Looking for a way to make your visit to Shelburne and Birchtown even more special? The Black Loyalist Heritage Centre has curated exciting tour packages that will make the most of your time in the area, with something for both couples or families!

To book any of our tour packages, please call our front desk at 902-875-1293, or e-mail reception@blackloyalist.com . 

With your very own guide at the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre, learn the stories of some 3,000 Black Loyalists who arrived on the shores of Birchtown in 1783 from the American Revolution. Hear the struggles they overcame to earn freedom with the British and survive in their new home. After your guided tour, step outside the centre to explore the Black Loyalist Heritage Site including a one-room schoolhouse and church from the 1800s, the Black Loyalist Heritage Walking Trail featuring a replica “pit house”, the Black Burial grounds, and the National Historic Site monument site on the edge of Birchtown Bay.

In the late-18th century, Birchtown was the largest free Black community in British North America.  It was the centre of the Black Loyalist experience in Canada and represented a turning point in the history of persons of African descent in Canada. On display at the Centre is the Book of Negroes, containing the names of the Black Loyalists who won their freedom by taking up arms for the British.

Then, head to Boxing Rock Brewing for a craft beer tasting flight featuring Back to Birchtown, a modern take on an old stock ale, inspired by the beers which would have been brewed in the days of Black Loyalists. Back to Birchtown is in collaboration with Change is Brewing, a BIPOC collective working to create special brews that celebrate create awareness of the culturally diverse history of Nova Scotia.