Sydney NS walking tour

After purchase, to begin your hunt, you will need to be in front of the Holiday Inn Sydney Waterfront, 300 Esplanade, Sydney, NS B1P 1A7. This is the start location.

Once there, log in to this website and begin your hunt, or go to My Account for instructions.

This tour was tested in person in the summer of 2019 and launched in that fall.

It was reviewed and updated in 2023.

This scavenger hunt has a difficulty level of NORMAL.

The ideal group size ranges between 2 and 6 persons – but not restricted to this. Children are welcome and will enjoy most of the challenges.

Ancient History

Ancient-first nations’ encampments can be traced as far back as 10,600 years ago. These natives who hunted caribou became the Mi’kmaq.

The Mi’kmaq have been called Cape Breton Island Mi’kma’ki for thousands of years. The Mi’kma’ki region included Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in its entirety, part of the American state of Maine, Newfoundland, and the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec.

The French were the first Europeans to settle here, calling it Acadia. The control of the region twirled between the French and the English during the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century. In 1713, France finally obtained official control of the Royal Island (Cape Breton) by the Treaty of Utrecht.

In 1719 they built Fort Louisbourg, which the English captured but returned to France. But during the Seven Years’ War, the English conquered him definitively. They expelled its inhabitants and destroyed the fort. Then, in 1763, Ile Royale finally changed its name to Cape Breton.

Then, the British founded Sydney in 1785. Sydney was the capital of the Cape Breton colony in 1785 until it merged with that of Nova Scotia in 1820. The capital moved to Halifax at that time. In fact, Sydney takes its name in honor of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney who was the British cabinet secretary in 1785.

Recent History

The original population consists of British and loyalist Americans who fled the state of New York after the revolution. Among these loyalists is David Mathews, the former mayor of New York under the British.

Indeed, between 1900 and 1945, Sydney prospered mainly off of the steel industry. She had significant participation in World War II. Several Canadian ships were based here. After the war, the main industry, steel, and coal had a difficult time. The companies withdrew, forcing the government to privatize the factories to maintain the level of employment in the region.

Then, in 1995, the city dissolved to join the agglomeration of surrounding municipalities, forming the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Finally, in 2001, the coal and steel plants finally closed down, permanently. Since then, we find mainly telephone call centers and tourism.