Inverness & Western Shore · August 17 – August 24, 2026

Inverness & Western Shore, Cape Breton: Aug 17–23, 2026

The week of August 17–23 brings some of Cape Breton's finest traditional music to the western shore, opening with Stephanie MacDonald & Susan MacLean at Suppertime Tunes and closing on a high note with Andrea Beaton & Troy MacGillivray's Sunday Matinée at the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou.

🎵 Live this week

Monday, August 17 · 8:00 p.m. · 11573 Nova Scotia Trunk 19, Mabou, NS B0E 0A7, Canada

STEPHANIE MACDONALD & SUSAN MACLEAN | SUPPERTIME TUNES | AUGUST 17–19 | 5–7 PM | NO COVER

A three-evening Suppertime Tunes session at the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, featuring Cape Breton fiddler and pianist Kevin LeVesconte alongside multi-instrumentalist Neil MacDaniel. LeVesconte, hailing from St. Peters, Nova Scotia, has been immersed in Cape Breton's rich traditional music his whole life, captivating listeners from kitchen parties to dance hall stages. MacDaniel, from Margaree Forks, brings Irish heritage to his performances across mandolin, guitar, banjo, whistles, and piano. A relaxed early-evening showcase of authentic Cape Breton tradition — no cover charge.

Sunday, August 23 · West Mabou Hall

West Mabou Family Square Dances

Square dances held in West Mabou featuring traditional Cape Breton musicians, with guided sets for newcomers at the start of each event. All ages welcome. Runs 9pm-12am, $12 admission (free for ages 12 and under).

Sunday, August 23 · 6:00 p.m. · Lynn & Cyril Chisholm's Blathan Garden

Lynn & Cyril Chisholm's Blathan Garden — ''Chill on the Hill'''-live music with Lynn Chisholm with vintage tea

Live music performance in Lynn and Cyril Chisholm's Blathan Garden featuring Lynn Chisholm, with vintage tea service available. Tickets are $15 with limited seating; contact [email protected] or text 902-302-8431 to reserve.

Sunday, August 23 · 7:00 p.m. · 11573 Nova Scotia Trunk 19, Mabou, NS B0E 0A7, Canada

ANDREA BEATON & TROY MACGILLIVRAY | SUNDAY MATINÉE | AUGUST 23 | 4–7 PM | $12 COVER

Afternoon live music session at the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, featuring fiddler and stepdancer Andrea Beaton and guitarist Troy MacGillivray. Sessions run 4–7 PM on Sunday afternoons during the pub's seasonal schedule (late May to mid-October). Cover charge $12; arrive early for seating.

📍 Suggested itinerary

Start the week in Mabou on Monday evening, when Stephanie MacDonald & Susan MacLean take the stage at the Red Shoe Pub for Suppertime Tunes. The no-cover sessions run from 5 to 7 PM on August 17, 18, and 19 — an ideal way to settle into Cape Breton's musical heartland before dinner. Before heading in for the evening, fuel up on fresh breads, artisanal sandwiches, or a quality latte at The Dancing Goat Cafe & Bakery in nearby Margaree Valley, a made-from-scratch roadside stop beloved by locals and visitors alike.

Mid-week is a fine time to explore the Inverness area. Cabot Cape Breton on the Inverness oceanfront offers world-class golf, luxury oceanview accommodations, and upscale dining — a compelling base for the full week. Golfers will want to book a round at Cabot Cliffs, Canada's top-ranked golf course, where the walking-only links course winds along dramatic coastal cliffs with views that rival the game itself.

For dining away from the fairways, the western shore has strong options at every turn. Glenora Distillery's Washback Pub in the Mabou Highlands pairs gourmet Nova Scotia cuisine with Glen Breton Rare whisky and live Celtic music — a natural fit for a midweek evening. Travellers heading south on Highway 105 toward Whycocomagh should look for Charlene's Bayside Restaurant and Cafe, where award-winning seafood chowder and fresh coastal fare make a strong case for lingering, and The Farmers Daughter Country Market, stocked with home-baked goods, gourmet foods, and unique gifts.

Sunday, August 23 is the week's centrepiece. The afternoon begins at the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, where celebrated fiddler and stepdancer Andrea Beaton joins guitarist Troy MacGillivray for a Sunday Matinée session from 4 to 7 PM — one of the summer's most anticipated weekly traditions, with a $12 cover. From there, the evening shifts to a more intimate setting: Lynn & Cyril Chisholm's Blathan Garden hosts a Chill on the Hill gathering at 6 PM, with live music from Lynn Chisholm accompanied by vintage tea — a garden evening that captures something quietly special about Cape Breton summers. Night owls can cap the week at West Mabou Hall, where the West Mabou Family Square Dances run from 9 PM to midnight with live traditional music, guided sets welcoming first-timers, and free admission for children under 12.

🍽️ Where to eat & stay

accommodation · Inverness

Cabot Cape Breton

Located on over a mile of sandy beach along the coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia—and nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the picturesque town of Inverness—Cabot Cape Breton features 46 holes of exhilarating golf and one of the best resort experiences in Canada. With two acclaimed World Top 100 courses, 72 rooms of award-winning accommodation, 19 upscale Golf Villas, and exquisite dining in three on-site restaurants, Cabot Cape Breton is intended to excite and inspire at every turn. Resort Overview 2 acclaimed World Top 100 golf courses, Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs 1 Par 3, 10-hole short course, The Nest 72 rooms of award-winning hotel accommodation 19 upscale Golf Villas 30 Luxurious Homes 4 restaurants; Panorama, Cabot Bar, The Barn, Whit’s Public House 2 beach accesses within walking distance of the resort Awards ScoreGolf—Top Canadian Public Courses (Cabot Cliffs #1, Cabot Links #2) Golf Digests—World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses (Cabot Cliffs #10, Cabot Links #39) Conde Nast Traveler—Top 10 Resorts in Canada (Cabot Cape Breton No. 10) Golf Digest—Best Golf Resorts in Canada (Cabot Cape Breton) Forbes—Top 10 Best Golf Trips around the World Forbes – Top 10 Best Golf Resorts With Private Cottages or Cabins Travel+Leisure – Top 10 Resort Hotels in Canada (Cabot Links Lodge #8) Facilities/Services Cabot Links Golf Course: Rod Whitman design. Par 70, 6854 yards. Walking course (carts available if medically required) Golf Digest World’s 100 Greatest Courses: #10 Cabot Cliffs Golf Course: Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw design. Par 72, 6764 yards. Walking course (carts available if medically required) Practice range Golf Digest World’s 100 Greatest Courses: #39 The Nest Short Course: Rod Whitman & Dave Axland design. Par 3, 10-hole Night Golf Lodging: 72 Oceanview rooms at the Cabot Links Lodge 49 Upscale homes ranging from 2 to 5 bedrooms Dining: Whit’s Public House Panorama Cabot Bar The Barn Services: Transportation between Links & Cliffs properties Airport, local and other transportation available Local activity bookings Bell service Accommodation Types: Resort Rooms • Floor to ceiling windows • Walk-in rainfall showers • Plush pillow top beds • Nespresso Machine • Italian Terry cloth towels and robes Villa Rentals 19 upscale Golf Villas (ranging from 2 to 4 bedrooms) Open-concept living space Custom kitchen with premium appliances Private deck Cabot Cliffs An 18-hole invitation to take the road less travelled, with the freedom of unfamiliar terrain beneath your feet and uncommon beauty as far as the eye can see. Cabot Cliffs is designed by legendary course designers, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, and carved out of the Cape Breton coastline. From high cliffs to rolling dunes Cabot Cliffs is 6,765 yards and Par 72 Cabot Links Set against a breathtaking landscape and designed by Canadian golf course architect, Rod Whitman, this is golf as it was meant to be. Each of the 18holesoffers an ocean view and five holes play directly adjacent to the beach. This is the first authentic links in Canada, and one of the world’s greatest courses. The place that speaks to golf’s elemental and undeniable truthis6,854 yards and Par 70 The Nest Opened for the 2021 season, the new short course is a Par 3, 10-hole routing perched on the highest point of Cabot Cliffs, affording some of the best views on property. The Rod Whitman/Dave Axland design has a great deal of variety and shot value and is modelled after the same style of golf as Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs. Your golf day can also extend well beyond sundown with night golf at offered at The Nest!

attraction · Inverness

Cabot Cliffs

Exquisitely carved out of the breathtaking Cape Breton landscape, with postcard worthy panoramas vying for your attention and rich, rolling fairways waiting to reward your creativity, this is linksland golf at its best. A chance to follow in the legendary footsteps of course designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. From cliff to cliff and across rolling sand dunes, experience the game in its most visceral sense: with a stiff coastal wind at your back and a sense of purpose in your swing. Ranked #1 in Canada in SCOREGolf’s Top 100 best golf courses in Canada, #13 in Golf Digest’s World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses and #11 in Golfweek’s Top 100 International Golf Courses in 2024, Cabot Cliffs alongside its sister course Cabot Links, has transformed Cape Breton Island into one of North America’s most noteworthy golf destinations. Cabot Cliffs is a walking-only course, a style of play that heightens the experience of the game, connecting the golfer with the landscape and inviting creativity into every shot. Of course, exceptions can be made – and carts provided – for those of our guests with medical limitations. In addition, experienced caddies are ready to provide helpful advice on everything from shot selection to the course’s various topographical nuances. “Midway through my maiden round at Cabot Cliffs, strung along ocean bluffs above the town of Inverness, Nova Scotia, I became overwhelmed by an emotion best described as giddy. (…) The sense of awe and discovery was so intense. (…) By round’s end, I’d lost all objectivity. This is the second coming of Cypress Point, which in my mind was previously unmatched in its beauty, variety and thrills.”- Ron Whitten, Golf Digest Visit our website for a hole-by-hole tour at https://cabotcapebreton.com/golf/cabot-cliffs

restaurant · Mabou

Glenora Distillery’s Washback Pub

Cradled in the picturesque hills of the Mabou Highlands, our unsurpassed view is perfect for gourmet cuisine. Savour the freshest of Nova Scotia and international cuisine in our Pub and Dining Room, featured in ’Where to Eat in Canada’. Celtic music and a dram of Canadian single malt whisky, Glen Breton Rare, lay the groundwork for your unique Cape Breton experience. Glenora Inn features nine rooms and six highland chalets. You can also enjoy a guided tour of the distillery and private tastings.

restaurant · Margaree Valley

The Dancing Goat Cafe & Bakery

The bustling ‘made from scratch’ roadside café, Dancing Goat Café and Bakery, is a favourite stop along the Cabot Trail for locals and visitors alike. With delicious sweet treats, fresh breads, artisanal sandwiches and soups, and lattes that would rival any top coffee house, the Dancing Goat is a culinary gem tucked in the hills of the Margaree Valley. Serving breakfast and lunch all year long. We are wheelchair accessible.

restaurant · Whycocomagh

Charlene’s Bayside Restaurant and Cafe

Home to Charlene’s Multi-Award Winning Famous Seafood Chowder. A great family dining experience enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Renowned for great service, amazing food and its overall welcoming atmosphere. Stop by and see for yourself! Open Monday – Friday: 8:00am – 6:00pm Take Out Services Available

restaurant · Whycocomagh

The Farmers Daughter Country Market

Nestled in the heart of Cape Breton, The Farmer’s Daughter Country Store offers a unique selection of sweet treats, express meals, home baked goods, gourmet foods, gifts and apparel.

Whether the draw is a fiddle session at the Red Shoe, a round at Cabot Cliffs, or a garden concert with vintage tea, the western shore of Cape Breton delivers an uncommonly rich week — come for the music and stay for everything else that unfolds around it.

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