We’ve done Nova Scotia several times on our Gold Wing. You asked for “different” things -- our specialty. Your ferry will put you in Yarmouth. Just pass thru there. If you take the northern shore – Route 101 – you’ll pass thru Digby. Really nice town and home of the famous Digby Scallops. Those scallops are the best there are. Try some. Then a little further up you come to Annapolis Royal. There are gardens there that are jaw dropping.
http://www.historicgardens.com/ Considered one of the best five gardens in North America. Definitely worth a stop.
Stay along the coast past Kentville and Wolfville and head towards Truro. Then NW from Truro towards Amherst. SW of Amherst is Joggins, home of the Joggins Fossil UNESCO World Heritage Site. I’m not into fossils but this is truly remarkable. On the coast, subject to the 20-ft tides of Fundy so you have to be there when the tides are out. Then a guide will take you down on the beach and cliffs where you’ll see amazing fossils and a real piece of history. Come back when the tide is in and from up above, i.e. the park office, all that will have disappeared under at least 20 feet of water. The tides keep etching away the cliffs and uncovering new fossils.
http://jogginsfossilcliffs.net/
If you manage to do that at the end of your trip, you could then head into NB from Amherst and either go down Rt 1 thru St John and into Maine at Calais or take the Trans Canada 2 thru Fredericton and up and around in Canada or cross into Maine at Houlton at the start of I-95 down towards Bangor. The northern part of I-95 is deserted and your own private interstate in perfect condition. We've taken all those routes.
On the southern coast of Nova Scotia, as mentioned, Halifax is a nice city with lots of interest. Halifax has one of the best Titanic museums anywhere. Many of the rescue operations were from Halifax. With the result that many of the recovered pieces and artifacts were taken to Halifax. Very well done museum.
SW of Halifax off Rt 103 is Luneberg. As mentioned by others, a very nice town to visit and stay. Closer to Halifax is Peggy’s Cove which probably has the most photographed lighthouse in the world. Plan to share it with a zillion tourists and tour buses. Personally I’ve seen much better lighthouses.
SW of Luneberg you can take Rt 8 NW across the center of Nova Scotia, past Kejimkujik National Park and get back to Digby. From Digby you can get a ferry across to St John, NB and work your way home from there.
Too many possibilities. Don’t get me started. Hmm.. I guess I am already started.
If you do end up going home thru St John, NB, as you get closer to the border at Calais, look for St Andrews by the Sea along the coast. A great coastal town to spend the night. Or have lunch. From there it’s only like 20 miles to the border crossing on the new four-lane around St Stephen and Calais which puts you on US 1 just south of Calais, avoiding a lot of traffic in those towns.
Far more than you wanted to know but I couldn’t resist just a “few” suggestions. Enjoy – you can’t go wrong.along the coast past Kentville and Wolfville ther are many winerys in this area, and Halls Harbor, and the Lookoff not to be missed