New Discoveries, Right Here, Right Now

Where can you hunt for dinosaurs, join the circus and take a trip 250 years back in time, all in the same week?

Nova Scotia has the hot ticket this year for a jam-packed summer full of fun for the whole family. Activities include more than 200 festivals, fairs and celebrations as well as some of the best family attractions in the country.

Budding paleontologists can trek the beaches at Joggins for ancient fossils, then head to the Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro to see the real thing. There are also many things to discover at Ross Farm -- a genuine 1800s farm in Lunenburg County -- including Canada's oldest breed of horse, the Canadian horse.

The always popular Halifax International Buskers Festival, being held Aug. 7-18, celebrates its 17th anniversary as one of the world's foremost street performance events. This year the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History in Halifax will get into the act as well, as it plays host to a variety of circus-related events from June 20 to Sept. 21.

Great family venues like Upper Clements Park, located west of Annapolis Royal, the Fortress of Louisbourg and Sherbrooke Village are geared up and ready for another successful season. And the great outdoors, Nova Scotia's biggest natural attraction includes isolated beaches, wilderness adventure and breathtaking national and provincial parks.

With so much to see and do, the only problem families are likely to face is how to pack it all into one vacation.

For further information on events, festivals and attractions, visit www.novascotia.com or call 1-800-565-0000.