If you’ve followed me for long, you know that I love a good living history museum.

Probably my all-time favorite is The Beamish in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Another favorite is the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo.

But when Mr. Q suggested we visit the Fortress of Louisbourg on our recent trip to Canada, I wasn’t terribly excited.  I figured it would be another military history/battlefield sort of place.  As I may have mentioned in the past, Mr. Q is a war game fan, and he had played a game that featured a battle that took place here.  Thus, his wish to see it.

The Fortress of Louisbourg is a partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.  And as it turns out, I was pretty delighted to discover that it is also a fantastic living history museum staffed with costumed interpreters.

The original settlement in the area dates back to 1713, but the fortress itself was built by the French in the mid-1700’s to defend against the British.  Unfortunately, it was built in a poor location for defense and it was captured by British forces twice.  The British then demolished the fort beginning in 1760 to prevent the French from recapturing it again.  The site was then abandoned by 1785.  So, considering it was the largest and most expensive European fortification in North America, it didn’t last very long.

The reconstruction was begun in 1961 and is the largest reconstruction project in North America.

We were able to catch a demonstration about hot chocolate in one building.

This costumed enactor was a wealthy merchant who imported chocolate.  He explained how expensive the chocolate was, and how they used it to make a hot chocolate drink.  It was slightly more complicated than adding 4 tablespoons of Swiss Miss to a mug of hot water.  Next we all got to try a cup.  Delicious, and educational.

We also saw a demonstration of how to fire a musket …

along with an explanation of what life in the fortress was like for the common soldier, which was not great.  Apparently many promises were made when they were recruited in France, but they didn’t really come to fruition once they got to Louisbourg.  Then they were stuck there thousands of miles from home.

We also enjoyed a demonstration of the entertainment of the time at the Inn.

The fortress had four gates that led inside including the Frederic Gate that was on the waterfront.

I thought that was an unusual design.

There are over 50 buildings to explore over 6 acres.

You are able to wander around through fully furnished buildings at your own pace, or you can opt for a guided tour.

Many of the buildings were manned by costumed interpreters.  We spoke with the housekeeper in this kitchen for quite some time as she explained what her day to day life was like.

My only complaint about visiting the Fortress of Louisbourg is that we didn’t have enough time there.  This is definitely one of the downsides of traveling on a cruise ship, you have limited time in each port of call.  There was so much more to see here if we’d only been able to spend all day, we really just skimmed the surface of what was available.  I’d love to return some day to see more, but I’m not optimistic about the chances that I’ll ever make it back to Cape Breton Island.

How about you?  Have you been to this part of Nova Scotia?  Or would you like to add it to your bucket list?  Leave a comment and let me know.