.

Lodging: The Sunshine Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Ottawa House by the Sea Museum/Fundy Tides/Fundy Ocean Research Centre/Beach Walk

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP:Ottawa House by the Sea. Explore the local history on a field trip to Ottawa House by the Sea Museum, a heritage building that is over 200 years old. The museum’s exhibits interpret the original native occupation, the Acadian contribution, the seafaring, lumbering and shipbuilding of the region, as well as the lives of the succession of owners of the house, including Sir Charles Tupper, once Premier of Nova Scotia and Prime Minister of Canada. In fact, it was Sir Charles who named his summer residence the Ottawa House By The Sea while negotiating the articles of Canadian Confederation. The images, artifacts and documents reflect the social and economic history of this region.

Lunch: Lunch at Ottawa House.

Afternoon: EXCURSION: Rock and Mineral Shop Museum. Time permitting we will stop at The Rock and Mineral Shop Museum, a gallery of rare fossils from prehistoric dinosaurs, reptiles, and amphibians. The owner, Eldon George, is a renowned fossil collector. Eldon has discovered the world's smallest dinosaur footprints that date back 220 million years ago, a rare horseshoe crab from 300 million years ago and a track from a large crocodile type animal. INERAL SHOP:

Afternoon: PRESENTATION: Fundy Tides. Experts at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) will discuss the Bay of Fundy’s phenomenal tidal energy. FORCE is Canada’s leading research centre for in-stream tidal energy. Nova Scotia continues to be a world leader in tidal energy -from shipbuilding to marine sciences to tidal energy, and is becoming known the world over as a centre of marine excellence. FORCE has also received approximately 7 miles of subsea cables which, when connected, will give the centre the largest transmission capacity for tidal power in the world -- a total capacity of 64 megawatts or roughly equivalent to the power needs of 20,000 homes at peak tidal flows. The momentum around tidal energy continues to build; harnessing the immense tidal power potential in the Bay of Fundy. Each day, 100 billion tonnes of seawater flows in and out of the Bay of Fundy - more than the combined flow of the world's freshwater rivers.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: The Sunshine Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Age of Sail Heritage Centre/Cape D'or and Horseshoe Cove/Joggins Fossil Cliffs

Note: Sturdy footwear.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Age of Sail Heritage Centre. Today we visit the Age of Sail Heritage Centre. Overlooking the tidal Grenville River, the centre pays tribute to the heritage of the communities along the Minas Channel. The area boasts a rich history from the time of the dinosaurs to the Mi’kmaq and Acadians, to Loyalists and shipbuilders. Parrsboro is a serenely picturesque place that was once a flourishing port during the Golden Age of Sail. The rich heritage of the Minas Basin’s timber and shipbuilding industries are depicted in its archives and professionally designed exhibits. The site features a restored Methodist Church, built in 1857, a working blacksmith shop and a lighthouse. EXCURSION: The Mary Celeste. At Spencer’s Island, we stop to view the Mary Celeste monument. One of the greatest legends of the sea is the mystery of this Canadian built brigantine, which according to common knowledge was discovered at sea totally deserted. The master and crew had suddenly vanished into thin air.

Lunch: Lunch in the field.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Joggins Fossil Cliffs. Join trained staff in a presentation at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs on the Bay of Fundy, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. Walk through Coal Age fossil forests, discover ancient river channels and trace fossils made by meter long insects. The cliffs are home to some of the world’s oldest reptile fossils, which were found in the upright trunks exposed by the tides of the Bay of Fundy. The Interpretation Centre features the world’s largest collection of 300-million-year-old fossils as well as exhibits of trilobites, brachiopods, bivalves, gastropods and fish fossils from around the world.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Cape D’or and Horseshoe Cove. Depart for Cape D’or and Horseshoe Cove where we will look for zeolites and stop for a boxed lunch in the field. There are about 35 different types of zeolites that can be collected around the Bay of Fundy. French explorer Samuel de Champlain named Cape D’Or (Cape of Gold) when he sailed by in 1607 and noticed glimmers of gold in the basalt cliffs. Turns out the metal in the cliffs were copper rather than gold, but the name stuck.

Dinner: Lobster dinner and farewell evening and activities.

Lodging: The Sunshine Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: COACH TRANSFER TO HALIFAX: After breakfast board bus at 8 am departure to the Halifax International Airport. Coach return to Holiday Inn, Halifax with drop off at the airport on the way. Approximate arrival around 12:00 Noon. Participants should make flight arrangements for mid afternoon in case of delays on the coach back from Parrsboro.

Afternoon: Independent departures from Halifax/Halifax airport.

Meals Included: Breakfast