From a honey mead beverage company to hand-turned gourmet ice cream, the village of Tatamagouche is buzzing
By Shelley Cameron-McCarron
Let’s start this story on a February afternoon. It’s a sunny Saturday and we’ve just pulled onto Main Street in Tatamagouche (the “Magnificent Mile,” as locals sometimes call it), and we’re cruising by the candy-coloured shops that line the main drag. This is rural Nova Scotia, a village of some 1,000 souls on the province’s North Shore, and it’s busy.
People walk the streets, pulling open doors to treat themselves to Appleton Chocolates’ delectable wares, stepping into Dexter’s Butcher Shop for a $5 sandwich that can make a grown man weep, and bargain hunting at several new-to-you clothing shops. Yours truly scores a preloved sweater and upon purchase is told sale proceeds will go to a scholarship to help girls attend high school in Guatemala. The owner normally closes the shop for winter, but this year allowed a local community group to run the shop to support the cause.
This is Tatamagouche. And I’m totally taken with it.
“It’s a very open and welcoming community, it’s quite vibrant and a strong community, and very community-oriented,” says Tatamagouche resident Christiane Jost, a native of nearby Malagash who co-owns the popular microbrewery, Tatamagouche Brewing Co. (Try their Deception Bay IPA.)
“It’s in the middle of nowhere, but it’s in the middle,” she laughs. “We’re rural, but it’s centrally located.”
Indeed, many roads seem to lead to Tatamagouche, located halfway between Truro and Amherst, and within an easy drive of Halifax, New Glasgow, Moncton and many more locales.
Locally-owned stores, restaurants and residential buildings greet visitors on a main street that’s big on charm and authenticity.
“The way the village is built on Main Street, once you pull your car over, it’s very rare to get back in the car. It’s very explorable,” says Jost, who notes that part of Tatamagouche’s vibrancy is in that it’s quite walkable.
“It’s one-stop shopping in a way,” she says. “We have food, the views, the scenery. There’s a microbrewery, a chocolate shop, two two-headed calves (it’s a taxidermy exhibit) at the museum; there are fun and quirky things.”
“Tatamagouche has become very unique in that it’s not big enough to attract the big box retailers, and it’s not small enough to keep entrepreneurs away,” says Jimmie LeFresne, lifelong Tatamagouche resident and owner of the Train Station Inn, a century-old rail station turned into a popular boutique hotel.
LeFresne bought the station at age 18. “While all the rest of the kids in my Grade 12 class were buying cars, I bought a train station,” he jokes. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he didn’t want it torn down. Eventually, he turned it into a unique inn, now celebrating its 33rd year, and adding 13 cabooses where guests stay. They also offer a dining car, a lounge car, gift shop and events, including live music.
Tatamagouche, he says, is quite up with the times, but is also using its historic buildings in creative ways. Plus, it offers a diverse mix of attractions that appeal to all, from arts and culture—including Sara Bonnyman Pottery, which has been in the community for more than 40 years, and an artisan co-operative in the grain elevator) to museums, cultural centres, beaches, nature, food and drink. He says they’re fortunate in the community also to have very strong volunteer organizations.
“People come here by accident and when they find it, they never leave,” says LeFresne.
Always a popular summertime retreat for beach and cottage-goers, Tatamagouche is a special place with its relaxed atmosphere and entrepreneurial spirit, says Devin Trefry, Research, Policy and Community Engagement with the Municipality of Colchester.
“Tatamagouche is unassuming,” he says. “I think people will not only enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, they’ll be surprised to discover just how many hidden gems there are here in the area.”
The village, he says, offers culinary attractions including the Train Station Inn Dining Car, Chowder House, Dexter’s Butcher Block, Tipperary Bakery & Café, Tatamagouche Farmers Market, Hard Honey Beverage Company, along with nearby Sugar Moon Farm Maple and Pancake House, and Jost Vineyards in Malagash—Atlantic Canada’s longest-running winery—just to name a few.
Plus, there are great multi-use trails to explore, such as the Butter Trail, part of the Great Trail across all of Canada, kayak and pedal buggy rentals, heritage attractions including the Creamery Square Heritage Centre; Balmoral Gristmill and Sutherlands Steam Mill; and several nearby provincial beach parks, including Blue Sea Beach and Rushton’s, with warm water swimming in summer. Four great golf courses are also within a 20 minute drive.
The area is so popular, the village’s population triples in summer with many day-trippers and cottage residents. In fact, locals don’t usually go onto Main Street on summer weekends—you’ll find them at the beach instead.
“It’s a very friendly village,” says Jost. “People are surprised by how vibrant it is, and that it’s growing.”
