Metropolitan Cape Breton has a warm welcome waiting for
you. Fine hotels, restaurants, museums and attractions make
it one of the island's favourite stopping places.
Glace Bay, at the junction of Routes 4, 28 and
255, is a former coal-mining town. "Glace" is French for
"ice," and the town was so named because of drift ice in the
harbour. Glace Bay has several shopping areas, a wharf with
a small fishing fleet, Renwick Brook Park, two hospitals,
police and a performing arts centre. At the Miner's Museum
at Quarry Point, a major tourist attraction in Cape Breton,
tour Ocean Deeps Colliery and learn about the history of
Cape Breton coal mining.
At Table Head, the Marconi National Historic Site features a
small museum which documents Marconi's telegraphic
achievements in Cape Breton.
Savoy Theatre on Union Street, built in 1927, is both a
community landmark and an active performing centre with a
variety of entertainment staged throughout the year.
The city of Sydney and the towns of Reserve Mines, Glace
Bay, Dominion, New Waterford, North Sydney, Sydney Mines and
Louisbourg are included in this area.
Three-quarters of the island's population lives here.
Manufacturing, fishing, fish processing and coal mining are
primary industries. Sydney, North Sydney and Sydport, an
industrial and marine park, offer excellent port facilities.
The Marine Atlantic ferries, transporting passengers and
vehicles to Newfoundland, depart from North Sydney.
Sydney, situated on a large, protected harbour
is Nova Scotia's third-largest community. Sydney's many
visitor services include accommodations, banks, university,
restaurants, shopping areas, police, hospitals, parks,
museums, recreational facilities, harbour cruises, an
airport and a bus terminal. The city is also a major cruise
ship destination.
Founded in 1785 by Col. J.F.W. DesBarres, Sydney was first
settled by Loyalists from New York State, who were followed
20 years later by immigrants from the Scottish Highlands.
Sydney boomed at the turn of the century with the
construction of the Dominion Steel and Coal Company steel
plant at Whitney Pier, then the largest self-contained steel
plant in North America and still the city's major industry.
Tourist attractions in Sydney include Wentworth Park, a
narrow band of green area near the city centre, with duck
ponds, walking paths and picnic areas; Cossit House on
Charlotte Street, built in 1787, the oldest house in Sydney
and now a provincial museum; St. Patrick's Church, an
historical museum located on the Esplanade near the
government wharf; the Jost House on Charlotte Street, a
200-year-old wooden dwelling; and the Cape Breton Centre for
Heritage and Science.
Sydney celebrates its heritage every summer with a colourful
festival of music, sports and special events during Action
Week, the first week in August. Sydney is also home to
Summertime Productions, which performs variety revues
throughout the province, and to the Cape Breton Chorale, a
community choir whose repertoire spans both religious and
secular music, including traditional Nova Scotia folk songs.
Centre 200 is a sports and culture complex which hosts
events throughout the year.
A number of highways radiate from Sydney, leading through
area towns to scenic travel ways and major tourist
attractions. These include Route 4 to Glace Bay, 19 km away; Route 22 to Louisbourg and
the Fleur-de-lis
Trail; and Route 28, an alternative route to Glace Bay
via New Waterford, 22 km away, and Dominion.
Route 4 leaves Sydney via Prince Street and the Sydney-Glace
Bay Highway. On the eastern outskirts of Sydney is the
University College of Cape Breton campus. Across the road
from the university is the Lingan Golf and Country Club, an
18-hole course which welcomes visiting players.
Reserve Mines, a former mining district, is the
location of Sydney Airport. This airport has daily flights
to major Canadian and American cities and to the French
islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. Route 4 terminates in
Glace Bay.
Route 22 leaves Sydney via George Street to the Fortress of
Louisbourg, 37 km away on the
Fleur-de-lis and
Marconi Trails.
Route 28 leads from Sydney to Glace Bay via New Waterford
and Dominion. Take Victoria Road, left, off Prince Street,
Route 4.
New Waterford is situated at the edge of the
Atlantic Ocean, near the entrance to Sydney Harbour.
Services include restaurants, banks, a hospital, service
stations and a shopping district. The wharf is busy with the
activities of a local fishing fleet.
New Waterford is the largest coal-producing town in eastern
Canada. The Lingan mine is located on the outskirts of town.
In 1925 the town was the site of a bitter strike that
included armed battles between townspeople and British
Empire Steel Company police. During a march on the Waterford
Lake Power Plant on June 11, miner William Davis was shot
and killed. A monument on Baker Street tells the story of
this tragic event, and June 11 is now celebrated as Miners'
Memorial Day throughout the coalfields of Cape Breton.
River Ryan, located on the outskirts of town, features a
public beach as well as great fishing, a campground, and
restaurant facilities equipped with picnic tables.
The Colliery Lands Park in New Waterford is located on the
site of the former No. 12 and No. 16 coal mines. Here a mine
fatality memorial commemorates the 298 miners killed over
the years in the local collieries. The park features an
exposed coal seam, a representative mine slope, a coal
hopper-car display, picnic tables and a bandshell. New
Waterford Coal Dust Days are held annually in July.
Dominion is a former coal-mining town. Dominion
Seaside Days are held annually in August. Dominion Beach
Park is a major recreation area, with picnic tables and
supervised swimming. From Dominion, Route 28 proceeds into
Glace Bay.
Route 4 west leads from Sydney to Sydney River
at the junction with Routes 305 and 125. A suburb of the
city of Sydney and a major shopping district, Sydney River
is the location of the a visitor information centre, painted
in the colours and design of the Cape Breton tartan. Route 4
continues along the south shore of the Bras d'Or Lake to St.
Peter's.
From Sydney River, Route 305 turns towards North Sydney off
Route 4.
Route 239, right, is a loop road through Westmount and
Edwardsville.
At Leitches Creek, Route 223, left, leads to
Grand Narrows and Iona on the Bras d'Or Lake. Route 305
turns right to North Sydney.
North Sydney, an historic seaport incorporated
in 1885, is situated on Sydney Harbour. It is the terminal
of Marine Atlantic ferry service to Newfoundland. It offers
accommodations, banks, a hospital, restaurants, fast-food
outlets, a tourist bureau, recreation facilities, parks,
beaches, service stations, and R.V. and marine repairs. The
Northern Yacht Club welcomes visiting mariners by road or
sea. Golfers will enjoy a day at the 18-hole Seaview Golf &
Country Club, and families find lots to do at Gallop's
Funland.
Harbour tours, yacht rentals and Marine Atlantic day cruises
are available. Local entertainers provide traditional and
modern musical ceilidhs at various venues throughout the
town, including the Marine Atlantic Terminal located at the
end of Route 105. Major festivals include Canada Day
celebrations, Bartown Festival in July and the Cape Breton
Exhibition held annually during the third week of August. A
museum located at the North Sydney Fire Station provides
information on the town's history and its large number of
heritage homes.
Sydney Mines grew up around the great coal
fields of Sydney Harbour, where coal mining started as early
as 1766. A beautifully restored post office which has since
become the Town Hall is located at the centre of the
business district. Services include a main street shopping
district featuring weekly farmers' markets, banks, town
police, a hospital, parks, playgrounds, enhanced
recreational facilities, restaurants and accommodations.
Various town events, such as Canada Day and a fall festival,
feature nationally known local musicians and artists
throughout the tourist season. A number of craft locations
in the town feature locally produced crafts, including a
unique line of pottery depicting the mining heritage of the
area.
Florence is a former mining community.
Route 305 ends at Little Bras d'Or at Exit 18.
Highway 105 to the left leads back to North Sydney and
Sydney. Right on Highway 105 leads to Baddeck and the
Cabot
Trail.