Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
Nova Scotia has a number of them: Mahone Bay and Lunenburg are quite small but very touristy.
Some of the towns in the Annapolis Valley would qualify too. Although the town with the most substantial downtown, Wolfville, has about 4,000 people.
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I think Lunenburg would be the definition of charming. It's touristy, but not too cartoony. It's a real living town, with a significant population and year-round activity, rather than a living postcard. Part of the reason is that the majority of the town's residents live centrally, within walking distance, which supports a number of shops that aren't specifically tourist-centric.
It's also substantial--not just one main strip, but a real, albeit small, mixed-use urban grid. I think that sense of explorability, that it pays off to spend a few hours with it, adds to the "charm" factor. The geographic location, steeply descending into a picturesque harbour, certainly helps.