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In recent decades, Cape Breton Island has become home to a significant tourism industry, with Sydney (as the island's largest urban centre) being a prime beneficiary. Until the early 2000s when its economy was tied to the steel industry, Sydney had been overlooked as a tourist destination, ... however Sydney has recently witnessed a revival as a result of significant government investment in cruise ship facilities and a waterfront revitalization plan which has seen a boardwalk, marinas constructed and the world's largest fiddle. Sydney's tourism draw is increasingly linked to its cultural asset as being the urban heart of Cape Breton Island. Its population is a diverse mixture of nationalities which contributes to various Scottish, Acadian, African Canadian and eastern European cultural events being held throughout the year. Sydney's accommodation sector is centrally located to attractions in Louisbourg (home of the Fortress of Louisbourg), Glace Bay (home of the Glace Bay Miners Museum), Baddeck (home of the Alexander Graham Bell Museum), as well as popular touring destinations such as the Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and Bras d'Or Lake.
Sydney is an ideal srting base to explore Cape Breton Island’s main attractions, especially the Fleur-de-lis and Marconi Trails. Step through a doorway in time into a magnificent French town whose streets are a bustle of 18th-century activity. Inside the massive stone gates, the year is 1744. Stroll lively streets where costumed washerwomen, bread sellers, soldiers, noblemen and musicians are going about their daily business. Explore historic period gardens, watch musket and cannon drills, roam through the king’s storehouses, and visit the homes of commoners, merchants, and wealthy residents. This is the Fortress of Louisbourg, the largest historic reconstruction in North America, meticulously rebuilt on the foundations of the original fortress—the site from which the French hoped to reign over all North Atlantic navigation in the 1700s.
The region’s colourful French heritage is alive and well along the Fleur-de-lis and Marconi Trails, in picturesque Acadian fishing villages that dot the rugged sea coast. Be sure to sample regional fare like T’chaude or Pâté à la viande.
Source: Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage
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