Quick Facts
About Yarmouth
Yarmouth sits at Nova Scotia's southwestern tip where the Acadian Shore meets the open Atlantic, and for generations it has been the province's international ferry gateway to Maine — with seasonal high-speed catamaran service running to Bar Harbor from its deep-water terminal. The town's fortunes were built on the 'Golden Age of Sail,' when its fleet of world-trading clipper ships made Yarmouth one of the richest per-capita towns in British North America, and the elaborate sea-captains' mansions of that era still line its leafy residential streets.
History
Acadian settlers were farming the marshlands around Yarmouth harbour by the mid-1700s, and after the Acadian Expulsion the town was re-founded by English and New England settlers in 1766, then dramatically reshaped by an influx of United Empire Loyalists after 1783. The 19th century brought the era of wooden square-rigged ships — Yarmouth's fleet grew to rival any in Canada — and though steam and the cod collapse ended that boom, the town remained the southwest's commercial hub and international ferry terminus, a role reaffirmed in the 21st century by the reintroduction of the high-speed CAT ferry service to Maine.
Getting There
Distance from Halifax: 340 km (205 minutes)
Route: NS-103 W to Yarmouth (western terminus)
Top Attractions
- 🚢Cape Forchu Lighthouse & Le Musée des Pionniers
- 🚢Yarmouth County Museum & Archives
- 🚢Collins Heritage Conservation District (sea-captains' mansions)
- 🚢Bay Ferries CAT terminal (to Bar Harbor, ME)
Best For
Annual Events
- 📅Yarmouth Seafest (July)
- 📅Fog Fest (August)
- 📅Western Nova Scotia Exhibition (August)
Explore Nearby
🗼 Lighthouses
Where to Stay in Yarmouth
Find hotels, B&Bs, and vacation rentals in Yarmouth and the surrounding South Shore area.