By Helen Earley
This is the second article in a series of tourism stories about ways to enjoy the Shubenacadie Waterway, funded through the Shubenacadie Canal Commission’s Transitions project. Check out A River Runs Through It by Nancy Stapleton and check back soon for more!
As summer memories fade into busy Autumn mornings, there’s nothing better than a weekend getaway to recharge before the winter comes. But for busy parents, it’s hard to find the time to disconnect, especially when most weekends are filled with sports practices, music lessons – and laundry!
In November, my husband and I escaped the city for a Shubenacadie Canal-themed date night, complete with an overnight stay in a boutique hotel, an indulgent dinner at a new Fall River restaurant, and a special visit to a charming local museum.
Inn on the Lake
The Inn on the Lake, located at Exit 5 off Highway 102, is one of those places that we’ve forever driven by curiously, but never visited until now. Built in 1973, the property evolved from a small motel to a boisterous motor inn and bar in the 1980s, to its current iteration: a charming boutique hotel specializing in celebrations, family events and catering.
Inn on the Lake in Fall River, Nova Scotia.
For a couple, The Inn on the Lake is the perfect getaway, with rooms that are old-fashioned but comfortable, a traditional pub, formal dining room, and four acres of parkland that lead to a small beach on Lake Thomas, perfect for a short walk, relaxing or reading a book.
There are some delightfully quirky elements at the Inn: the owners’ collection of collectible bone china and antiques displayed for sale in oversized curio cabinets in the lobby; a square grand piano, chopped up into several pieces of art; and a digital slide presentation that runs continuously behind the check-in desk, showing the transformation from motel to hotel over the years.
The Inn on the Lake excels in hospitality, with a bright, spotlessly clean formal dining room featuring European classics such as escargots, French Onion Soup, and Chicken Cordon Bleu. Although the Inn’s menu was tempting, we’d been hearing good things about a new place just 2 minutes’ drive down the Fall River Road. We couldn’t wait to check it out.
The Fourth Lock Restaurant
Nestled in the charming small community of Fall River, the Fourth Lock feels very “big city” once you are inside. With low-beamed ceilings, faux-brick walls, and candlelight, no detail has been missed in this cozy, modern restaurant and bar. As you enter, the delicious smells are also very cosmopolitan – warm drifts of wines, creams, sauces, and seafood. The sounds are perfectly balanced too – the rattling of ice in a cocktail shaker from the far corner of the bar, mixed with 80’s pop music (all the hits!) piped from speakers in the ceiling. House cocktails are named after lakes in the area, and the restaurant itself is named after Lock 4 of the Shubenacadie Canal.
The Fourth Lock restaurant lit up at night.
For co-owner Jaro Schubert, the restaurant’s name is also a reminder of his time living in Dublin, on the banks of the Historic Royal Canal where he fell in love with a Canadian girl, before following her back to Fall River. Much older than the Shubenacadie Canal, the Dublin Royal Canal connects the River Liffey in Dublin to the River Shannon in Longford, passing through one of Ireland’s greatest towns, Mullingar.
“There was a restaurant on the canal called the 12th Lock,” explains, Schubert. “When I opened this place, the name seemed right.”
In the kitchen, Executive Chef Evan Blaxland, formerly of Dartmouth’s Il Trullo, combines over 20 years of experience in casual, fine, and Italian cooking to create elevated pub fare such as generous appetizer boards (smoked salmon, bruschetta), and satisfying main dishes like the one my husband ordered: pork loin stuffed with aged cheddar and smoked prosciutto on a bed of garlic whipped potatoes gently blanketed with a rich glazed mushroom sauce, and my choice: the mixed seafood platter to start, followed by an indulgently creamy seafood pasta, full of fresh mussels, scallops, and clams.
Mixed seafood platter at the Fourth Lock restaurant.
We noticed other diners, young and old, enjoying pub favourites such as nachos, hamburgers, and the restaurant’s legendary Fourth Lock Fries. The key, says Shubert, is to ask about the Chef’s Weekend Specials. Another tip is to reserve a table on the patio, despite cold weather. The Fourth Lock recently installed three enclosed patio huts, perfect for intimate winter dining.
Fourth Lock patio seating.
Lock Four
After a comfortable night’s sleep, our canal-themed date continued with a visit to Lock 4, the remnants of a 19th century lock, located in a small park at the end of Fletcher Road (120 Fletcher Drive, B2T 1J2), less than 5 minutes' drive from both the Inn and the restaurant.
Lock 4 is interesting for the budding canal enthusiast since it exemplifies the difference in elevation between the two lakes. The park has a small footbridge that provides a vantage point for both Lake Thomas and Lake Fletcher, and a small dock, perfect for launching a kayak.
Having gained some familiarity with the waterway, I could now imagine the prospect of an afternoon paddle down Lake Thomas and back, perhaps stopping at the Inn on the Lake for lunch. But for the time being, my date and I were happy to enjoy the scenery, take some photos, and sit for a few minutes, as we prepared for the next leg of our 24-hour adventure.
The Vegetorium Market
On the way to our next stop, we happened upon The Vegetorium Farm Market, a year-round food emporium brimming with fresh fruit, vegetables, local preserves, and free-range meat and poultry. We learned that this popular local market offers a curated weekly food box, based on items that are in season and plentiful that week – no need to pre-order! We couldn’t resist buying some pumpkins, fresh leeks, valley apples, and a few sweet treats to bring home for the kids.
Fresh fruit at the Vegetorium.
Fun fact: Chef Evan at the Fourth Lock is a frequent customer of this busy market. His trusty favourite is fresh local pea shoots which grace some of the entrées at the restaurant!
The Waverley Heritage Museum
Our final stop was the Waverley Heritage Museum, a charming local museum located in a former Anglican church at the top of Rocky Lake Drive. The museum is normally only open during the summer, but makes special exceptions by appointment. One of the key themes of the museum is the Waverley gold rush. Gold was first discovered in Waverley in 1861 – the same year that the Shubenacadie Canal was finally completed!
One of the most enjoyable sections of the museum was a set of interpretive panels and artifacts developed in consultation with Gerald Gloade, a Mi’kmaw artist, storyteller, and educator. One panel offered an interesting Mi’kmaw perspective on the lakes, as well as an insight into the practicality and humour of the Mi’kmaw language. In Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk, Rocky Lake (Apjhmooikwitz) means “you are stuck,” while Lake William (Etonpanoeg) means “open on both sides!”
Another fascinating aspect of the museum is its ceiling, which was constructed using shipbuilding techniques. One only has to “look to the heavens” to observe the beautiful craftsmanship of days gone by.
A world away…20 minutes from home
The drive back to North End Halifax was lovely through Waverley and Portobello, with the bright fall colours reflected in the lakes. As we crossed the MacKay Bridge on the final moments of our mini road trip, I reflected not only on the beauty of the late autumn weather but on the magnificence of Halifax Harbour itself – the beginning of the Shubenacadie Waterway. Finally, I also gave thought to how transformative a 24-hour mini-break can be…especially if you’ve only travelled 20 minutes from home, and can get back in time to do the laundry.
Beautiful autumn scenery at Lock 4.
All photos credit to Helen Earley. Helen is freelance travel writer and author of 25 Family Adventures in Nova Scotia. See more of her work at www.helenearley.com.