Cape Breton: World's BEST Scenic Drive!

Wow! Did you see those views? We've just returned from an amazing adventure in Newfoundland and let me tell you it exceeded all of our expectations. We spent three glorious weeks exploring this stunning destination, but trust me when I say we barely scratched the surface. There's just so much more to see and do in Newfoundland and we're already planning our next trip back. But for now it's time to say farewell to this beautiful rugged coast and hop back on the ferry to Cape Breton. We're kicking off today's journey with our awesome friends Michael and Amanda. Not only are they the ultimate boondocking hosts, but they're also part of our Keep watching to see the best of Cape Breton. Hello bonjour. Hello. Where are you traveling from? Texas. Texas? Yeah. Never heard of that. Wouldn't be an English colony would it? No. No? Well that's good. You seem trustworthy for now. Yeah. Yeah. Keep an eye on this guy. Do you smell that? Gunpowder. Fresh gunpowder. Nice. I helped to run this tavern and inn. Yes indeed. I'm a small town merchant. My name is Jodikus Kola and my mother-in-law runs this place. I helped her along with my wife, her eldest daughter, to run one of the most lucrative taverns in town. It has an excellent location. We have two buildings now. The one next door and this one here. That one's more of the dining room and this one can be used as the tavern. There are two private rooms in the back and then of course there is the common room upstairs. A whole bunch of mattresses on the floor. Maybe 20, 25. Very good for a sailor who's just looking for solid ground to sleep on. Doesn't want to sleep on his ship anymore. He's unsure. He's got some extra money to spend. He's going to spend it on rum, simple one-pot meal, and of course play games, listen to music. I'm a servant in the engineers Welcome to the Fortress of Louisbourg. Originally built in 1713 as one of many fortresses intended to protect New France from the British Empire, this national historic site will transport you back in time. And it's one of Canada's most popular tourist attractions. We can definitely see why. Oh by the way, the people firing the cannon and the muskets were all tourists. So be sure to ask how you can join in on your next visit. Welcome to one of the most scenic drives in the world. It's the Cabot Trail. It is 185 miles of jaw-dropping beauty. Say that fast. Yeah it's so stunning she can't even say it. But we've just started part of the trail where we're driving next to the water. And I got to tell you, I'm actually going probably 10 to 15 below the speed limit because it is that jaw-dropping. So you guys are going to want to add this place to your list. And we're going to show you a couple of little spots along the way. Of course we can't show you the whole drive because you don't want to watch for four hours. But we're going to show you some of the scenic places and give you some tips on places to stop in the blog that will be attached to this video. And it is going to take us three four hours to drive the complete loop. But we've got a full tank of gas and we're committed. The best way to keep Bill entertained anytime we have a long drive is to feed him. If I feed and water him things always go better. I'm like a puppy. You gotta let me out to go to the bathroom. Feed me a little snack. He's definitely a puppy. He doesn't listen. He does his own thing. I don't know. Very playful and cute. So we've heard or I read that this place the Dancing Goat is the perfect place to stop in for a snack. So I think we'll get some snacks and head on down the trail. So we grabbed our coffee. Phil got chocolate chip cookies and we're headed back to the car. And I gotta tell you it was packed in there. Loaded with locals and they said this is the place to come for your your bread your cookies. But you got to come early because they will sell out. Yeah it was slim pickings when we got in line. There was I think one loaf of bread left and that went immediately after we walked in. And it's not even noon yet. So if you're in this area make sure you pop in early. But they also have stuff. They have lunch and they have breakfast. So if you need a real meal they have that made fresh as well too. We're currently trying to outrun the rain. As you can see it's right behind us. The sun is still in front of us. So let's see how much we can get in before the rain catches up with us. Yeah it's slowly creeping up on us. Show them what's in front of us. You can see the line. Yeah well you can see the water line right here coming across. Learn from us and don't try to do Cabot Trail all in one day. You can make the whole scenic drive in a four-hour period if you don't stop at all. But I do not advise it. There's so much here I want to see and do. There's trails. There's restaurants. There's little towns. I would love to just take my time and walk through. But in one day it's just too much to see. So I recommend taking three even as much as a week to hang out here. Hit all the trails. See all the views. Meet as many people and talk to as many locals as possible. This is such a beautiful place to be. And you don't have to have an RV to come here. If you want to fly in rent a car and just slowly make your way around staying at the yurts or the domes or the airbnbs you will have a wonderful time. One of the best things about the Cabot Trail other than the view is the smell. Oh my gosh you can smell the fresh air. It just I don't know I can't even explain it. The air feels so crisp and just smells so good. Just imagine clean linen but better. I expected lobster to be in that lobster trap whenever I came back. We all want what we can't have. Come on now. Look we did look it does belong to somebody but there's no lobster in it. We did think about throwing it in there but we didn't have a way to get it out. Yeah well that's not going to help. Therein lies the problem. You need bait too. Yeah well and I don't know how deep this is. Jump in. Yeah no. You look over here you look up you can see the smoky ski hill and you can see the gondola in the summer or when it's a ski area. I don't ski. Oh there goes a gondola now going up the hill. Yeah a couple of them. Yeah so yeah that would be fun to do. I'm good at sitting by a fireplace though and drinking hot chocolate. Mulled wine. You know something warm and it warms the soul. I can do that very well. Exactly. You do warm. I can watch other people ski. I'm good at that. That's about it. Yeah I don't ski either. It's cold and wet. I'd love to go hang out. You'd make a great ski bunny. You really would. I would. Yeah you would. Nice white coat with you know the the fur line hat. I would sit. You don't necessarily have to ski to be a ski bunny. No I can watch. That's all I need to do. I'll just I'll just get the outfit. You'd make a great bunny but I don't know about a ski bunny. Really? You got to go there Phil. Excuse me. Does my hair look all right for the photo? We absolutely loved our drive along the Cabot Trail. Every view was stunning. Every time we turned a corner the view just got better and better. So please allow yourself enough time to see everything you want to see on the Cabot Trail. Give it three, four, seven days to explore. Not one. You do not want to come here with only one day to rush through the Cabot Trail. Does that mean they have more options to stop for coffee and chocolate chip cookies? Probably. Snacks, restaurants, all kind of stuff. So make sure you check out the blog which is going to highlight a few things that you must see while you hit the Cabot Trail. And while you're at it on the blog we are issuing a Balloon Fiesta update. So if you are headed to the Balloon Fiesta check out that blog. We're going to give you some tips, help you out before you get there. That's pretty good. I can't wait to get back to the Balloon Fiesta. Oh it is amazing. Hopefully next year. For sure. Yeah next year for sure. All right guys thanks for watching. We are going to continue to explore Nova Scotia so make sure you come back next week. Yeah you don't want to miss what we get ourselves into next.