Par-en-Bas (Municipalité d’Argyle)
Municipality of Argyle, also known as Par-en-Bas to South Western Nova Scotia. This region has a strong a population of approximately 3,600 Acadians.
The area encompasses 1,519 square kilometers and the population is mostly located along the coast, namely in the villages of East and West Pubnico, Argyle, Sainte-Anne du Ruisseau, Surette Island and surrounding areas, Tusket, Quinan, Plymouth, Wedgeport, and Butte des Comeau.
The region of Argyle is unique historically, in which the Acadians were already occupants of these lands before the Great Upheaval (the deportation of 1755-1763) and as of 1767, several families (Amirault, Belliveau, d'Entremont, d’Eon, Mius etc.) returned to reclaim a part of the territory. The people of this region are very attached to their cultural heritage. Even today, they converse with each other using several words from their ancestral language.
Expressions such as "our eusses" - our eyebrows, or the terms used to count some tens: "septante" for seventy (70), "huitante" pronounced huiptante for eighty (80), "nonante" pronounced ‘nenante’ (90) are examples.
Culinary specialties of the region : The seafood chowder, rappie pie, molasses cookies, or the creamed lobster.
A booklet of 50 things to do offers our visitors an inventory of what to see and do. All the attractions of the region In addition to various authentic experiences for your pleasure are available in the region of Argyle, please consult the website of the Municipality for more information.
If you want to discover the music, dance and culinary delights of Par-en-Bas, participate in various festivals that take place in different villages in the Argyle region.
Musique de la Baie ; during the months of July, August and September, the musicians of the region perform in the various restaurants participating in the program. Visitors are invited to participate! Please consult
A good way to locate and visit most of the tourist attractions in Par-en-Bas and Saint Mary’s Bay is to complete the Acadian Shores Interpretive Tour. This self-guided tour will take you to discover twenty-five important cultural sites across these two regions.
Learn more
Come sail in our waters
The Argyle District Municipality welcomes you to experience our coastal waters. The many peninsulas, entrances and rivers as well as the 230 islands are a pleasure to explore. The picturesque lighthouses and shanty’s on the Tusket Islands, as well as the impressive fleet of 50-foot lobster boats moored in the commercial fishing docks show how important the fishery is and is still in this area. Fill your lungs with clean sea air; Come visit our calm waters and leave your busy life at home.
Acadian Skies and Mi'kmaq Land
With a vast and pristine wilderness at its heart, Acadian Skies and Mi'kmaq lands in Nova Scotia covers all of the Argyle, Clare and Yarmouth municipalities in southwestern Nova Scotia. This region is the first UNESCO-Starlight certified tourist destination in North America and is an integral part of the Yarmouth & Acadian Shores tourism region.
Join us to celebrate a unique window to the universe in Canada and the United States. The clear, dark skies of the Bon Temps region of southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, provide blazing views of the night sky and the Milky Way!
Pubnico, the oldest Acadian settlement in the world
A stop into Pubnico is a necessity while you are in the Argyle region to reconnect with the Acadian culture. Life in Pubnico – both past and present – is very much connected to fishing. The area gets its name from the Mi’kmaq word “Pobomcoup”, meaning “a place where holes have been made through the ice to fish”. In 1653, Philippe Mius d’Entremont chose to settle in the area that would later become known as Pubnico. Today, the descendents of Philippe and his family can easily be identified by their surnames Mius and d’Entremont.
Are you interested in genealogy? A visit to the Acadian Museum and Research Center in West Pubnico is required. Who knows, you could have Acadian roots?
Feeling nostalgic for life, or just want to learn more about it? The Acadian Historical Village of Nova Scotia, also located in West Pubnico, is waiting for you.
Dennis Point Wharf
The Dennis Point Wharf is the largest commercial fishing wharf in Atlantic Canada.
Over 1000 fishermen and women make their living at the wharf, and fish for a variety of ground fish and shell fish, most notably lobster. Visitors are welcome at the wharf to walk amongst the boats and experience a dynamic fishing area and have a chat with a local fisherman.
Do you like watching birds? Canada's largest colony of Roseate Terns (dew) is found on the Green Islands near the Lower West Pubnico Village.
Nature trail lover? Make your way to the Pubnico Point Trail to reconnect with nature. Plenty of ocean views, walks along the coastline and boardwalks, a lookoffs, 17 wind turbines at a close distance, check out the interpretive panel, map and trail markers for you to follow and benches along the way.
Trout Point Lodge: Are you looking for luxury and all that nature has to offer? Visit https://www.troutpoint.com/ to learn more.
Take a tour of the oldest court and prison in Canada, here in Tusket.
Brewery in Tusket
Are you a enthusiast of craft beer? Visit the first artisanal brewery in the Argyle area.
Deep Sky Eye Observatory
Tim Doucette is an amateur astronomer with a passion for sharing and photography of the night sky and yes, he is legally blind. Have you seen the Milky Way? The rings of Saturn? The spiral arms of distant galaxies? Come discover the night sky in the way it should be seen. Located 20 minutes from Tusket, the first certified starlight tourism destination in North America. Its mission is to take you to an experience toward the galaxies and to inspire you to look at the stars and give you a better understanding of the universe in which we live.
To save you travel time, and to make sure you visit our hidden communities this itinerary will take you to Wedgeport to begin your journey to the Argyle region.
To get to Wedgeport from Tusket
From Tusket, take a left onto NS trunk 3-W, turn left on Dominique Road followed by a left onto 334 S until you arrive in Wedgeport. (20 km, 20 minutes travel time)
Are you passionate about sport fishing? Make sure you visit the Wedgeport Sport Tuna Fishing Museum and Interpretive Center. Join us during the weeklong Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival in August.
Tusket Island Tours and Fishing Charters
Set off on Captain LeBlanc's modern fishing boat where you can embark on a historic adventure through islands filled with rich culture and history. You'll learn how to haul a real lobster trap and see the process a real lobster fisherman would go from day to day. You will stop on Big Tusket Island. You will visit LeBlanc's private fishing shanty where you will be served fresh local seafood chowder prepared from a traditional recipe. After being filled with delicious seafood, you can enjoy live entertainment over an hour of sailing to the Wedgeport dock.
Wedgeport Nature Trail - Located on the tip at the end of the community (Rte 334) is a nature trail that follows the coast and offers a network of overlapping loop trails (5.4 km in total) with areas such as ponds, beaches, the estuary of the Tusket River, mixed forest and coastal swamps. The trail offers the opportunity to observe a variety of wildlife. The trail includes a publicly accessible Starlight viewing platform with tables and benches near the ocean, which is free for all visitors.
The region of Argyle is unique historically, in which the Acadians were already occupants of these lands before the Great Upheaval (the deportation of 1755-1763) and as of 1767, several families (Amirault, Belliveau, d'Entremont, d’Eon, Mius etc.) returned to reclaim a part of the territory. The people of this region are very attached to their cultural heritage. Even today, they converse with each other using several words from their ancestral language.
Expressions such as "our eusses" - our eyebrows, or the terms used to count some tens: "septante" for seventy (70), "huitante" pronounced huiptante for eighty (80), "nonante" pronounced ‘nenante’ (90) are examples.
Culinary specialties of the region : The seafood chowder, rappie pie, molasses cookies, or the creamed lobster.
A booklet of 50 things to do offers our visitors an inventory of what to see and do. All the attractions of the region In addition to various authentic experiences for your pleasure are available in the region of Argyle, please consult the website of the Municipality for more information.
If you want to discover the music, dance and culinary delights of Par-en-Bas, participate in various festivals that take place in different villages in the Argyle region.
Musique de la Baie ; during the months of July, August and September, the musicians of the region perform in the various restaurants participating in the program. Visitors are invited to participate! Please consult
A good way to locate and visit most of the tourist attractions in Par-en-Bas and Saint Mary’s Bay is to complete the Acadian Shores Interpretive Tour. This self-guided tour will take you to discover twenty-five important cultural sites across these two regions.
Learn more
Come sail in our waters
The Argyle District Municipality welcomes you to experience our coastal waters. The many peninsulas, entrances and rivers as well as the 230 islands are a pleasure to explore. The picturesque lighthouses and shanty’s on the Tusket Islands, as well as the impressive fleet of 50-foot lobster boats moored in the commercial fishing docks show how important the fishery is and is still in this area. Fill your lungs with clean sea air; Come visit our calm waters and leave your busy life at home.
Acadian Skies and Mi'kmaq Land
With a vast and pristine wilderness at its heart, Acadian Skies and Mi'kmaq lands in Nova Scotia covers all of the Argyle, Clare and Yarmouth municipalities in southwestern Nova Scotia. This region is the first UNESCO-Starlight certified tourist destination in North America and is an integral part of the Yarmouth & Acadian Shores tourism region.
Join us to celebrate a unique window to the universe in Canada and the United States. The clear, dark skies of the Bon Temps region of southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, provide blazing views of the night sky and the Milky Way!
Pubnico, the oldest Acadian settlement in the world
A stop into Pubnico is a necessity while you are in the Argyle region to reconnect with the Acadian culture. Life in Pubnico – both past and present – is very much connected to fishing. The area gets its name from the Mi’kmaq word “Pobomcoup”, meaning “a place where holes have been made through the ice to fish”. In 1653, Philippe Mius d’Entremont chose to settle in the area that would later become known as Pubnico. Today, the descendents of Philippe and his family can easily be identified by their surnames Mius and d’Entremont.
Are you interested in genealogy? A visit to the Acadian Museum and Research Center in West Pubnico is required. Who knows, you could have Acadian roots?
Feeling nostalgic for life, or just want to learn more about it? The Acadian Historical Village of Nova Scotia, also located in West Pubnico, is waiting for you.
Dennis Point Wharf
The Dennis Point Wharf is the largest commercial fishing wharf in Atlantic Canada.
Over 1000 fishermen and women make their living at the wharf, and fish for a variety of ground fish and shell fish, most notably lobster. Visitors are welcome at the wharf to walk amongst the boats and experience a dynamic fishing area and have a chat with a local fisherman.
Do you like watching birds? Canada's largest colony of Roseate Terns (dew) is found on the Green Islands near the Lower West Pubnico Village.
Nature trail lover? Make your way to the Pubnico Point Trail to reconnect with nature. Plenty of ocean views, walks along the coastline and boardwalks, a lookoffs, 17 wind turbines at a close distance, check out the interpretive panel, map and trail markers for you to follow and benches along the way.
Trout Point Lodge: Are you looking for luxury and all that nature has to offer? Visit https://www.troutpoint.com/ to learn more.
Take a tour of the oldest court and prison in Canada, here in Tusket.
Brewery in Tusket
Are you a enthusiast of craft beer? Visit the first artisanal brewery in the Argyle area.
Deep Sky Eye Observatory
Tim Doucette is an amateur astronomer with a passion for sharing and photography of the night sky and yes, he is legally blind. Have you seen the Milky Way? The rings of Saturn? The spiral arms of distant galaxies? Come discover the night sky in the way it should be seen. Located 20 minutes from Tusket, the first certified starlight tourism destination in North America. Its mission is to take you to an experience toward the galaxies and to inspire you to look at the stars and give you a better understanding of the universe in which we live.
To save you travel time, and to make sure you visit our hidden communities this itinerary will take you to Wedgeport to begin your journey to the Argyle region.
To get to Wedgeport from Tusket
From Tusket, take a left onto NS trunk 3-W, turn left on Dominique Road followed by a left onto 334 S until you arrive in Wedgeport. (20 km, 20 minutes travel time)
Are you passionate about sport fishing? Make sure you visit the Wedgeport Sport Tuna Fishing Museum and Interpretive Center. Join us during the weeklong Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival in August.
Tusket Island Tours and Fishing Charters
Set off on Captain LeBlanc's modern fishing boat where you can embark on a historic adventure through islands filled with rich culture and history. You'll learn how to haul a real lobster trap and see the process a real lobster fisherman would go from day to day. You will stop on Big Tusket Island. You will visit LeBlanc's private fishing shanty where you will be served fresh local seafood chowder prepared from a traditional recipe. After being filled with delicious seafood, you can enjoy live entertainment over an hour of sailing to the Wedgeport dock.
Wedgeport Nature Trail - Located on the tip at the end of the community (Rte 334) is a nature trail that follows the coast and offers a network of overlapping loop trails (5.4 km in total) with areas such as ponds, beaches, the estuary of the Tusket River, mixed forest and coastal swamps. The trail offers the opportunity to observe a variety of wildlife. The trail includes a publicly accessible Starlight viewing platform with tables and benches near the ocean, which is free for all visitors.