Peggy's Cove, N.S., has a new attraction -- one of 50 2-metre-tall lobsters that have popped up all over the province. -- Photos by Maryanna Lewyckyj

Interview lottery winners and chances are that a bus tour isn't topping their list of dream vacations.

Even members of the travelling public who are less well-heeled may consider a bus tour something akin to a one-way ticket to Loserville.

Seasoned travellers may associate bus tours with white-belted, shuffling seniors too infirm to handle a long vacation drive, or hyperactive school kids united by a common lack of driving licences.

"It's not a sexy business," admits Dennis Campbell, president of Halifax-based Ambassatours Gray Line, a firm twice named one of the 50 Fastest-Growing Companies in Atlantic Canada.

Put another way, bus tours are like minivans: Very practical, but low on the bragging rights scale.

But that doesn't mean boring. To prove this, Ambassatours invited a small group of veteran journalists for a one-week jaunt around Nova Scotia on a big, honkin' motorcoach.

Our trip kicked off in Halifax after a brief CanJet flight from Toronto. White-knuckle flyers or those who want to take in more Canuck scenery en route to their tour starting point can opt to take the train.

Our stay in Halifax coincided with the annual Nova Scotia International Tattoo, an event I mistakenly thought would be filled with stuffy military bands and might provide a chance to sneak in a power nap or two between rounds of polite applause.

Instead, I was dazzled by a rollicking, action-packed, two-hour entertainment extravaganza featuring marching bands, singers, dancers, gymnasts, fire-eaters, an obstacle course competition and precision military manoeuvres.

Billed as "Canada's best-kept secret," the Tattoo features a cast of more than 1,500 performers and the top ticket this year was a paltry $50. The event draws a total audience of about 60,000 for its one-week run, with tourists making up about 40% of the crowd.

The Flying Grampas -- a perennial crowd favourite -- performed a zany mix of acrobatic high jinks with the slapstick flair of the Keystone Cops and the precision of Hollywood stunt men. The troupe members are German police officers and former trampoline champions from Hamburg.

The show was so fast-paced that a viewer who ducked out for a three-minute bathroom break could miss an entire Jeep being disassembled and re-assembled by a team of military mechanics from CSB Gagetown. Now that's a pit stop!

The Halifax starting point for our trip was fitting because for generations of Canadian immigrants -- some virtually penniless -- the majestic Halifax harbour was their first glimpse of a rugged country that promised a new life of freedom and opportunity. One in five Canadians has a link to the port of Halifax as an entry point for immigrants.

Poignant vignettes of immigrant families expressing their hopes, dreams and fears as they arrive in Canada are featured in a slick, hi-tech film being screened at Pier 21.

A bird perches on a Muskoka chair on the lawn of the Keltic Lodge in Cape Breton, N.S.

While Halifax was the gateway to a better life for many newcomers, the city is also indelibly associated with great tragedies, as a trip to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic underlines.

Hefty portions of the museum are dedicated to the Halifax Harbour explosion, as well as relics from the Titanic.

As staggering as the grim toll from the 1917 Halifax Harbour explosion was -- nearly 2,000 killed and 9,000 people injured -- it could have been even worse were it not for the courage of Vincent Coleman.

He was the train dispatcher who sacrificed his life by staying at his post to send out a distress signal to incoming trains.

His historic last words were: "Hold up the train. Munitions ship on fire and making for Pier 6 -- Goodbye boys." The message was heard from every railway station from Halifax to Truro, halting trains and expediting fire fighting aid to help battle the massive blaze.

Two historical interpreters recreate a pub scene in Louisbourg.

Halifax is also the final resting place of many Titanic victims, but for reasons of necessity rather than choice. Some families were too poor to pay to transport their loved ones' bodies home for burial. As a result, 150 victims are buried in three Halifax cemeteries. Many graves are marked with numbers rather than names, as the bodies were never identified.

The grave belonging to Jack Dawson, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Titanic, is a popular gawking point for visitors. However, the most public tributes pile up on a grave for the youngest Titanic victim, 2-year-old Eino Viljami Panula. For decades he was simply called "the unknown child" until DNA testing cracked the mystery in 2002. His tiny shoes were on display at the Maritime Museum during our visit.

No sightseeing visit to Halifax would be complete without a trip to the Citadel, which provides the best vantage point to get a sweeping view of the city and harbour. Although best known as a military fortress, the Citadel also plays host to corporate and social events, with some couples tying the knot on the grounds. Talk about making love, not war.

While Halifax is known for serving up lobsters, this summer some super-sized shellfish invaded the city. The streets are festooned with 50 2-metre-tall lobsters with elaborate paint jobs. Companies pay $4,000 to sponsor a lobster, which is decorated and displayed. In the fall, the artworks will be auctioned for charity.

Of course, live marine life is also a great draw. Our Nova Scotia itinerary included an excursion on the Cabot Trail, with a stop at Wesley's Whale Watching in Pleasant Bay. Pilot whales are so prolific in the area that whale-watching firms offer money-back guarantees if the critters do a no-show. The whales were bountiful on our visit, bobbing up dozens of times during our 90-minute boat ride.

Tourists flock to the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove, one of Nova Scotia's most recognizable landmarks.

You could spend days exploring the awe-inspiring scenery of the Cabot Trail, but we loop the nearly 300-km route in a day, making it back to our starting point of Baddeck for dinner.

The next day, I get a fresh perspective of the Cabot Trail through a half-day kayaking session at North River Kayak Tours of Cape Breton. Having left Toronto in the middle of a spate of smog alert days, it's wonderful to be surrounded by vistas of lush forests, the tranquility of nature and unpolluted air. We even spot a bald eagle that seems unperturbed as we paddle by.

The morning rendezvous with nature gives way to a journey into the past as we head onto the bus and toward the Fortress of Louisbourg. During the summer, Louisbourg is transformed into a living monument, with staffers dressing up in period costumes to play the roles of soldiers and citizens of the town. Tourists are encouraged to chat with the fake denizens and ask them to describe their daily life. You can also watch military drills, including the firing of muskets and cannons.

Our week-long trip also included a Halifax pub crawl, visits to Peggy's Cove, the town of Lunenburg, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Mahone Bay, Auld's Cove and Cheticamp (home of the happy hookers of the rug-making ilk), as well as other attractions.

A rugged view off the Cabot Trail.

If you're someone who either likes to micro-manage your vacation, or hates to plan and simply prefer to go where the spirit of adventure takes you, you'll undoubtedly find a bus tour stifling.

But if you'd rather let someone else be in the driver's seat and simply enjoy the scenery, you might want to consider giving a motorcoach tour a whirl. One Ambassatours customer we ran into was a military professor who'd organized many student outings and was grateful to let someone else handle her vacation itinerary.

It's one way to avoid the hassles of breakdowns, hunting for a gas station, getting lost or finding a good place to eat.

Your helpful tour guide might even tell you the trick to telling a female lobster from a male lobster and the proper way to eat the daunting dish.

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BOTTOM LINE

MORE INFORMATION: Visit ambassatours.com or call 1-800-565-7173 for details on tour packages.From May to early October, Ambassatours offers a variety of packages around the Atlantic region. An eight-day trip around Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. is the most popular option (2005 tourist season price is $2,086 for double occupancy, excluding air or rail fare to Halifax). Ambassatours will also custom-build packages for corporations or groups. "Go Your Own Way" self-drive rental car and accommodation vacation packages are also available for do-it-yourselfers.