the crombie

The grounds are lovely (summer Wednesdays only) and the guided tours are a gift from the Sobeys since the tours are free. The added bonus is that the guide is an artist. The only complaint is that it is too short a time to see Thew Group of Seven.

You can only view this astonishing collection by going on the tour. Only in July and August on Wednesdays at 10, 2 and 4. This is the second largest private collection of Group of Seven artwork in Canada. The biggest is in Toronto. There are 87 paintings by Arthur Lismer, J.W. Morrice, Tom Thomson, Emily Carr, Alex Colville, and many others. If you like impressionist art you must not miss this. It's 5 minutes from Pictou on the way to New Glasgow. And it's free. The very talented painter Pierre Nadeau shows you around after you take off your shoes and at the end you can enjoy viewing his paintings, which are also wonderful. A great way to spend an hour or so. The collection is housed in Frank and Irene Sobey's house, which is very nice too.