Travel date: July 10, 2018
Approximately three minutes in to our coal mine tour at the Miners’ Museum in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, I started to feel a bit panicky. I knew that the ceiling in the mine started out low and only got lower, so that even short adult people like me would have to stoop over for most of the tour…but I hadn’t quite recognized the severity of my claustrophobia until I was actually in there.
But I also knew that dozens of people do this tour every day, and survive the experience just fine. I wanted to bail on the tour, but I was feeling a little sheepish about admitting it to our tour guide, who was, after all, a retired miner who’d spent many years going into this scary mine every single day (and actually mining coal in there, not just having a fun tour). Fortunately, I had brought my handy five year old along with me. I leaned over and whispered to Abe, “do you want to go back out and wait instead of doing the tour?” Abe was not feeling claustrophobic (why should he? He didn’t need to bend over), but he was feeling a little bored with the adult-geared tour already, so he readily agreed. I was able to announce to our tour guide that we were going to head back out because Abe wanted to go. Kids, amiright?!
So I can’t give you a firsthand account of the Ocean Deeps Colliery tour part of our Miners’ Museum experience, but I can tell you that it’s called that because it goes underneath the ocean, and that it’s utterly terrifying. Except most people don’t find it terrifying, and the tour doesn’t actually go all the way to the under the ocean part.
Anyway, Dave and the other kids enjoyed the tour. Ari says, “It was good. I’m glad it wasn’t too much longer. And also the guy made fun of us for not liking to bend over for that long.”
The tours are offered daily throughout the season (late May-October. Winter tours by appointment) and cost $16CDN for adults and $8 for kids. And all the tour guides are retired miners.
The price also gives you access to a museum detailing the history of coal mining on Cape Breton and the miners’ village, where you can tour some restored buildings–a store and houses set up to look like typical miners homes from a couple of different time periods.
Abe and I spent a LOT of time in the museum waiting on the tour to be finished. We are experts on coal mining now!
Then we all checked out the village:
And then we explored the site a little more; there are awesome ocean views and some old mining equipment.
There’s also a restaurant in the Miners Village; we planned to eat there, but found it completely packed by the time we got there. Probably because there was a Men of the Deeps concert scheduled that evening. We went to the concert, and it was definitely the highlight of our visit (and one of the highlights of the whole trip).
But first we had to go find dinner elsewhere in Glace Bay, and, while we were out and about, we took a quick look at the Marconi National Historic Site, site of the first transatlantic wireless communication (fun fact: we passed right by the other end of the transmission in Connemara in Ireland this summer). The building where there are, presumably, exhibits telling you about stuff was already closed, so there wasn’t a whole lot to see. But we got some more ocean views.
And then back for the Men of the Deeps concert! This is a choir made up entirely of working and retired coal miners, and they put on an incredible show. They come in to a darkened room with just their headlamps lighting the way and then sing–largely traditional mining songs, but other stuff, too.
The Men of the Deeps perform several times a month in season, and I highly recommend you time your visit to coincide with one of those dates. Tickets are $13.04CDN for adults and $11.30 for kids. It was very full when we were there, so buy tickets in advance and arrive early (tickets are general admission).
(we visited the Miners Museum while staying at Mira River Provincial Park, about half an hour away)
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