Fort Anne
Walk the grassy ramparts and visit the museum to understand the struggles over Port-Royal and Annapolis Royal. The grounds also include the Garrison Graveyard.
Plan a visit
The stories of a place
History
in Annapolis Royal
Here, the past is part of the view: earthen ramparts beside the river, timber houses along an old street, family names that still belong to the landscape.
Annapolis Royal lies in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq. Its historic sites and museums open onto French and Acadian settlement, colonial conflict, Loyalist arrivals and the lives of Black Nova Scotians. For some visitors, the story is also their own.
Historic sites · Acadian ancestry · Loyalist ancestry
Places to beginA few centuries.
A few centuries.
A short stroll.
Start in town, then follow the shore around the Basin. These sites tell different parts of the story, from early French settlement to the homes and collections of later generations.
Port-Royal Habitation
Across the Basin, the reconstructed French Habitation recalls life at the settlement established in 1605 and the relationship between the newcomers and the Mi’kmaq.
Plan a visitSinclair Inn Museum
An old building with several lives, preserving early timber construction and the Painted Room. A rewarding stop for anyone drawn to the fabric of historic houses.
Plan a visitO’Dell House Museum
A former waterfront inn and family home, with period rooms, changing displays and the Annapolis Heritage Society’s Genealogy Centre.
Plan a visitNorth Hills Museum
A historic farmhouse on Granville Road with Georgian interiors and a collection of paintings, ceramics, glassware and furniture.
Plan a visitMelanson Settlement
A short interpretive trail and viewpoint connect the landscape to the Acadian family settlement that stood here before the Deportation.
Plan a visitAcadian ancestry.
For descendants of the families of old Port-Royal, a visit can bring familiar names into a real landscape. Begin with Melanson Settlement and the town’s Acadian places, then allow time for the records.
Nova Scotia Archives provides a searchable collection of the St. Jean-Baptiste parish registers from 1702 to 1755, with digitised pages linked to the entries. The Annapolis Heritage Society also holds Acadian research material and offers an Acadian walking map.
Explore the parish registersFind Acadian research resources
Loyalist ancestry.
Families who came to Nova Scotia after the American Revolution left traces in land, church, probate and family records. The Annapolis Heritage Society is a useful starting point for research in Annapolis, Granville, Wilmot and Clements.
Its holdings include Loyalist resources and some material relating to Black Loyalist families. Share the names, dates and communities you know so the researchers can advise where to begin.
Explore Loyalist holdingsBefore you arriveGive your family
Give your family
story some time.
Contact the Genealogy Centre at O’Dell House before your visit. Bring known names, approximate dates and copies of the records you already have; ask about research appointments, access and fees.
Contact the Genealogy CentreA day in the past
Leave room between stops.
A museum visit followed by a walk often reveals more than a full itinerary. Pair Fort Anne with the old streets, or make Port-Royal and Melanson Settlement an outing around the Basin.
Browse the activities overviewPhotography: Bailey House website and Tourism Nova Scotia.