Tourism in Richmond County

Visitors to the Cape Breton Heritage Coast looking for entertainment of the Celtic variety are in luck this summer. Richmond’s tourism operators and municipal government and local tourism association have worked very hard to provide a program that will offer visitors live entertainment on a nightly basis throughout the summer.
Charlene Marshall, Partnership Coordinator for Destination Richmond Tourism Cooperative, has been busy arranging events that will we hope will meet and surpass the visitors expectations while in Richmond. The Cape Breton Heritage Coast Music Program have hired two very talented young entertainers that will travel throughout the county entertaining visitors at venues such as local marinas, restaurants and museums, local events and festivals and at the VICs.
A weekly Monday Night Square Dance has been organized for locals and visitors alike which will take place at 6:30pm at the United Church Hall, this is a excellent venue for visitors to interact with locals in a community setting.
The Municipality of Richmond’s Tourism, Culture and Recreation Department has organized the Concerts by the Sea series, which offers great local talent at two locations in Richmond. These free outdoor concerts held on Thursday evening rotate weekly between the St. Peter’s bandstand and the LeNoir Landing in Arichat and run between 6 and 7:30pm.
The tourism operators are also doing their part in organizing events that will enhance the visitor's experience while in Richmond. The Bras d’Or Lakes Inn in St. Peter’s has begun their very popular Wednesday and Thursday Night Ceilidhs which run from 7-9pm and have added a new summer event on Sunday afternoon, the Kitchen Racket. First introduced during last season's Celtic Colours festival, Kitchen Racket was very well received and offered an excellent variety of entertainers. Running on Sunday afternoons from 2-5pm and again offering a great variety of talent. All three of these events definitely live up to the term musical gathering as guests are invited to bring along their instruments and join in the fun. The Inn also has a great list of entertainers scheduled to perform at special events during the summer.
Another tourism operator that is definitely doing their share to round out the entertainment opportunities for visitors by hosting great entertainment nightly is the Dundee Resort and Golf Club. This summer the very talented Jason Williams has been doing a great job of providing the visitors with top-notch entertainment as he takes to their stage at MacRae’s Dining Room and Chanters Pub.
Seal Cove Tavern in Louisdale and The MacBouch Beverage Room and Lounge are scheduled to have an excellent variety of talents performing at their venues during the summer. Just this past week a boat traveling through the canal had members of the Chieftains and other musicians aboard and they stopped in at the VIC to get information on the area and during the conversation it came about that they had taken in the Friday session at MacBouch and that they found the fiddlers very good.
The Lions Hall in St. Peter’s is drawing visitors as well as local attention with the August 14th concert featuring JP Cormier and the Elliot Brothers. With these top rated entertainers performing, it is bound to be a super evening of music, you will definitely want to get your tickets early. Advance tickets can be purchased for $15.00 from Verna Mann or at the door, for $20.00.
Another hot venue for visitors will be the L’Ardoise Festival Acadien. Part of this years roster, the Jimmy Flynn Show will take place on July 30th from 9-11:30pm, and anyone who has taken in one of Flynn's shows knows they are in for quite a show. Mary’s Islanders an upbeat and lively dance troop will be performing on August 1st at the festival. These venues along with the many community festivals held around the county will offer visitors a wide selection of entertainment.
As well as musical venues, the Campfire series is back at St. Peter’s Battery Provincial Park and everyone is invited to come Thursday at 7pm to enjoy a number of interesting presentations.
Parks has also hired some young ladies again this summer to give historic walking tours of the St. Peter's Canal and of the Nicolas Denys Museum, these take place at 10:30am and 2pm. These tour guides give a great history of the area and the tour is free.
Another form of entertainment this summer is the boating package offered by the Bras d'Or Lakes Inn where you can have a nights accommodation, plus a day cruise on the spectacular Bras d'Or Lakes or out towards scenic Isle Madame. On Board the Misty Cat guests will enjoy a turn at the helm, a gourmet lunch, a swim, fishing or just relaxing and basking in some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. For more details on this package go to www.brasdorlakesinn.com
Richmond can definitely be proud of the direction the tourism players are going in meeting visitor's expectations and enhancing their experiences while traveling in Richmond.