Spend an afternoon on a scenic coastal drive along Nova Scotia's idyllic Eastern Shore as you explore the region's numerous local independent galleries.
MacDonald House
The first gallery on this scenic coastal tour is located inside the historic MacDonald House in Lawrencetown, just 30 minutes from downtown Halifax. The MacDonald House is central to the local community and home to several unique businesses, including Fancy Lucky Art and Craft Shop. Filled with a beautiful selection of paintings, ceramics, hooked rugs, jewelry, art prints, and more, this is the perfect place to discover local talent and take home a unique treasure. Explore a stunning collection of moody, gold-flaked landscape paintings by Judith Bannen in a private gallery on the second floor of the MacDonald House.
The MacDonald House is also home to Lawrencetown Beach Café, which curates a show of local artwork for sale each month. Grab a coffee and check out work by this month’s featured artist. Before heading out, see if you can glimpse any surfers riding the waves below!
30 minutes from downtown Halifax
Open Tuesday – Sunday, 9am-4pm. Year-round.
SaltSpray Designs
A few minutes up the coast is a 200-year-old church transformed into an art gallery. SaltSpray Designs hosts an impressive display of curated artwork by over 20 local artists. Every wall and pew in this historic church bursts with unique artistic interpretations of life on the rugged and windswept Eastern Shore. Owned and operated by Anthea Taljaard, it’s also home to a South African café, ceramics studio, and community workshop space. Taljaard is selective of the artists she represents, and several of her artists make a living from selling their work here. SaltSpray Designs is wheelchair accessible and a Rainbow Accredited member of the Canadian LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
35 minutes from downtown Halifax
Open Wednesday – Sunday, 10am-5pm, May to September.
Black Sheep Gallery
From a historic church to a renovated fish plant, the Black Sheep Gallery features paintings and wood carvings from folk artists across the United States and Canada. Folk art is typically simple and colourful and tells a story about a specific community and culture. Some notable Canadian folk artists featured here are Maud Lewis, Everett Lewis, and Barry Colpitts. The Black Sheep Gallery offers a distinctive experience through its vast collection of imaginative landscape paintings and unique wood objects, which are deeply reflective of the regional traditions and values of rural Nova Scotia.
55 minutes from downtown Halifax
Open by appointment June to September.
SouthWind Studio & Gardens
The Eastern Shore has captivated and inspired Sara Sheffield since moving here as a schoolteacher decades ago. Brimming with colorful landscape paintings, experimental collages, stained-glass mosaics, and driftwood creations, SouthWind Studio & Gardens is overflowing with creativity and talent. The immersive flower gardens are sprinkled with stained-glass installations and are completely free to explore. Her work can also be found at SaltSpray Designs.
1 hour 30 minutes from downtown Halifax
Drop by anytime from June to September.
