Sydney Cruises
Sydney is located on Cape Breton Island on the east side of the Sydney River. It was founded in 1783 by colonists from New York and New Hampshire who were loyal to the British crown.The area also attracted a large number of Scottish settlers in the early 1800s.With the opening of the coal mines and a steel plant at the turn of the last century, a large number of Eastern European immigrants arrived. Today, Sydney enjoys a varied ethnic population.
As the only significantly industrialized district in Atlantic Canada, Sydney is the heart of Nova Scotia's second largest urban cluster. Most of these communities sprang up around the coal mines, which fed the steel plant in Sydney. The city's central business district impresses with the wide variety of products and services offered by downtown merchants.
Sydney has also become an important gateway to the scenic and historic attractions of the Cape Breton Highlands and for cruising on the Bras d'Or Lakes. On the outskirts of the city is the incredible Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, presenting North America's largest historical reconstruction. Here visitors can enjoy a step back in time in a town perfectly restored to its 1740 appearance. At the time, this fortress town was the French administrative, military and commercial heart of North America. The site is full of genuinely costumed local folk going about their business as did their counterparts in the community of 1740. Just an hour from Sydney lies the charming town of Baddeck, once the summer home of Alexander Graham Bell and now the site of the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, a testament to this extraordinary mans adventures and accomplishments.