Peggy's Cove with Kids

Last update: May 6th, 2021 at 01:53 pm

Honestly, as we approached Peggy’s Cove I had one thought on my mind – “How good could this really be? It’s another lighthouse.”

Now please let me explain. By this point on an epic Maritimes road trip, we had visited a lot of lighthouses. We had even had a sleepover at a lighthouse on Prince Edward Island. Quite honestly, I expected to be underwhelmed and the kids were grumbling in the back seat.

I am happy to report that these feeling were completely unmerited. Peggy’s Cove truly lived up to its reputation as a must-see attraction.

It is gorgeous, it is exciting (the enormous waves are truly mesmerizing), and the biggest surprise of all was that it sits atop the coolest outcropping of rocks. My kids spent about 10 minutes looking at the lighthouse and about 2 hours parkouring on the rocks with several dozen other children.

Peggy’s Cove has a gift store and a few other cute shops (most quite touristy). The furthest one down the road however, sells fun things like vintage buoys and marine trinkets. When a bride-to-be explained that she was looking for matching buoys as decorations for her wedding, the salty owner raised an eyebrow and said “Well, yer not very difficult, are ya?”. That remark made me want to purchase a buoy on the spot (although I have no idea what I would have done with it).

Peggy’s Cove is a marvelous place for a picnic (as was our choice). Just a few minutes away, there is also a highly rated restaurant called Rhubarb (sit down menu and takeout pizza).

Getting There

Peggy’s Cove is an easy 45 minute drive from Halifax. While we used a rental car to get around Nova Scotia, there are also many Peggy’s Cove day trip and tour options from Halifax.

What to Bring

When visiting Peggy’s Cove with kids, bring along a waterproof jacket as the weather can be quite changeable. On our visit, we went from full July sun to near whiteout mist as we approached the lighthouse. Sport your parkouring shoes (because we all have a pair of those, right?) so you can jump around on the rocks with your kids. My flip flops were not ample for this task. A running shoe with some decent tread should do the job.

Important note: Despite all the signs warning otherwise, some people continue to walk close to the water on the dark, slippery rocks and get swept into the ocean. Please don’t. Check out this YouTube video to learn more.

Nova Scotia with Kids Video

Want a little peek at our Nova Scotia adventures? Check out our road trip including Halifax, Peggy’s Cove and Lunenburg.

We did a 16-day Canadian Maritimes road trip with our kids starting and finishing in Halifax. The trip included New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia. Please see all the posts from our trip below.