The urban centre of Cape Breton can offer a few interesting sites in the city itself, as well as being a start-off point for some regional highlights. One of the city’s proudest possessions is St Patrick’s Church Museum, originally built as a Roman Catholic Church in 1828 in Pioneer Gothic style. The building stands on the former site of a wooden edifice that was built for the pioneers in 1805. Due to the increased size of the congregation, a new church – Sacred Heart was later built on George Street. It served as a church until 1960s and then it was restored by the Old Sydney Society to reopen as a museum, devoted to preserving and promoting the culture and heritage of Sydney, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.ports sydneyns cossit house ahoy 200Explore two of the oldest houses on Cape Breton island – Cossit House and Jost House. Jost House is the oldest house in Sydney Nova Scotia, built in 1786 by the prominent merchant and ship owner Samuel Sparrow. The house is one of the oldest wooden buildings in the city and it illustrates an important change of life at Sydney’s historic North End – a change from commercial use to mixed commercial and residential and then to pure residential use. Cossit House is another one of the oldest surviving wooden buildings in the city. Get to know how controversial Loyalist Anglican minister rev. Ranna Cossit and his wife Thankful lived and raised their ten children in this modest New England-style home. Take part in some daily activities from 1700s like churning butter or stitching a sampler!

Experience the diverse culture, heritage and science of Cape Breton at Cape Breton Centre for Heritage & Science. This is an interactive museum that focuses on the social and natural history of Cape Breton Island and offers themed permanent and travelling exhibitions, an oral history listening room and a Virtual reality experience.ports sydneyns bras dor lake ahoy 200Other points for interest outside of Sydney would be the Highlands Village Museum – a living history museum and cultural centre that celebrates the Gaelic experience in Nova Scotia. The museum overlooks Bras d`Or Lake – a unique geological system or rivers and lakes, called the island’s inland sea. It’s a salt water inland lake, connected with the Atlantic Ocean by four natural canals. Visit the first and only estate winery on the island – Eileanan Breagha Vineyards, experience authentic Mi`Kmaw culture, taste local craft bear, become a blacksmith for the day or attend an authentic powwow.Drive along Cabot Trail and enjoy the incredible vistas that roll before your eyes. Hike, camp, go fishing or kayaking in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, play a round of golf at the Highlands Links, buy some artisan gifts or enjoy the freshly caught local seafood.

Park Canada`s Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site is not to be missed. Get a glimpse into the extraordinary heart and mind of a world-famous inventor, whose discoveries helped shaped the world we live in today. Here you can see some remarkable artefacts, photos and replicas, representing not only discovering the telephone, but also Alexander Bell`s interest in spanning airplanes and kites, deaf education and artificial respiration.The Fortress of Louisbourg is a partial one-quarter reconstruction of a French Fortress that was originally founded by the French in 1713 – the largest and best of its kind in North America. The smell of freshly baked break and a stew, simmering on an open fire, the cannon fire that shakes the ground, the French soldiers, marching down the streets, the ladies dancing in their formal parlours and children playing 300-year old games takes you back in 1700s in this almost surreal little town.