Fall Getaway Offer

Colour Your World in the Annapolis Valley

You’re invited to a spectacle of colours while enjoying some of the finer things in life; fine accommodations and wine.

Annapolis Royal, we’re closer than you think!

The award winning Hillsdale House Inn and the award winning Annapolis Highland Vineyards are teaming up to provide you with the opportunity to take in the spectacular display of Fall colours that we enjoy in the Annapolis Royal and Bear River areas, and at the same time be treated to one of the best historic Inn accommodations and some of the best wine available in Nova Scotia. And in case you were not aware, it is all available within 2 1/2 hours from the Halifax area.

While in the area you should also plan to visit the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens - recently recognized as one of the Top 5 North American Gardens to Travel To. Plan to be here on a Saturday morning and you can visit our Farmers Market where you are sure to find something to take home with you. Plus, there are many other things to see and do in the area that we would be happy to share.

This Colour Your World getaway offer includes:

• Overnight accommodations at the Hillsdale House Inn


• Complimentary full hot breakfast


• A bottle of red or white wine from Annapolis Highland Vineyards


• Wine tasting and tour at Annapolis Highland Vineyard

The offer is available between September 21st and October 26th. Prices for the package start at $100.00 plus tax and vary according to room selection and date of stay. To check price and availability Click Here and enter your preferred date(s). For additional information you can also call the Inn directly at 1-877-839-2821.

Hillsdale House Inn Online Gift Certificate Purchases Now Available

[caption id="attachment_202" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Hillsdale House Inn c.1859"][/caption]

We are now offering you the convenience of being able to purchase Gift Certificates through our online reservation system. Certificates can be purchased for any amount and can be used toward overnight accommodations or any packages or events that we are offering.

When purchasing a certificate you can choose to either have it emailed directly to the recipient with a special message from you, or you can ask us to mail it directly to them.

To access our system right now to make a purchase just Click Here, or you can choose at any time to visit our website www.hillsdalehouseinn.ca and click the link to Purchase a Gift Certificate on the front page.

Back To School Special

It is almost time to head back to school and we have a special offer to get you out of the house before getting back into that annual routine. Book and stay with us between August 28, 2011 and September 1, 2011 and we will take 25% off the room rate on any available room. The rate is based on double occupancy and includes a full hot breakfast. No other discounts will apply to this special rate. To check room availability and reserve you can "Click Here" to go directly to our online reservation system and enter the Promo Code: BACK when the box appears while entering your reservation. Or if you would prefer you can call or email us directly. Simply call (902) 532-2345 or email reservations@hillsdalehouseinn.ca and mention that you would like to book the Back To School Special.

Rawlins Cross in Annapolis Royal August 12th

Rawlins Cross are on tour this summer celebrating the release of their latest CD and they are coming to King's Theatre in Annapolis Royal on Friday, August 12th.

It is sure to be a sold out show so we have reserved a number of seats for the show which we are packaging with a selection of rooms that we still have available.

This package includes 1 nights accommodations at the award winning Hillsdale House Inn with full hot breakfast, plus 2 tickets to the Rawlins Cross performance at King's Theatre.

Package price is from $169.00 plus tax, and you can add a 2nd night for just $109.00 plus tax including breakfast.

Don't miss this opportunity to see great talent in an intimate theatre setting! If unfortunately you are not able to take advantage of this offer yourself, please share it with your friends or anyone else you think might be interested.

For more information or to reserve, email reservations@hillsdalehouseinn.ca or call 902-532-2345 or 1-877-839-2821.

Snappers Brass & Gas

Snappers Brass & Gas, a set on Flickr.

We had the great pleasure of having members of this car club from the United States with us this past weekend.Via Flickr:These vintage automobiles are all built in 1914 or earlier, with the exception of the Rolls Royce which was built in 1917.

Ennis Coming to King's Theatre June 30th

Ennis will be performing at King's Theatre on Thursday June 30th and we have a special package offer for accommodations at the Hillsdale House Inn and tickets to the show.

The package includes:

1 nights’ accommodations and full hot breakfast

2 tickets to the  Ennis performance at King's Theatre

Package price is $136.00 plus tax and applies to any available room.

Add a second night for just $85.00 plus tax including breakfast.

TO RESERVE "Click Here"

Ryan Cook Coming to King's Theatre June 25th

Ryan Cook will be performing at King's Theatre on Saturday June 25th and we have a special package offer for accommodations at the Hillsdale House Inn and tickets to the show.

The package includes:

• 1 nights’ accommodations and full hot breakfast


• 2 tickets to Ryan Cook's performance at King's Theatre

Package price is $140.00 plus tax and applies to any available room.

Add a second night for just $85.00 plus tax including breakfast.

TO RESERVE "Click Here"

Lennie Gallant Coming to King's Theatre June 11th

Lennie Gallant will be performing at King's Theatre on Saturday June 11th and we have a special package offer for accommodations at the Hillsdale House Inn and tickets to the show.

The package includes:

• 1 nights’ accommodations and full hot breakfast

2 tickets to Lennie Gallant's performance at King's Theatre

Package price is $136.00 plus tax and applies to any available room.

Add a second night for just $85.00 plus tax including breakfast.

Weekend with The Cottars

The Cottars are coming to King's Theatre in Annapolis Royal on Saturday, May 21st and we have put together a special weekend package for you to take in the concert and everything else that our area has to offer.

Your package includes 2 nights accommodations (Fri./Sat. or Sat./Sun.) plus 2 tickets to The Cottars performance at King's Theatre. Package price is $212.00 plus tax and applies to any available room.

To Book Online "Click Here". For more information email reservations@hillsdalehouseinn.ca or call 902-532-2345.

Don't miss this opportunity to see great talent in an intimate theatre setting.

Plant a Tree

Earlier this week we had the great pleasure of having a few of the children from Good Beginnings Day Care in Annapolis Royal come by to plant some trees on our property. They are participating in the "Adopt a Stream" program.

As you can see from the photos below they got their hands dirty and seemed to have as much fun finding worms as they did planting the trees.

We look forward to watching the trees grow and have invited the kids to come back to check on their trees any time.

Raccoon Poses As Santa Claus at Hillsdale House Inn

Mystery solved!! When we came into our dining room yesterday morning we discovered the screen on our fireplace laying on the floor and the plastic bag full of insulation that was packed in the flue for the winter was laying in the fireplace.

Well this afternoon I found a non-paying guest staying in Room 6 on the 3rd floor. It appears that he climbed on to our roof and up the chimney in pursuit of a grey squirrel nest and he must have lost his footing and made like Santa Claus. Ho! Ho! Ho!

With a lot of help from a representative of Natural Resources he was escorted out of the Inn to be returned to Nova Scotia's woodland's.

Halloween Happenings in Annapolis Royal

Last evening we checked out two great Halloween experiences in Annapolis Royal. First we dared to go inside the Haunted House at the Sinclair Inn where we encountered a number of spirits from the past and wondered for a while if we would ever be able to return to present day. This was very well done and even provided a little ghostly historic education from previous times in our area.

From the haunted house we went on to Goblets & Goblins at the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens. Under the cloak of darkness the gardens provided an excellent venue for Halloween tricks and treats. The decorations throughout the gardens were great, including a carved pumpkin bonfire. The fire was burning in the Acadian cottage and there were a number of samples fresh out of the wood oven. We also took in a ghost story provided by non other than our own Mayor Phil Roberts, who was wearing his horns.

No doubt this is going to become an annual offering, so you should put it in the calendar for next year, and plan to include a night at the Hillsdale House Inn of course.

Home Routes 'Maritime Circuit' Visits Hillsdale House Inn

Val & I are very excited to be a part of introducing to you the Home Routes 'Maritime Circuit'. In simple terms, the Home Routes program is a series of house concerts. "Home Routes is about world-class musicians, known and unknown alike, performing complete concerts in the comfortable intimacy of private homes and other non-traditional spaces". For a more detailed overview of the program I invite you to click on the Home Routes logo above, which will take you to their website.

Home Routes has been very active in Western Canada and Ontario for several years. This year marks the first year for the Maritime circuit which will include Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. We are very pleased that Annapolis Royal and the Hillsdale House Inn have been selected as one of the stops in the circuit.

Outlined below you will find the dates and the artists who will be performing in November, December, February, March & April. You will also find additional information about how the concerts work. Because there will be limited seating for each performance we will be taking reservations.

As you will see there are some very interesting artists coming with a diversity of styles. To visit the websites of the artists click on their names below.

We hope that you can join us!

Friday, November 5^th  Mark Reeves

Saturday, December 4^th  John Mann

Sunday, February 13^th    Gillian Boucher

Tuesday, March 15^th   Old Sledge

Wednesday, April 13^th  Maria Dunn

• Concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. and end around 9 p.m., with a 10-15 minute intermission at the midway point.


• There is a $15.00 admission charge. Please plan to bring cash, which goes to the artist directly.


• CD's will be available for purchase during the intermission and following the performance.


• A wine & beer cash bar will be available prior to the performance and during the intermission.

Advance reservations are required due to limited seating. Please call (902)532-2345 or email to reservations@hillsdalehouseinn.ca to reserve or be added to our electronic mailing list.

Ghost Hunting, Goblets & Goblins

Ghost Hunting, Goblets & Goblins Package

While there are no known or reported encounters with ghosts at the Hillsdale House Inn, what better place to search for them than a 151 year old Historic Inn on Halloween weekend.

While visiting the Inn to conduct your own search we also want you to have the opportunity to take in GOBLETS & GOBLINS – A Bewitching Evening of Wine & Merriment in the Historic Gardens.

Your package will include:

• Overnight accommodation for two in a deluxe room


• Complimentary full hot breakfast


• Welcome gift


• Two tickets to attend “Goblets & Goblins” at the Historic Gardens on Friday, Oct. 29th

Package Price

$119.00 plus tax

[Add an extra night with room and breakfast for just $79.00 plus tax]

Advance reservations are required and can be made either by calling us directly at 902-532-2345 or by emailing us at reservations@hillsdalehouseinn.ca.

Our Butterfly Garden

On Saturday, June 6, 2009 we had 15 people attend our Butterfly Garden Workshop, and the best part of all is that in less than a couple hours our new garden was completed planted. We started out with presentations by Brennan Caverhill, a biologist with the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, followed by Gilberte Doelle, an organic farmer with Wild Rose Farm in Gilbert's Cove, NS.

The presenters shared a wealth of information with the group, including the importance and plight of butterflies, in particular the Monarch Butterfly, as well as how planting gardens like ours assists them in making their migrations. We also learned what types of plants butterflies will be drawn to, and how to properly locate your garden and position the plant materials within it.

Once the educating was completed it was time to put everyone to work and get their hands into the soil. Gilberte talked about different options for laying out the plants in the bed and then challenged members of the group to position the plants based on what they had heard. With the plants laid out to Gilberte's satisfaction, everyone started to actually put the plant's in the ground. Gilberte's preferred method is to just dig in with her bare hands. Several people followed her lead, but a few opted to take a small shovel in hand.

With the plants all in the ground Gilberte took a little time to talk about maintaining the garden, including things like composting and mulching, and most importantly the organic alternatives to fertilizing. Possibly the most important factor when putting in a butterfly garden is that a large area surrounding it must be pesticide free.

The finished product may not look like much at the moment, however Gilberte told us that given that we started with a great foundation bed with good soil and compost material we will be amazed at how quickly it will flourish. We look forward to watching the progress and will provide regular updates and photos throughout the summer.

We want to thank both our presenters and those who participated in the workshop. Hopefully they got as much joy out of being a part of setting up our garden as we have knowing that we are contributing to the future preservation of the Monarch Butterflies.

Butterfly Garden Workshop

Here at the Hillsdale House Inn we are creating a Butterfly Garden to assist in the cause to provide a protective environment for the “at risk” Monarch Butterfly. In doing so we have coordinated a workshop to take place on Saturday, June 6th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to give others the opportunity to learn why the establishment of these gardens is so important, as well as, what is required to set up a Butterfly Garden in your own yard.

In setting up the workshop we are partnering with the Mersey  Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI) who oversee the Nova Scotia Species At Risk Program; Brennan Caverhill, MTRI Outreach Biologist; and Gilberte Doelle, owner of Wild Rose Organic farm in Gilbert’s Cove, Nova Scotia. Gilberte is a certified organic gardener who among many other things is growing plant materials that attract the Monarch butterfly.

If you are interested in more information about the workshop Click Here