How Nikki Was Officially “Bluenosed” Last Summer in Nova Scotia

A sign of a good vacation is coming home with tons of stories to tell. A sign of a GREAT vacation is when you splash those stories all over the internet!

I had a magical time last summer taking The CAT Ferry to Yarmouth and Acadian Shores — and of course, experiencing the Acadian Shores. My favorite memory is getting officially "blue-nosed" aboard the Edith Marie with Captain Simone.

Now, I've been on plenty of boats in my life. After all, I'm a Florida girl. But this boat ride through the Yarmouth Harbor aboard the Edith Marie was the mother of all boat rides. When we docked, we all had rum on our breath and blue paint on our noses.

Captain Simone could moonlight as a comedian: His true tales of the various fishing vessels named "Bluenose" were quite entertaining. Simone told us it became the nickname for all people from Nova Scotia. Then, he took a paint brush and dabbed some blue on all of our noses. We also toasted our new, honorary citizenship with the libation of the sea -- rum of course. Take a stab at the name of the rum we were drinking… Yep, you guessed it. Blue Nose Rum.

The trip started with a fun, relaxing ride on The CAT Ferry, which has plenty of on-board entertainment, shopping and dining. They also offer a new release movie on every crossing and live entertainment on select crossings. The Cat also has as an unsupervised children's area with movies, toys and books to keep the kiddos busy and entertained. The views are pretty amazing, too!

Here's my video tour of the ferry:

Once you get to Nova Scotia, the Yarmouth-Acadian Shores Tourism Bureau has information about a million things you can do. Last year, we dug into buckets of lobsters, mussels, boiled potatoes and corn on the cob at Cape Forchu Lightstation.

Seriously, our neighbors to the north offer something for everyone's tastes, including beautiful scenery, amazing music, cultural experiences (like learning how lobster fishermen work!), and more.

Click here to start planning your getaway today with The CAT Ferry!