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From historic villages to waterfront casinos, there's a lot to see on a drive through Nova Scotia.

Rum-runners in the 1930s eluded U.S. Prohibition laws by sneaking booze from Nova Scotia past the U.S. Coast Guard. The 4,600-mile coast continues to attract Americans, but today they come for the scenic coastal drive and seaside villages still celebrating their British and French heritage.

The quickest way to reach Nova Scotia for a three-night, four-day get-away is to take the ferry from Maine.

DAY ONE

Morning: Drive aboard the catamaran from either Bar Harbor or Portland, Maine. The cruise takes nearly three hours from Bar Harbor and six hours from Portland. After clearing customs, proceed uphill to Yarmouth. Once the largest town in Nova Scotia, the historic seaport shows off its legacy with more than 20 grand 19th-century houses.

Lunch: Sample locally caught Digby scallops and English-style ale waterside at Rudders Seafood Restaurant and Brew Pub.

Afternoon: Inspect the Queen Anne Revival, Greek and Gothic-Revival houses with a self-guided walking tour. Drop into the Victorian home of the original Fuller brush man.

Evening: Check into the 1888 Italianate Victorian-style MacKinnon-Cann Inn, where you can unwind in rooms decorated in a range of styles from the 1900s to the 1960s. For dinner, savor the inn's gourmet cuisine or attend the dinner theater at Rodd Grand Yarmouth hotel.

DAY TWO

Morning: Leave Yarmouth for Pubnico on Highway 3. Glimpses of the ocean appear through the trees. This is Acadian territory, first settled by French colonists in 1653. In 1755, the British deported the Acadians and those that settled in Louisiana became known as Cajuns. At the Acadian Museum and and Le Village Historique Acadien, the village recreates the life of the early Acadians and traditionally attired attendants tell their story. A statue of Baron Philippe Mius d'Entremont guards the village. Most residents are his descendants.

Lunch: If the scent of food cooking in an 1832 gabled house makes you hungry, indulge in a stuffed turkey dinner at the café.

Afternoon: Everywhere, you'll find remnants of the New Englanders who migrated to Canada after the Revolutionary War. In Barrington, the 12 settlers from Cape Cod mixed business and religion in the New England-style Old Meeting House they erected in 1765. The forested landscape around Birchtown looks appealing. But the 2,500 African-American residents in 1783 - mainly former slaves freed by the British military – found the land unfit for farming. Walk behind the small Black Loyalist Heritage Society Museum to view a pit house. A hole dug into the ground and covered with tree trunks was the first home for many. In 1792, most moved to Sierra Leone.

Evening: Continue to Lunenburg, one of the province's most beautiful towns. More than 400 bright red, purple and other-colored Victorian-style houses edge steep streets. North America's best-surviving example of a British colonial settlement is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 18th and 19th-century mansions include the antique-filled Boscawen Inn. Dine in the glorious drawing rooms.

DAY THREE

Morning: At the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, learn about Bill McCoy. The Rum Runner never watered down the liquor, hence the expression, "It's the real McCoy." Climb down into a fishing trawler still permeated with the smell of fuel.

Lunch: Drive to Nova Scotia's most photographed spot, Peggy's Cove. The lighthouse on large smooth rocks dominates the tiny harbor.

Afternoon: A 30-minute ride lands you in Halifax. Head to the Citadel. The star-shaped fort high above Halifax harbor was built after Americans invaded Canada in 1812. Talk to the kilted 78th Highlanders, tour the history museum, see a sound and light show on Halifax's military past and listen to the pipe and drum band.

Evening: Enjoy a casual seafood dinner at Murphy's on the Water. A two-minute drive away, the Halliburton hotel occupies three heritage townhouses. At night, choose among the many pubs or the waterfront casino.

DAY FOUR

Morning-Afternoon: See the Titanic's wireless log and other items from the doomed ship at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. After the movie's release, young women flocked to Fairview Lawn Cemetery. There is a headstone there for Jack Dawson, a member of the Titanic's crew. Today's young women leave keys, flowers and other mementos at the grave thinking the headstone is for the character of Jack Dawson played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film. To catch the 4:00 p.m. ferry, you must leave before the Royal Artillery fires the noon-day gun. It's a four-hour drive to Yarmouth.

Even as you're sailing away, you'll want to come back. You've still got Nova Scotia's breathtaking Cabot Trail to see.

If summer makes you long for the open road, check the Travel channel all season for insight from road trip experts in addition to tried and true itineraries for great road trips of your very own.