Dear Diary: The Great Atlantic Canadian Museum Drag - A Kid’s Tale
Day 1: Nova Scotia - The Land of Endless Museums
Dear Diary,
So, guess what? The parental units have officially lost it. They’ve dragged us on this “epic” road trip across Atlantic Canada, and—get this—they think visiting a bunch of museums is going to be fun. Seriously? Museums? Like, who even wants to look at old stuff when there’s TikTok to scroll through? But here I am, stuck in the back seat, while Dad waxes poetic about “culture” and “learning experiences.” Ugh.
Our first stop? The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I thought I was going to die of boredom, but then they showed us the Titanic exhibit. Okay, I admit it, that was pretty cool. They’ve got actual artifacts from the ship, and there’s this creepy part where you can hear SOS signals. I might have gotten a little spooked, but let’s keep that between us, alright?
Next, we hit up The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Mom’s all emotional, talking about “heritage” and “where we come from.” I guess it was kinda neat to see how people used to travel and all, but I’m not giving them the satisfaction of admitting it. They even had a scavenger hunt, which, to be honest, was kinda fun. But again—let’s keep that on the down-low.
Then they really pushed it. We went to the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. I mean, rocks and bugs, really? But then we saw these giant dinosaur skeletons, and I could almost hear the Jurassic Park theme in my head. And they’ve got a live bee colony there. It’s pretty wild watching them work—like they’re more organized than our family on vacation.
Last Nova Scotia stop (thank goodness): The Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck. Did you know the dude who invented the telephone lived here? I didn’t. They’ve got all these cool inventions of his, including a hydrofoil boat. I pretended to be bored, but deep down, I was like, “Okay, this guy was actually kind of a genius.”
Day 2: Prince Edward Island - Land of Potatoes and Stories
Dear Diary,
Today we crossed the bridge into Prince Edward Island. It’s all green fields and red dirt, but don’t let that fool you—there’s more than meets the eye here.
First stop: The Anne of Green Gables Museum in Cavendish. Mom was over the moon—she’s always talking about Anne like she’s some kind of literary superhero. I have to say, the house was pretty, and they had these cool horse-and-buggy rides. But come on, it’s just a book, right? At least the gift shop had decent ice cream.
Next, Dad got all weird about us learning where our food comes from, so we ended up at the Potato Museum in O’Leary. Yes, you heard that right—there’s a museum for potatoes. I was ready to zone out, but then they showed us all these weird potato artifacts, like a giant potato sculpture and tools from way back when. Who knew spuds had such a history? The fries at the café weren’t bad either.
We also hit up The Acadian Museum in Miscouche. They’re really into their history here—lots of old photos, stories, and artifacts about the Acadian people. It was like stepping into another world. They even had a traditional Acadian kitchen set up. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but it kind of made me appreciate how people lived back in the day.
Lastly, we visited Basin Head Fisheries Museum. This one was all about the fishing industry on PEI. They’ve got these cool boats and fishing gear on display. Plus, Basin Head Beach is right there, so we sneaked in a quick swim. Don’t tell the parents, but that might’ve been the highlight of the day.
Day 3: New Brunswick - Where History Comes Alive (But Not in a Zombie Way)
Dear Diary,
New day, new province. Today, it’s New Brunswick. I thought I’d finally get some time to play games on my phone, but nope—more museums.
First up: The New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. This place is massive. They’ve got everything from fossils to fine art. I almost fell asleep in the art section, but then we found the whale exhibit. They’ve got this HUGE whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. It’s so big you could probably drive a car through it (not that I tried).
Then we made our way to The Village Historique Acadien in Caraquet. It’s like stepping back in time to the 1800s. They’ve got actors playing out life in an old Acadian village. At first, I thought it’d be lame, but it was kinda cool seeing how they cooked, built houses, and lived without Wi-Fi. They even let us try some traditional Acadian bread. Not bad, I guess.
After that, we hit The Kings Landing Historical Settlement near Fredericton. It’s another one of those living history places. I tried to pretend I wasn’t interested, but watching them forge tools and cook over an open fire was pretty epic. They had horses too, and I got to pet one, which was cool, even though I pretended it wasn’t.
Last stop in New Brunswick was Resurgo Place in Moncton. It’s this modern museum that’s all about transportation and the history of the area. They’ve got interactive exhibits and even some VR stuff. I might have gotten a little too into the virtual train ride. But come on, who wouldn’t?
Day 4: Newfoundland and Labrador - Rugged Adventures and Hidden Gems
Dear Diary,
Today we took a ferry to Newfoundland. I thought we’d finally get a break from all the “educational” stuff, but nope—Mom’s got a list of museums lined up here too.
We started at The Rooms in St. John’s. It’s this huge building that’s part museum, part art gallery, and part archives. The view from up there is insane—you can see the whole city and the ocean beyond. Inside, they had this exhibit about Newfoundland’s role in the wars, and it was way more intense than I expected. They also had some cool modern art, which was kinda trippy.
Next, we checked out The Railway Coastal Museum. It’s all about the old trains and coastal steamships that used to be super important here. They even have a full train car inside the museum. Dad geeked out over it, but I was more into the stories about people traveling across the island in the old days. It made me kinda glad we’ve got cars now.
Then we visited L’Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of the island. It’s a Viking site! I didn’t even know Vikings made it to Canada, but here’s the proof. They’ve got reconstructed sod houses and actors dressed like Vikings. It was like stepping into an episode of a TV show—super cool and a little creepy at the same time.
Our last stop was The Johnson Geo Centre in St. John’s. It’s built into the side of Signal Hill and mostly underground, which is pretty rad. The whole place is about geology, which I thought would be boring, but they’ve got these wicked exhibits about the formation of the earth and even space stuff. They had a room full of glowing rocks—how cool is that?
Day 5: Reflections (But Don’t Tell the Parents)
Dear Diary,
Okay, so here’s the deal. I was totally against this whole museum thing at the start. I mean, who wants to spend their summer looking at old stuff? But, I gotta admit, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Some of the places were actually pretty awesome. The Titanic stuff, the Viking site, the whale skeletons—who knew museums could be this cool?
But there’s no way I’m telling the parents. Let them think they’ve won this round. I’ll just keep playing along, pretending I’m bored out of my mind while secretly enjoying the next stop on this crazy museum tour. Who knows, maybe there’s something even better waiting for me tomorrow.
Signing off for now. I’ve got a feeling there’s more “fun” to be had, and I’ll need my energy to keep up the charade. Until then, dear diary!
