The Tall & Small Cafe

Another favorite restaurant - strictly for lunch. This tiny hole-in-the-wall is located on the main drag (342 Main Street) in downtown Antigonish. This is definitely an earthy venue favoring natural ingredients.

The restaurant a favorite with college students and faculty, since St. Francis Xavier College is located nearby. Students bring laptops and sit in the window. There are also easy chairs and tables for 2 or 4. Be warned, however; this place is usually packed at lunch. Lee and I tend to go there later in the afternoon. The walls are lined with works from local artists.

   The Tall & Small specializes in vegetarian food, but you can get great sandwiches with turkey, ham, grilled cheese etc. as well as their own homemade soup and combos of both. We've eaten here a lot and never been disappointed.

Finish your meal with coffee and one of the original cookies or date bars. Having grown up with fig newtons in the States, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I tasted these. And they're healthy, right?

Dragon Fly Cafe

There are several great restaurants in the Antigonish area and this is one of the best if you're interested in breakfast or lunch or a coffee for the road. Located right on the Trans-Canada Highway just east of Antigonish in Lower South River, it's easy to find (and convenient for our long road trips back to Boston - always the first stop along the way).

The Dragon Fly people make their own homemade muffins, scones, and cookies - and they sell bags of day-old products (my favorite for a road trip). However, you should stay for a regular meal as well as the breakfasts are unbeatable and the service is great.

The Dragon Fly is mostly a breakfast and lunch establishment, but they do have a dinner menu and they host occasional evening events. Check their website for more detail on hours and menus.

There are many reasons we like this place, but one is that the dragonfly reminds us of our nephew Charlie, for this was his symbol. The sign on the Dragon Fly plaque above the cash register reads, Symbolizes going past self-created illusions that limit our changing and growing.

The Bayside Cafe

A great place for breakfast when you drive up into Cape Breton! These ladies serve up the best baked goods in an atmosphere that makes you feel like you're home (or at your grandmother's house!). 

Check out these biscuits. They also serve scones, muffins, full breakfasts, soups, sandwiches, and pies. Always hospitable.

The Bayside Cafe is located on the main road up the center of Cape Breton (9657 Trans-Canada Hwy 105) in Whycocomagh in Cape Breton, just about 30 minutes after the Canso Causeway and on the way to Baddeck.

Uisge Ban Falls Provincial Park

Another provincial park, this one in Victoria County in Cape Breton, only a few miles from Baddeck. The park is easily reachable by car and offers a spectacular water falls and hiking trails along the river through a wonderful forest.

The forest path along the river is littered with large rocks, some of which are entwined with the roots of trees. How in the world could a tree survive and grow in that location? 

The 20-minute walk leads up the river ravine into a rock-walled chasm that grows deeper and deeper, with sides reaching 500 feet at the falls. The Uisge Ban Falls tumble down in two stages - impossible to photograph adequately - and offer lots of viewing angles. 

There is a longer hike back to the parking lot, through a mile or two of sugar maple (seen here), birch, spruce and white pine. Loads of lichens and mosses and nothing but the sounds of birds, small mammals and the river. Definitely one of our favorite places.