Westvillle

Westville is proud of its mining and military history. The town features miliary museum, and placards near the Canada Post building tells the story of the Canadian military's involvement in various missions from the Boer War to Afganistan. Among other items, you will also find a howitzer on display in Westville – because this town is truly bad-ass.

Only the most bad-ass of towns have howitzers

Once known as “Acadian Village,” after the discovery of coal in 1864 and the subsequent development of the Acadia Mine in 1866. The town later changed its name to “Westville” due to its location, west of the Albion Mines in Stellarton. At its peak there were three mines operating in the town: Acadia, Black Diamond and Drummond, where an explosion in 1873 took the lives of 70 men. Founded in 1894, today the population of Westville is 3,628.

Westville Municipal Building

I visited Westville on August 23rd, and here's what I found:

1. Selfie – Napped a pic at the town's entrance on Truro Road.

2. Visitor’s Centre – The Westville Visitor's Centre is located on Truro Road off of Highway 104 at the highway reststop. Limited information, but very helpful staff.

3. Museum – Took a walk through the Pictou County Military Museum, showcasing thousands of artifacts of the area's military history.

4. Food – Had a feed of chicken tenders at Acropole Pub & Grill on Main Street.

5. Drink – Westville doesn't produce any of its own spirits, but I enjoyed a ice cold Keith's (a Nova Scotian classic) with my chicken at Acropole.

6. Public Space – Checked out Acadia Park just off of South Main Street. Cross the Rainbow painted bridge to enjoy trails, gardens, a miner's memorial and a playground.

7. Art – There was several to choose from, but I thought that the mural for the Acadia Colliery was while faded, still especially fetching.

8. Swag – Swag options were limited in Westville, but as I was in town during a weekday, I popped in to the town office and acquired a sweet pen and pin to show off my Westville pride.

When should you go? Check out Westville's Canada Day Celebrations (June – July) or Westville Winter Jamboree (February)

A little bit of trivia: Baseball is big in Westville. In 1936 Babe Ruth visited the town and hit a ball over the centre field fence.

Up next: This town is the birthplace of the fellow known as “Bubbles,” find out where on Sunday!