I'm Dean Petty.

I live here in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia.

I'm a surfer.

I run a few small businesses,

and I'm also a hack builder.

And I'm obsessed with Nova Scotia.

I love our crisp, salty air, our rugged coastline,

our friendly people, and our ever-shifting weather.

You never know what you're going to get.

I'm always on the move and every day is different here.

But I've got my routines.

Coffee. Pizza. Surf.

Build. Coffee.

Pizza. Surf.

Build. Coffee.

Pizza. Surf. Build.

Coffee. Pizza. Surf. Build.

That is, unless I'm on a road trip!

Here's the perfect road trip around my favorite place

on Earth.

Your journey will probably start in the Halifax-Dartmouth area.

This is our urban center.

There's lots of good food, nice places to see, and great people to meet.

If you're into skateboarding

or you want to just get yourself an iconic tee, come to Pro Skate.

It's one of the oldest skate shops in North America.

Shops like this are the fabric of our community.

They're what make Halifax so special.

And head out back and let my man Joel cut your hair.

Sorry dude.

This is the roastery.

This is where I work and spend a lot of my time.

We're known for delicious single-origin coffees roasted to perfection.

Try it for yourself next door at Two If By Sea Cafe.

The pastries are baked fresh every morning.

And they're over-the-top, buttery and delicious.

And if you're feeling saucy, head upstairs to Yeah Yeah's pizza.

We have shops on both the Halifax and Dartmouth side of the bridge.

Come in, grab a slice, then draw on your plate.

Stick it on the wall.

You'll be part of Halifax Pizza History.

And if it's seafood you're after,

head straight to John's lunch across the bridge.

I got the haddock tips.

Extra love.

Extra love, I'll put the love right on there.

What's your name? Dean.

Thank you. This place is an establishment.

No bells and whistles.

Just delicious, salty, fried morsels from the sea.

One of my favorite things

about Halifax is that you're never too far from a body of water.

If the waves are flat, I like to get out on my paddleboard at Rainbow Haven Beach.

It's a great way to cool off, get some exercise

and be in nature.

And if being on the water

is not your thing, grab a bike and hit the Salt Marsh Trail.

It's an easy trail to ride, surrounded by beautiful nature.

And there's a few mosquitoes, too.

So make sure to bring some bug spray!

As the sun goes down, I recommend going for a bite in the city.

The Narrows Public House is perfectly Nova Scotia.

The room is incredible.

My friends put their blood, sweat and tears into it, and you can really feel it.

The vibe is great and the food is even better.

We're talking fish and chips, fried pepperoni, deviled eggs, hot hamburger

and fried onions sandwich, boiled dinner, dutch mess, potato scallop, fried fish!

It's just classic Nova Scotian comfort food.

If you head out in the evening, take a walk.

You never know what you're going to find.

Like this punk show at a skate park.

That's my man Connor.

Rippin' it up.

Fireworks too?

Are you kidding me?

When you're looking for a change of scenery,

head inland to the valley.

The valley looks totally different than our rugged coastline.

It just has

kind of a totally different microclimate than the coastal part of Nova Scotia.

It can be foggy and rainy and windy on the coast, and you drive

40 minutes inland to the valley and you just kind of find this

this whole other world of delicious, fun things to do.

There's all these farm stands, should we be hitting this?

This one looks pretty good.

Look at this hog!

Jesus, that thing's huge.

This thing's a beast.

There's lots of really cool old things and lots of really cool old places here

in Nova Scotia.

You might find something you've been looking for

or something that you didn't even know you needed.

Country Barn Antiques is five floors of knickknacks and I-don't-know-whats.

Yeah, there's just like so much history in some of these little pieces.

I love walking around and touching some of this stuff.

I don't have a clue what half of it is.

Maybe you're even looking for one of these.

Or something like this.

And you definitely can't leave Nova Scotia without one of these.

I'm not sure it's going to fit in your carry-on.

If you're down to get dirty,

the valley has

some of the highest tides in the world, leaving a lot of mud to slide on.

Mudsliding's great for kids and huge kids like me.

It's so good.

Oh my God, it's exhausting.

There's just nothing like it.

Those huge tides in the Bay of Fundy are what make the Valley's microclimate

so special.

Here at Lightfoot & Wolfville, there's 38 acres of beautiful vineyard.

This place really is incredible.

But don't take it from me. Rach owns the joint.

The reason that Nova Scotia's growing environment is so

unique for wine growing is really the Bay of Fundy.

So the world's highest tides help us to extend the hang times of our fruit.

And we're just really proud to be farming here

for four generations on this piece of land.

The valley may not be what you think of when you think of Nova Scotia,

but that's why I love it.

So drastically different from our rugged coastline, it's definitely worth a trip.

When you've had enough, head further south

and check out something a little more classically Nova Scotia.

Peggy's Cove checks all the boxes.

Quaint little fishing town, sweeping views and a lighthouse.

Because everyone loves a lighthouse.

But really, this is just a quick stop on your way to Lunenburg.

Lunenburg is what you see on the postcards.

It's a quintessential maritime town.

And it just so happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage site.

So, you KNOW it's rich in history.

When you're in Lunenburg,

a great way to spend your afternoon is by doing some whale watching.

Isn't that right, Walter?

Welcome aboard!

We can see we see fin whales, humpbacks, minkes...the occasional blue whale.

No telling, you know, every trip is different.

Whether you see a whale or not, it's no big deal.

Check out these seals being super cute.

Walter is an absolute legend.

You're never going to regret a day on his boat.

After all, the best views of Lunenburg are from the water.

Every coastal town has its watering hole.

In Lunenburg, it's The Knot.

The perfect place to have a pint, get cozy and rub shoulders with the locals.

There's no shortage of cute places to stay in Lunenburg.

The Ivy House is top of the list.

How sick is this?

Check out this kitchen.

The beds are comfy, too.

See you tomorrow.

Further down the road south, there's tons of little places

to pull off and chill out.

I always keep a rod in my car

because you never know when you're gonna see some fish.

There's so many spots to fish here.

And through the summer, I live off mackerel.

Caught one.

Since we're not catching any fish,

cue motorcycle montage.

Lunenburg may be the postcard, but this is what you'll write about.

Because getting out in nature is what Nova Scotia is all about.

There's so many beautiful nooks and crannies on our coastline.

There's not a lot of places in the world where you can be an hour and a half

from the city, turn off a small little road

and find a beautiful beach to yourself.

There's so much stillness, space and beauty.

Time to be alone.

Time to be in nature.

Time to be with your thoughts.

There's so much to love about Nova Scotia.

This place is magic and you'll feel it when you're here.

Thanks for watching Lonely Planet.

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