The bucolic lakeside setting of Baddeck, Nova Scotia, proved irresistible to Alexander Graham Bell, who spent his last 37 summers there. Today, the little resort town (pronounced BAH-deck) remembers him at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic site, which includes a museum and grounds overlooking the lake, mountains and Bell's own estate—Ben Breigh. The museum contains a wealth of artifacts, personal mementos and photographs, plus a full-scale model of the hydrofoil boat he experimented with after inventing the telephone.
Visitors don't go only to pay tribute to the inventor, however. Motorists know Baddeck is a fine place to begin (or finish) a Cabot Trail drive. Boaters, in turn, know that Bras d'Or Lake offers world-class sailing, and many test their skills on it during Regatta Week in August.
To learn more about the massive lake that almost bisects the island, drop into Baddeck's beautiful old post office on Chebucto Street. Designed by Thomas Fuller, whose credits also include Canada's Parliament Buildings, it has been turned into the Bras d'Or Lakes and Watershed Interpretation Centre. Afterward, you can experience the lake first-hand on a sailing cruise or kayak tour.
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