Chester (Nova Scotia)

Chester is a village of 2,300 people (2011) in Nova Scotia. Chester is a holiday and resort destination, with many seasonal and year-round estates and mansions. The nearby waters of Mahone Bay and its numerous islands are well known for yachting and have made the Chester Yacht Club into a cruising destination.

Understand
Chester is one of the wealthiest communities in the province. It was a filming site for the TV series Haven and for parts of The Curse of Oak Island.


 * Visitor information is available at the Station 20 shop (see "Buy" section).

History
The French had been present in Acadia since the early 1600s, but when the British expanded into the area in the 1700s, Acadian settlements on the South Shore where few and tiny. After the Expulsion of the Acadians, the British wanted to repopulate vacated lands, and offered land grants to colonists from New England, which was experiencing a population explosion. In 1761 New England Planters were granted lands in the Chester area, then called Shoreham.

During the American Revolution, Nova Scotia was invaded regularly by American Revolutionary forces and privateers, including the 1782 Raid on Chester. During this time some of the New England immigrants were not loyal in the conflict: village founders Timothy Houghton and John Seccombe were charged with sedition, and military officer Jonathan Prescott was suspected of being an American sympathizer.

During the 1800s, Chester was an important site for coastal commerce, with economic activities including lumbering, shipbuilding, shipping, and fishing.

Get in
Chester is about 65 km southwest of Halifax in Nova Scotia's South Shore region.

The most efficient way to reach Chester, and Chester Basin is by car. Rental cars are available at the Halifax International Airport.

By bus

 * Its route between Halifax and Lunenburg includes stops in Chester and Bridgewater.

Get around
A ferry from the village provides a schedule of daily trips to Big Tancook Island and Little Tancook Island.

Do

 * Boating: There are a number of public boat launch sites around Mahone Bay. The waters are fine for kayaking and sailing. The Chester Yacht Club hosts Chester Race Week, where keelboats from all over the eastern coast of North America compete during the second week of August.
 * Chester Connector: a multi-year trail for walkers and cyclists on an old rail line. Parts of it are shared with motorized recreational vehicles. Access from behind the Station 20 shop.
 * The Church Memorial Park is home to the Chester Tennis Club, Eleanor Pew Memorial Rink and Chester Curling Club.
 * The Church Memorial Park is home to the Chester Tennis Club, Eleanor Pew Memorial Rink and Chester Curling Club.

Go next
Visit some of the other towns along the South Shore, such as Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay, or Lunenburg.